FGI is developing a process to generate a digital elevation model (DEM) of 1-meter resolution from the laser scanning data of the National Land Survey (NLS) of Finland. The emphasis is on generating a smooth mask for the stream water bodies, where the laser scanning data is sparse and easily leads to unnaturally rough elevation profiles. One application area that benefits from an improved DEM are visualizations where the slope of the DEM is used as a parameter, such as analytical hillshading. Also, different 3D visualizations are gaining popularity, and the generated DEM should improve them as well.
Left: DEM generated directly from the laser scanning data. Right: DEM whose stream water bodies are smoothed. Visualized using hill-shading.