Approuague and Sinnamary forest: LiDAR and 3 cm orthophotos for the University of French Guiana

Background

The Espace-Dev joint research unit of the University of French Guiana works on the forest, including the detection of tree species from the air. On two study plots it wanted a 3 cm per pixel orthophoto and the vegetation structure measured by LiDAR. The first lay on the Approuague, thirty minutes by dugout canoe from Régina.

What we did

On 16 July 2025 the photo and LiDAR flights took off from the canoe and returned to it; the boat was reserved for the team, as the LiDAR drone is bulky. On 21 July we delivered the 3 cm orthophoto, the 10 cm surface model, the 50 cm terrain model, the canopy height model and the above-ground point cloud. With the wind moving the treetops, some crowns looked blurred on the orthophoto, so in Sinnamary, on 17 October, we flew crossed lines. There the terrain, surface and height models were delivered at 20 cm on 21 October, with the 3 cm orthophoto and the ground and above-ground clouds.

2 related missions in the log

1. October 2025

   LiDAR and photogrammetryFrench Guiana

   LiDAR and orthophoto of 48 hectares of forest in Sinnamary

   Sinnamary · Université de Guyane

   On 17 October 2025, for the Espace-Dev unit, after the Approuague survey in July: crossed flight lines, 3 cm orthophoto, 20 cm terrain, surface and height models and ground and above-ground clouds delivered on 21 October.

   • 48 ha
   • 20 cm models

   Read the article
2. July 2025

   LiDAR and photogrammetryFrench Guiana

   LiDAR and orthophoto of 16 hectares of forest from a dugout canoe, on the Approuague

   Approuague, Régina · Université de Guyane

   On 16 July 2025, for the Espace-Dev unit: take-offs from the canoe, 3 cm orthophoto, 10 cm surface model, 50 cm terrain model and canopy height model delivered on 21 July.

   • 16 ha
   • 3 cm per pixel

   Read the article

All missions