Standard System Identifiers

Intro

The LAS 1.0 specification assumed that LAS files are exclusively generated as a result of collection by a hardware sensor. Subsequent versions recognize that files often result from extraction, merging, or modifying existing data files.

The LAS 1.4 specification provides generalized guidance of utilizing the System Identifier (aka SystemID) as a means to encode the sensor model(s) or processing step used to produce the LAS. This is a valid approach, of course, and used widely.

However, for a user desiring to encode the sensor model(s) used to collect a dataset, the specification is intentionally vague on multiple topics:

1. Spelling and punctuation of sensor model is open-ended and will result in differences between vendors, even for an identical sensor model.
2. It is unclear how to encode the SystemID for a LAS composed of data from multiple sensors.
3. As many as four or five different sensor models could contribute to a single LAS file in overlapping areas, while the SystemID is constrained to only 32 characters. Full-text model descriptions would not be possible in such a case.

Thus, an abbreviated encoding method appears to be necessary.

The Approach

This wiki proposes a standardized encoding method of most known sensor models and platforms commonly used to collect point cloud data in the LAS format. Under this scheme the SystemID is a space-delimited list of up to five five-character codes.

• The first character of each code describes the collection platform, such as a fixed-wing aircraft or tripod setup.
• The other four characters of each code match a specific sensor model. If the specific model is not available, then the most specific applicable generic code may be used.

In this way the SystemID of a LAS file can succinctly encode up to five different sensors with their collection platform. Note that it is okay to encode the same SystemID for a given project for the sake of consistency, even if the LAS file doesn't actually contain data from those particular sensors.

Examples are provided below.

For more information about the approach, review the discussion in Issue 54.

Platform Prefix Table

This table presents the meaning of the first character of each five-character SystemID code. For example, the code "RRX1L" would designate a Riegl VUX-1LR mounted in a helicopter, while the nearly-identical code "URX1L" would designate a Riegl VUX-1LR mounted on a UAS quadcopter. In this way the same sensor model can be encoded based on the context of its use, which can have a significant impact on the interpretation of its data.

New codes can be added at any time by contacting the LAS Working Group at [email protected] or by creating a new Issue.

This table is also available as a download below.

Platform	Code
Airborne
Crewed Fixed-Wing	A
Crewed Helicopter / Rotary	R
UAS / UAV / Drone – Copter	U
UAS / UAV / Drone – Fixed-Wing	D
Mobile
Crewed Truck / Van / Vehicle	M
Crewed Watercraft	W
Remote Watercraft	B
Terrestrial
Static / Tripod	T
Kinematic / Handheld / Backpack	H
Other
Spaceborne / Satellite	S

System Code Table

This table provides a four-character code for most known sensor models used to produce point cloud data. When combined with the 1-character prefix code for platform, a five-character code can be produced to represent the sensors and modalities used to produce the point cloud data.

Note that although it is preferred that codes be contributed for every sensor, this may not always be practical. In such a case, the most precise applicable generic code possible should be used.

New codes can be added at any time by contacting the LAS Working Group at [email protected] or by creating a new Issue. Manufacturers are strongly encouraged to contribute codes upon release of new systems.

This table is also available as a download below.

Brand	Model	Code
Riegl	VQ-820-G	R820
	VQ-880-G	R881
	VQ-880-GH	R88H
	VQ-880-G-II	R882
	VQ-840-G	R840
	VQ-860-G	R860
	VZ-200	RT20
	VZ-400	RT40
	VZ-400i	RT41
	VZ-1000	RTA0
	VZ-2000	RTB0
	VZ-2000i	RTB1
	VZ-4000	RTD0
	VZ-6000	RTF0
	VQ-1560	R156
	VQ-1560i	R15I
	VQ-1560ii	R15J
	VQ-1560ii-S	R15S
	VQ-1560i-DW	R15D
	VQ-1260	R120
	VQ-1460	R140
	VQ-780i	R78I
	VQ-780ii	R78J
	VQ-780ii-S	R78K
	VQ-480ii	R482
	VQ-580ii	R582
	VUX-240	RX2H
	VUX-1UAV	RX1U
	VUX-1LR	RX1L
	VUX-1HA	RX1A
	miniVUX-1UAV	RmX1
	miniVUX-1DL	RmX2
	BathyCopter	RBC1
	VMX-2HA	RM2A
	VMQ-1HA	RMQA
	Generic Riegl	R000
Leica	ALS50	LA50
	ALS60	LA60
	ALS70	LA70
	ALS70 SP1	LA71
	ALS70 SP2	LA72
	ALS70 SP3	LA73
	ALS80	LA80
	TerrainMapper	LTM1
	TerrainMapper-2	LTM2
	TerrainMapper-3	LTM3
	CityMapper	LCM1
	CityMapper-2	LCM2
	CityMapper-3	LCM3
	Chiroptera	LCH1
	Chiroptera 4X	LCH2
	Chiroptera-5	LCH3
	HawkEye	LHE1
	HawkEye 4X	LHE2
	HawkEye-5	LHE3
	SPL100	LSP1
	ScanStation	LSS1
	ScanStation 2	LSS2
	ScanStation P20	LSP2
	ScanStation P30	LSP3
	ScanStation P40	LSP4
	ScanStation P50	LSP5
	BLK360	LBK1
	RTC360	LRT1
	Pegasus	LPG1
	Pegasus Two	LPG2
	Pegasus Backpack	LPB1
	Pegasus Stream	LPS1
	ADS100	LAD1
	DMCIII	LDM3
	RCD30	LRC3
	Generic Leica	L000
Livox	Mid-40	LM00
	Mid-70	LM01
	Mid-100	LM02
	Avia	LA00
	Horizon	LH00
	Tele-15	LT00
Hesai Technology	Pandar40M	HP00
	Pandar40P	HP01
	Pandar64	HP02
	PandarQT	HP03
	PandarXT	HP04
	Pandar128	HP05
SureStar Technology	R-Fans-32M	ST00
	R-Fans-32	ST01
	AP-0600	ST02
	AP-1000	ST03
	AP-3500	ST04
	RA-0500	ST05
	RA-1000	ST06
	RA-1500	ST07
Ouster	OS0-32	OU00
	OS0-64	OU01
	OS0-128	OU02
	OS1-32	OU03
	OS1-64	OU04
	OS1-128	OU05
	OS2-32	OU06
	OS2-64	OU07
	OS2-128	OU08
L3Harris Technologies	L3Harris Geiger-mode LiDAR	HG01
Fugro	RAMMS	FR01
Teledyne Optech	Orion C	OOC1
	Orion M	OOM1
	Orion H	OOH1
	Galaxy	OGL1
	Eclipse	OEC1
	Titan	OTT1
	Pegasus HA500	OPA5
	Pegasus HD500	OPD5
	CZMIL	OCZ1
	CZMIL Nova	OCZ2
	CZMIL SuperNova	OCZ3
	CS-6500	OC65
	CS-10000	OCA0
	Generic Optech	O000
Ultracam	Eagle	UE10
	Eagle Mark 2	UE20
	Eagle Mark 3	UE30
	Falcon	UF10
	Falcon Mark 2	UF20
	Osprey	UO10
	Osprey Mark 2	UO20
	Osprey Mark 3	UO30
	Osprey Mark 3 Premium	UO31
	Condor	UC10
	Generic Ultracam	U000
Velodyne	Puck VLP-16	VP01
	Puck Hi-Res	VPH1
	Puck LITE	VPL1
	Ultra Puck	VUP1
	Generic Velodyne	V000
Sony RGB	Alpha a7	SA70
	Alpha a7ii	SA72
	Alpha a7iii	SA73
	A7r	SA7R
	Generic Sony	S000
DJI	Zenmuse Z3	DZ30
	Zenmuse X5	DX50
	Zenmuse X5R	DX51
	Zenmuse Z30	DZ31
	Zenmuse X4S	DX40
	Zenmuse X5S	DZ52
	Zenmuse X7	DX70
	Zenmuse XT (thermal)	DXT1
	Zenmuse XT2 (thermal)	DXT2
	Generic DJI	D000
MicaSense Multispec	Altum	MA10
	RedEdge	MR20
	RedEdge-MX	MR30
	RedEdge Dual Camera	MR40
	Generic MicaSense	M000
Parrot Multispec	Sequoia	PS10
	Sequoia+	PS20
	Generic Parrot	P000
BaySpec	OCI-F Hyperspec	BS10
	GoldenEye Snapshot Hyperspec	BS20
	OCI-M+ Hyperspec	BS30
	OCI UAV Hyperspec	BS40
	OCI-OEM Ultra-compact Hyperspec	BS50
	OCI-D Hyperspec	BS60
	Generic Bayspec	BS00
Headwall	Micro-Hyperspec	HM10
	Nano-Hyperspec	HN10
	Co-Aligned VNIR-SWIR Hyperspec	HC10
	Generic Headwall	H000
Norbit	iWBMS STX Multibeam	MB01
Teledyne Reson	SeaBat T20-P Multibeam	MB02
Ross Laboratories	875-X Sonar Sweep System	SR01
Pure Generic	Any TOF lidar	000L
	Any phased lidar	000F
	Any photon counting lidar	000P
	Any 3-band camera	000C
	Any multiband camera	000D
	Any multibeam sonar	MB00
	Any singlebeam sonar	SB00
	Unknown	0000

Examples

The following are some example SystemID values with corresponding LAS files to show how it might be used.

One Sensor

Riegl VZ-1000 set up on a tripod

• SystemID: TRTA0
• Example LAS

Teledyne-Optech branded sensor mounted on a truck

• SystemID: MO000
• Example LAS

Generic time-of-flight lidar scanner set up on a tripod

• SystemID: T000L
• Example LAS

Two Sensors

Riegl VQ-1560ii lidar system mounted in a fixed-wing aircraft & Leica TerrainMapper combination system mounted in a fixed-wing aircraft

• SystemID: AR15J ALTM1
• Example LAS

Two Riegl VUX-240 lidar systems, one mounted in a helicopter and one mounted in a fixed-wing aircraft

• SystemID: RRX2H ARX2H
• Example LAS

Other Examples

Five sensors contributing to a single project (the maximum supported):

1. Riegl VUX-240 lidar system mounted in a helicopter
2. Leica TerrainMapper combination system mounted in a fixed-wing aircraft
3. L3Harris Technologies Geiger-mode LiDAR system mounted in a fixed-wing aircraft
4. DJI Zenmuse X5 camera (photo-derived point cloud) mounted on a quadcopter
5. Norbit iWBMS STX Multibeam system mounted in a boat

• SystemID: RRX2H ALTM1 AHG01 UDX50 WMB01
• Example LAS

Downloads

The SystemID tables are also available in other formats for easier integration into your software package.

• XLSX (note that there's two tabs)
• CSV: PlatformID | ModelID