Limits and potentialities of gridded LiDAR data in the forest context: the case of the new Piemonte Region dataset

LiDAR technology (Light Detection and Ranging) is suitable for a large variety of applications in monitoring and studying forestry resources. LiDAR is increasingly used in qualifying the forest to rationalize its exploitation (biomass), management (also from an environmental protection point of view) and for describing its role as ecological indicator in the climate change context. Therefore, a rigorous validation of measurements from these systems, more frequently available for users from institutional subjects and not, it is required. This work is aimed at evaluating the quality of the LiDAR dataset acquired during the 2009-2011 aerial survey over the entire Piemonte Region (Italy). These data has been recently made available for free by the regional cartographic department. Data are supplied to users in raster format: both DTM (Digital Terrain Model) and DSM (Digital Surface Model) are available. In this work a traditional statistic approach is performed together with geostatistical analysis to explore and describe main data uncertainty factors looking for its possible dependence from terrain morphometry.