Sensors

Our sensing platforms connect measurements on the ground with observations from the air to study forest structure in three dimensions.

Terrestrial laser scanning

RIEGL VZ-400i

A terrestrial laser scanner for detailed three-dimensional measurements of trees and forest stands. Ground-level point clouds support analysis of stems, branches, and vegetation structure.

Explore the RIEGL VZ-400i →

Mobile laser scanning

ZEB Horizon

A portable laser scanning system for collecting forest point clouds while moving through a site. Handheld and backpack field collection provide a flexible view of tree and understory structure.

RIEGL miniVUX sensor product illustration

UAV laser scanning

IF800 Tomcat + RIEGL miniVUX

An aerial platform and compact LiDAR sensor for observing forests from above. UAV point clouds support terrain modeling, canopy height mapping, and analysis of vegetation structure across forest plots and landscapes.

Explore the IF800 Tomcat →

Robotic platform

Unitree Go2 EDU

A quadruped robot with onboard LiDAR for spatial perception. This platform connects robotics and environmental sensing, opening opportunities to explore ground-based mapping workflows.

Explore the Unitree Go2 EDU →

Backpack-mounted ZEB Horizon collecting data in a pine forest

Forest sensing in the field

Combining terrestrial, mobile, and aerial observations helps us study forests from complementary perspectives. Field measurements connect these point clouds with questions about tree dimensions, canopy structure, and forest change.

Explore hands-on learning in our courses →

Our partner

LiDARUSA

SilvaLab is pleased to recognize LiDARUSA as our partner in LiDAR sensing and mapping.

Visit LiDARUSA →

SilvaLab

University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida, USA

Latest News

October 11, 2026SilvaLiDAR Air is now featured on our Tools page, with desktop tools for airborne LiDAR processing, analysis, and visualization. Explore the tool »
October 11, 2026Explore ICESat2VegR on our Tools page: an R package for processing and visualizing ICESat-2 data for land and vegetation applications. Explore the package »
September 28, 2026Carlos Silva and Inacio Bueno visited the University of Maine in Orono to share forest remote sensing research and lead hands-on training with SilvaLiDAR Air. View highlight »
September 14–16, 2026SilvaLab participated in the virtual NASA Carbon Monitoring System Science Team Meeting. Meeting details »
July 26, 2026SilvaLab shared highlights from its June 17–July 2 field campaign in Utah’s Fish Lake and Arizona’s North Kaibab national forests, collecting field measurements and LiDAR data to advance wildfire research. View fieldwork »
July 7–10, 2026SilvaLab attended the NASA Biosphere Meeting in College Park, Maryland, joining the Earth science research community. Meeting details »
June 5, 2026SilvaLab announced “Beyond Ice,” a review of NASA’s ICESat-2 mission for land and vegetation applications, published in IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Magazine. Read the paper »
May 4–8, 2026SilvaLab hosted ForestSAT 2026 at UF. Explore the conference »
May 7, 2024FOX 13 featured SilvaLab’s AI and LiDAR research on hurricane impacts. Watch and read »
October 4, 2023Monitoring post-hurricane recovery with ICESat-2, SAR and optical data. Learn more »
September 28, 2023Fire and carbon research in the Brazilian Cerrado. Learn more »
February 14, 2023rTLsDeep: classifying post-hurricane tree damage with TLS and deep learning. Learn more »

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