What type of data is produced by LiDAR technology?

LiDAR technology primarily produces raster data, which is made up of pixel values that represent the surface of the Earth in a grid format. This data is typically collected as point clouds, consisting of numerous individual measurements of elevation and other characteristics of the landscape, which can then be processed to create Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) and other raster datasets. Raster data is particularly useful for representing continuous surfaces, such as elevation, temperature, or precipitation.

Vector data, on the other hand, is characterized by discrete features represented as points, lines, and polygons, commonly used to depict roads, boundaries, and other distinct geographic entities. Text data refers to alphanumeric information without a geographic component, while hierarchical data organizes information in a tree-like structure, which does not correspond to the spatial nature captured by LiDAR. Thus, understanding that LiDAR results in raster data is essential as it underpins many applications in GIS, including terrain analysis, hydrological modeling, and land-use planning.