Q: What is the file format for my ASCII LiDAR data files?

A:

For ASCII files containing 8 columns (data delivered in 2009 and 2010) the files are formatted as follows:

Time, Easting, Northing, elevation, intensity, classification, return number, scan angle rank

For ASCII files containing 9 columns (data delivered from 2011 to 2015) the files are formatted as follows:

Time, Easting, Northing, elevation, intensity, classification, return number, number of returns for given pulse, scan angle rank

This information is also given in the readme file included with the data delivery.

Each entry in the list is a single LiDAR return. If you prefer to deal with LAS format data, the text files can be converted to LAS format using third-party software (see Converting ASCII files to LAS).

Data flown with before 2009 the Optec LiDAR use a different format with first and last return on the same line. These files can be converted to LAS using the script ​`convert_pre2009_lidar.py`.

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