Lidar
Last updated on September 11, 2024Lidar (light detection and ranging) is an active remote sensing technology used to map the earth's surface.
On this page
About lidar
Laser range observations between a moving vehicle, such as an airplane, and the earth's surface are combined with vehicle location and position information to generate a dense volume of data points called a point cloud.
Each point in the point cloud represents a location on the earth's surface with latitude, longitude, and elevation. The point cloud is a 3D representation of terrain and objects, like trees or buildings.
Lidar point cloud data provides accurate 3D information for various mapping products, including:
- Digital Elevation Models (DEM)
- Forest inventory analysis and maps
- Floodplain analysis and maps
- Infrastructure analysis and maps
- Transportation analysis and maps
- Many other applications
Over the past several years, the Province of British Columbia has made significant investments in lidar and has now released provincial lidar collections under the Open Government License – British Columbia making it freely available for anyone to download and use. This lidar data includes LAZ point cloud data and various lidar-derived products.
LidarBC Website
To learn more about lidar, visit the LidarBC Website
Technical information
Digital Elevation Model Specifications
Digital Data Naming Conventions
Contact us
The lidar program is managed by GeoBC.
General enquiries: GeoBCinfo@gov.bc.ca
For any lidar related enquires contact the LidarBC inbox: lidar@gov.bc.ca.
Deliveries Courier
3rd Floor, 3400 Davidson Ave
Victoria, BC V8Z 3P8
Mailing Address
PO BOX 9375 STN PROV GOVT
Victoria, BC V8W 9M5