Open-Earth-Monitor Global Workshop 2026

Authors: Linda Luck (GFZ), Ben Brede (GFZ), Johannes Wilk (GFZ), Arnan Araza (WUR), Geike De Sloover (UGent), Bert Gielen (University of Antwerp), Martin Herold (GFZ)

Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) and Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle laser scanning (ULS) provide highly detailed and reliable measurements of vegetation structure and have become an important tool for forest and ecosystem research. Despite its high value, openly available TLS/ULS datasets remain scarce. Previous initiatives to establish centralised data collection have faced challenges in gaining sufficient participation and maintaining long-term feasibility, highlighting the need for alternative approaches to improving accessibility and usability of TLS/ULS data.

In addition to making some of our data publicly available, we are developing a reproducible processing workflow that can be applied across sites and shared among partners. This workflow is currently being implemented for several contrasting ecosystems, including the deciduous mixed forest of Hohes Holz (Germany), the savanna ecosystem at Las Majadas (Spain), and additional sites currently under preparation. By standardising processing and derived outputs, the approach enables consistent generation of structural metrics that can be shared and integrated across projects.

As a first application example, we present the ESA Forest DTC project, where tree-level structural metrics derived from high-resolution TLS scans with manually corrected segmentation are combined with large-scale automated segmentation and feature extraction from UAV-based lidar to support ecosystem modelling.

Looking ahead, cloud-based and online processing services - such as those provided by ForesSens and currently being developed within the 3D-Trees project - may represent a promising pathway for enabling broader access to TLS processing and derived products without requiring specialised local computing infrastructure.