lidar point cloud vs. bare earth DEM
![Divided image with tree-covered slope on one side and the treeless, bare earth on the other side revealing landslides](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/full_width/public/thumbnails/image/Landslide%20point%20cloud%20vs%20bare%20earth.png?itok=RpLHoosg)
Detailed Description
By processing lidar point clouds (left) to bare earth DEMs (right), the vegetation is stripped away to reveal past landslides and steep slopes at risk of failure masked by forested canopies. In dense forests, landslides--especially old landslides--might be invisible on aerial images and hard to detect from the ground.
Sources/Usage
Public Domain.