Installation and Download

In this workshop, we will use

the AFwizard library for advanced ground point filtering in LiDAR data, and
HELIOS++ for LiDAR simulation.

First, we will download the data and code. We then install Miniforge, a distribution of the conda and mamba package managers. This will allow us to install and manage Python and the required libraries in a dedicated environment. In addition, we will install LAStools, a popular toolbox for LiDAR data processing, which is required by a module in AFwizard.

If you have any questions or problems with installation, please contact Hannah Weiser.

1. Dataset and Code

Download (heiBOX)

Instructions:

Click on the "Download data (heiBOX)" link above and download as "ZIP" (green button).
Unzip the archive to a folder named trail-groundfiltering (i.e., keep the default name). Note down the path to this folder, as you will need it later (see Section 4.4).
Now you are all set up and have both the scripts (.ipynb and .py files) and data (in the data subfolder).

2. Mamba

Mamba is a fast, robust, and cross-platform package manager. As recommended by the developers, we will install Mamba through the Miniforge distribution. Follow the instructions from this page: Mamba Installation. We provide a short summary below.

Here is the direct link to the Windows installer: https://github.com/conda-forge/miniforge/releases/latest/download/Miniforge3-Windows-x86_64.exe. Follow the prompts, taking note of the option to "Create start menu shortcuts".

For installation on Unix-like platforms, follow the instructions at: https://github.com/conda-forge/miniforge?tab=readme-ov-file#unix-like-platforms-macos-linux--wsl.

3. LAStools

LAStools is a widely used and efficient toolbox for processing LiDAR data in LAS/LAZ format. It includes tools for filtering, classification, tiling, conversion, and much more. All registered workshop participants will receive a free LAStools license valid for 4 weeks during the in-person workshop.

Download LAStools v2.0.0 from the following URL: https://github.com/LAStools/LAStools/releases/download/v2.0.0/LAStools.zip. IMPORTANT: Use this specific version to ensure compatibility with AFwizard. The newest LAStools version will not work in the demo or trial license version.
After downloading, extract the contents of the ZIP/TAR archive to a directory of your choice, e.g., C:\LAStools. Remember this path, as you will later need to set it in the AFwizard notebooks.

If you are on Linux or Mac OS, install LAStools using "Wine" as described here: https://rapidlasso.de/using-lastools-on-mac-os-x-with-wine/. In step 2 of this tutorial, download LAStools v2.0.0 as indicated above instead of the version linked in the tutorial.

4. Mamba environment with needed libraries

To create a Mamba environment with the necessary libraries, follow these steps:

Open a terminal (Miniforge Prompt on Windows, Terminal on macOS/Linux).
Create a new mamba environment named groundfiltering with Python 3.13, AFwizard and HELIOS++:
```
mamba create -n groundfiltering python afwizard helios=2.0.2 rasterio laspy scipy -c conda-forge
```
This might take a few minutes (for lower end devices up to 20 minutes) as mamba resolves dependencies and downloads the required packages. Just be patient and wait. 3. Close Miniforge. Reopen the Miniforge prompt and activate the newly created environment by typing:
```
mamba activate groundfiltering
```
Change to your trail-groundfiltering directory (see Section 1) and start Jupyter Lab:
```
cd path/to/trail-groundfiltering
jupyter-lab
```
Open the imports notebook and execute the code cell to verify the installation. In the workshop, use steps 1, 3 and 4 to start Jupyter Lab and open the notebooks.

Troubleshooting

Issue when trying to activate the environment:

critical libmamba Shell not initialized

'mamba' is running as a subprocess and can't modify the parent shell.
 Thus you must initialize your shell before using activate and deactivate.

Solution: Close and reopen the Miniforge prompt and try again.

Further information (advanced)

Git repository

This website is hosted on GitHub: https://github.com/3dgeo-heidelberg/trail-groundfiltering

If you have git installed, you can also clone the repository using:

git clone https://github.com/3dgeo-heidelberg/trail-groundfiltering.git

You find the scripts in the docs folder and would need to place the data in the data subfolder.

Useful terminal commands

To navigate between folders use cd (change directory): cd "C:\my folder\my sub-folder" ATTENTION: if your folders or files contain spaces, you should use quotation marks " ".
To list existing environments : mamba env list
To activate an environment : mamba activate __my_environment__ (in our case: mamba activate groundfiltering)
To open Jupyter notebooks : jupyter-lab __my_notebook__.ipynb
To list dependencies once you are in an active environement: mamba list
... something is missing - we can add it on the go (provided that we're inside an active environment) : mamba install __my_package__

Additional resources

For more information using mamba and conda, you can refer to the following resources:

If you want to use LAStools standalone, you can find the documentation here:

LAStools documentation