CASE STUDY
SECTOR
National Mapping, Governance
Source: AIRBUS
unlocking-national-insights-with-lidar-and-very-highresolution-satellite-imagery-in-portugal
Source: AIRBUS
In an ambitious national initiative led by the Directorate General for Territory (DGT), Portugal is creating two groundbreaking open datasets to cover the entire continental territory: high-density LiDAR data and very high-resolution satellite imagery from the Pléiades Neo constellation. Launched in 2023 and scheduled for completion by early 2025, the project captures full waveform LiDAR at 10 points per m² with vertical accuracy under 10 cm, complemented by 25 cm resolution aerial photography (RGB + NIR). Simultaneously, satellite imagery with 30 cm panchromatic and 1.2 m multispectral resolution offers unprecedented detail. The open datasets will enable high-resolution Digital Terrain Models (DTMs), hydrographic 3D networks, thematic maps, and large-scale land cover analysis, benefiting planners, scientists, government agencies, and the public. All data products will be made freely available, marking a historic step forward for national geospatial data accessibility.
Directorate General for Territory, Portugal
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