Interpolation of Lidar Point Clouds - Accuracy assessment for diverse grid sizes

For representing terrain heights INSPIRE, which is aimed at creating an EU spatial data infrastructure, has developed specifi cations for digital terrain models (DTMs). DTMs are preferred as the main source for computing risks of fl ooding and other analytical tasks while their quality should be specifi ed in terms of accuracy and resolution, i.e. grid size. Here, the author applies fi ve interpolation methods to two airborne Lidar datasets both located in northwest Italy – one capturing a mountainous area and the other a fl at urban area – and investigates the resulting accuracy for diverse grid sizes.