Multispectral and mobile mapping isprs wg iii/5 data set: First analysis of the dataset impact

Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology is playing a major role in different applications. Indeed, the possibility of exploiting either 3D geometric features and radiometric information makes LiDAR suitable for a wide range of practical domains. LiDAR proved also being quite flexible in terms of platforms where it can be implemented for the acquisition, spanning from airborne sensors up to car-based and hand-held instruments. Due to the rapid expansion of research concerning LiDAR intensity, the ISPRS WG III/5 launched in 2017 an initiative aimed at providing free access to LiDAR data acquired by modern multispectral ALS sensors as well as MLS data. The two datasets, MLS Data Set 1 - ("Sun Prairie"), and Multispectral LiDAR Data Set 2 - ("Tobermory"), were provided by Teledyne Optech Company (Canada) and were made freely available to researchers upon request. This paper is presenting the first results of this initiative in terms of applications, application domains and topics tackled by applicants. The relevance of this data set is also evaluated through a bibliometric analysis considering both Scopus and Web of Science indexed databases to analyse the main directions where the scientific research, the technical development and the application interest is moving to.