Artificial intelligence techniques in extracting building and tree footprints using aerial imagery and LiDAR data

One of the most important considerations in urban environments is the extraction of urban objects, with a high automation level. This study aims to present a new method which uses aerial images and LiDAR data to extract buildings and trees footprint in urban areas. In this study, high-elevation objects were extracted from the LiDAR data using the developed scan labeling method, and then the classification methods of Neural Networks (NN), Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) and Genetic Based K-Means algorithm (GBKMs) were used to separate buildings and trees and with the purpose of evaluating their performance. The features used for the classification were extracted from aerial images and LiDAR data, and the training data for the classification were selected automatically. Mathematical morphology functions were also used to process the classification results. The results show that NN and the ANFIS are more effective than the genetic-based K-Means algorithm in detecting small and large buildings.