================================================================================
Reading data from EPT
================================================================================


Introduction
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This tutorial describes how to use `Conda`_, `Entwine`_, `PDAL`_, and `GDAL`_ to
read data from the `USGS 3DEP AWS Public Dataset`_. We will be using PDAL's
`readers.ept`_ to fetch data, we will filter it for noise using `filters.outlier`_,
we will classify the data as ground/not-ground using `filters.smrf`_, and we will
write out a digital terrain model with :ref:`writers.gdal`. Once our elevation model
is constructed, we will use GDAL `gdaldem`_ operations to create hillshade, slope,
and color relief.

Install Conda
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We first need to install PDAL, and the most convenient way to do that is
by installing `Miniconda`_. Select the 64-bit installer for your platform and
install it as directed.

Install PDAL
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once Miniconda is installed, we can install PDAL into a new `Conda Environment`_
that we created for this tutorial. Open your Anaconda Shell and start issuing the
following commands:


1. Create the environment

   ::

      conda create -n iowa -y

2. Activate the environment

   ::

      conda activate iowa

3. Install PDAL


   ::

      conda install -c conda-forge pdal -y

4. Insure PDAL works by listing the available drivers


   ::

      pdal --drivers

   ::

      (iowa) [hobu@kasai ~]$ pdal --drivers




Once you confirmed you see output similar to that in your shell, your PDAL
installation should be good to go.


Write the Pipeline
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PDAL uses the concept of `pipelines`_ to describe the reading, filtering, and writing
of point cloud data. We will construct a pipeline that will do a number of things
in succession.


.. figure:: ../images/pipeline-example-overview.png
   :scale: 75%

   Pipeline diagram. The data are read from the `Entwine Point Tile`_ resource at
   https://usgs.entwine.io for Iowa using :ref:`readers.ept` and filtered through a
   number of steps until processing is complete. The data are then written to
   an ``iowa.laz`` and ``iowa.tif`` file.


Pipeline
................................................................................

1. Create a file called ``iowa.json`` with the following content:

   .. note::

      The file is also available from
      https://gist.github.com/hobu/ee22084e24ed7e3c0d10600798a94c31 for
      convenient copy/paste)

.. literalinclude:: ./iowa.json
   :language: js



Stages
................................................................................

readers.ept
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

:ref:`readers.ept` reads the point cloud data from the EPT resource on AWS. We give
it a URL to the root of the resource in the ``filename`` option, and we also
give it a ``bounds`` object to define the window in which we should select data
from.

The ``bounds`` object is in the form ``([minx, maxx], [miny, maxy])``.

.. warning::

   If you do not define a ``bounds`` option, PDAL will try to read the
   data for the entire state of Iowa, which is about 160 billion points.
   Maybe you have enough memory for this...

.. figure:: ../images/pipeline-example-readers.ept.png
   :scale: 50%

   The EPT reader reads data from an EPT resource with PDAL. Options available
   in PDAL 1.9+ allow users to select data at or above specified resolutions.

filters.range
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The data we are selecting may have noise properly classified, and we can use
:ref:`filters.range` to keep all data that does not have a ``Classification`` :ref:`dimensions`
value of ``7``.

.. figure:: ../images/pipeline-example-filters.range1.png
   :scale: 50%

   The :ref:`filters.range` filter utilizes range selection to allow users to
   select data for processing or removal. The :ref:`filters.mongoexpression`
   filter can be used for even more complex logic operations.


filters.assign
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After removing points that have noise classifications, we need to reset all
of the classification values in the point data. :ref:`filters.assign` takes the
expression ``Classification [:]=0`` and assigns the ``Classification`` for
each point to ``0``.

.. figure:: ../images/pipeline-example-filters.assign.png
   :scale: 50%

   :ref:`filters.assign` can also take in an option to apply assignments
   based on a conditional. If you want to assign values based on a
   bounding geometry, use :ref:`filters.overlay`.


filters.reprojection
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The data on the AWS 3DEP Public Dataset are stored in `Web Mercator`_
coordinate system, which is not suitable for many operations. We need to
reproject them into an appropriate UTM coordinate system (`EPSG:26915 <https://epsg.io/32615>`__).

.. figure:: ../images/pipeline-example-filters.reprojection.png
   :scale: 50%

   :ref:`filters.reprojection` can also take override the incoming coordinate
   system using the ``a_srs`` option.


filters.smrf
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Simple Morphological Filter (:ref:`filters.smrf`) classifies points as ground
or not-ground.

.. figure:: ../images/pipeline-example-filters.smrf.png
   :scale: 50%

   :ref:`filters.smrf` provides a number of tuning options, but the
   defaults tend to work quite well for mixed urban environments on
   flat ground (ie, Iowa).


filters.range
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After we have executed the SMRF filter, we only want to keep points that
are actually classified as ground in our point stream. Selecting for
points with ``Classification[2:2]`` does that for us.

.. figure:: ../images/pipeline-example-filters.range2.png
   :scale: 50%

   Remove any point that is not ground classification for our
   DTM generation.

writers.gdal
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Having filtered our point data, we're now ready to write a raster digital
terrain model with :ref:`writers.gdal`. Interesting options we choose here are
to set the ``nodata`` value, specify only outputting the inverse distance
weighted raster, and assigning a resolution of ``1`` (m). See :ref:`writers.gdal`
for more options.

.. figure:: ../images/pipeline-example-writers.gdal.png
   :scale: 50%

   Output a DTM at 1m resolution.

writers.las
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We can also write a LAZ file containing the same points that were used to
make the elevation model in the section above. See :ref:`writers.las` for more options.

.. figure:: ../images/pipeline-example-writers.las.png
   :scale: 50%

   Also output the LAZ file as part of our processing pipeline.

Execute the Pipeline
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Save the PDAL pipeline in `Pipeline`_ to a file called ``iowa.json``

2. Invoke the `PDAL pipeline`_ command

   ::

      pdal pipeline iowa.json

   Add the ``--debug`` option if you would like information about
   how PDAL is fetching and processing the data.

   ::

      pdal pipeline iowa.json --debug

3. Save a color scheme to ``dem-colors.txt``

   ::

      # Color ramp for Iowa State Campus
      270.187,250,250,250,255,270.2
      272.059,230,230,230,255,272.1
      272.835,209,209,209,255,272.8
      273.985,189,189,189,255,274
      276.204,168,168,168,255,276.2
      277.835,148,148,148,255,277.8
      279.199,128,128,128,255,279.2
      280.964,107,107,107,255,281
      282.809,87,87,87,255,282.8
      283.745,66,66,66,255,283.7
      284.547,46,46,46,255,284.5
      286.526,159,223,250,255,286.5
      296.901,94,139,156,255,296.9

4. Invoke ``gdaldem`` to colorize a PNG file for your
   TIFF

   ::

      gdaldem color-relief iowa.tif dem-colors.txt iowa-color.png

5. View your raster

   .. figure:: ../images/pipeline-example-iowa-colors.png
      :align: left


.. _`PDAL pipeline`: https://pdal.io/pipeline.html
.. _`Web Mercator`: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_Mercator_projection
.. _`dimension`: https://pdal.io/dimensions.html
.. _`USGS 3DEP AWS Public Dataset`: https://www.usgs.gov/news/usgs-3dep-lidar-point-cloud-now-available-amazon-public-dataset

.. _`PDAL`: https://pdal.io
.. _`Entwine`: https://entwine.io
.. _`Conda`: https://conda.io
.. _`GDAL`: https://gdal.org
.. _`readers.ept`: https://pdal.io/stages/readers.ept.html
.. _`filters.outlier`: https://pdal.io/stages/filters.outlier.html
.. _`filters.smrf`: https://pdal.io/stages/filters.smrf.html
.. _`writers.gdal`: https://pdal.io/stages/writers.gdal.html
.. _`gdaldem`: https://www.gdal.org/gdaldem.html
.. _`Miniconda`: https://docs.conda.io/en/latest/miniconda.html
.. _`Conda Environment`: https://docs.conda.io/projects/conda/en/latest/user-guide/concepts.html
.. _`pipelines`: https://pdal.io/pipeline.html
.. _`Entwine Point Tile`: https://entwine.io/entwine-point-tile.html
