Regional Government organised training course on LiDAR Surface production and Analysis - Communication

Secretaria Regional do Ambiente e Ação Climática

The Regional Secretariat for the Environment and Climate Action organised a training course on LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) Surface Production and Analysis, conducted by specialist Nelson Ribeiro Pires, a geospatial engineer and lecturer at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto. It took place on the island of São Miguel between March 27 and April 2, with a view to contributing to the Region’s capacity-building in this field.

According to the Regional Secretary for the Environment and Climate Action, Alonso Miguel, “the main aim of the training was to provide Regional Public Administration professionals with the skills to process and analyse LiDAR and photogrammetry data. The aim was to develop essential skills to improve response and planning capabilities in various areas, including mapping production, risk management, civil protection, forestry development, spatial planning and sustainable landscape management, through the production, analysis and use of high-precision geospatial information.”

LiDAR is an active remote sensing technology that generates three-dimensional point clouds by measuring the properties of light reflected from distant objects, making it possible to measure distances and movements accurately in real time. It also allows for the creation of detailed terrain models, which are essential, for example, for simulating floods and landslides, monitoring coastal areas and mapping hydrographic basins.

Organised as part of the Life IP Climaz project, this 26-hour training course brought together 35 participants from several sectors, including public administration professionals working in areas such as civil protection, the environment and climate action, spatial planning, forestry services, maritime policy, as well as the Regional Civil Engineering Laboratory.

Alonso Miguel noted that “the Regional Government commissioned an aerial photogrammetric survey, including LiDAR scanning, carried out in 2024 and whose results will be made public shortly. It is currently wrapping up a tender process for the production of vector topographic maps, at a scale of 1:2000 for built-up areas and 1:10,000 for the Region’s undeveloped areas, which will provide the Region with a common and standardised mapping base.” 

“With this tender for the procurement of vector topographic mapping services, due to be launched later in 2026 and representing an investment of €2.2 million, the Region will now have highly detailed information covering its entire area, namely high-resolution digital terrain and surface models. This is something unprecedented until now, ensuring a very significant development, with major implications for knowledge, planning and land management,” he continued.

Alonso Miguel added that “detailed mapping is also essential in the context of spatial planning processes, particularly for amendments to spatial planning tools, with particular focus on the amendment and revision of Special Land Management Plans and Municipal Land Management Plans (PDM). According to the Regional Climate Change Programme, they must produce detailed mapping at a scale of 1:2000 or greater, whenever they aim to determine the distance at which buildings, facilities or infrastructures must be located from areas of significant risk.”

The government official also emphasised that the subsequent maps to be produced, based on this information, will have as their main goal the detailed updating of the stretches of built-up areas on our islands exposed to coastal risks during extreme events. This will also help to create scenarios in a climate change context, contributing to the definition of mitigation and adaptation measures – an aspect of significant importance that also concerns the safety of people and property.

The Regional Secretary emphasised that “about €1.5 million has been invested since 2022 in equipping the Region with technological equipment, which is essential for the development and updating of mapping on the nine islands.”

“In 2023, the Regional Secretariat for the Environment and Climate Action procured various pieces of equipment to improve the capabilities of its internal services in the fields of geodesy, mapping and land registration, representing an investment of over €800,000, with 100% funded under the REACT-EU programme. The procurement included four Total Stations, four GNSS receivers, nine multi-rotor drones, one permanent GNSS station, three quadcopters for LiDAR surveying, three workstations, three photogrammetric processors, one laser scanner and nine GNSS receivers for the Permanent Station Network,” he recalled.

Alonso Miguel noted that “there would be no point in equipping the Region with state-of-the-art technological equipment if the corresponding training were not provided, enabling public administration technicians to make the most of these tools through their efficient use.” In this regard, he added that “with the technological leap the Region has made, it will be possible to update mapping data more frequently, and this information is also relevant for research and science as well as for the Azorean business community."

The government official concluded by stating that “developing these skills within the Regional Public Administration strengthens our capacity to respond to natural hazards, manage the environment, and provide essential technical information for decision-making and spatial planning in the Region.”

The training focused on autonomous platforms, sensors and applications, as well as the algorithms used in photogrammetric processing.

The course was designed with an open approach, prioritising the use of open-source software such as OpenDroneMap (ODM) and tools such as PDAL (Point Data Abstraction Library) and Open Point Cloud for processing and classifying point clouds. However, other proprietary tools, such as LAStools and Whiteboxtools for QGIS, were also tested.