6. LAS Domain Profiles

A derivative of the base LAS specification that adds (but does not remove or alter existing) point classes and attributes to meet the application-specific needs of a particular subset of the broad point cloud community (e.g., the coastal/bathymetric lidar community, or the powerline mapping community). So as to not alter the LAS base specification, new classes can only be added to Point Data Record Formats 6-10, and classification values cannot start below 39. New attributes must be incorporated using Extra Bytes VLRs. It is strongly recommended that the development of Domain Profiles be coordinated to avoid unnecessary overlap or conflicts (e.g., conflicting class numbers) between profiles.

6.1. LAS Domain Profile Description

The specification for a particular domain profile. The Description must contain:

  1. an overview of the purpose and intended use;

  2. table of new point classifications (PDRF 6-10); and

  3. table of new attributes to be stored using Extra Bytes VLRs (must contain fields for units, data type, name, no data, scale, and description).

LAS Domain Profile Descriptions reviewed and approved by the LAS Working Group will be posted on the ASPRS website. A template Domain Profile Description is available on the ASPRS website.