# 58 311-315 View full article

УДК 528.88:528.94:528.3

DOI: https://doi.org/10.36887/2415-8453-2026-1-58

Kalynych Ivan,
Dean of the Faculty of Geography,
State University of Ukraine "Uzhgorod National University"
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5213-3417
Vash Yaroslav,
Senior Lecturer of the Department of Geodesy, Land Management and Geoinformatics,
State University of Ukraine "Uzhgorod National University"
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7570-0437
Nychvyd Mariya,
Senior Lecturer of the Department of Geodesy, Land Management and Geoinformatics
State University of Ukraine "Uzhgorod National University"
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5661-8799

JEL classification: R52; C88; O32

Published: 25.02.2026

This article substantiates a scientific approach to establishing the relationship between the regulatory requirements for the vertical accuracy of digital terrain models and the minimum required point-cloud density in airborne laser scanning. The study analyzes the current national regulatory acts regulating the accuracy of topographic surveying and compares them with international methodological approaches to classifying the quality of light detection and ranging data. It is shown that, in international practice, point density and vertical accuracy are considered interrelated quality parameters, whereas in the national regulatory framework, they are primarily determined by permissible mean square errors without explicit density thresholds. Based on empirical relationships among height error, point density, and terrain slope, an analytical framework is proposed to determine the minimum required ground point density to ensure compliance with established accuracy standards. Calculations were performed across different topographic map scales and terrain categories, accounting for geomorphological complexity and land-cover characteristics. The results confirm a consistent increase in the required density with increasing accuracy requirements and increasing terrain roughness. Special attention is paid to the discrepancy between the nominal pulse density and the effective density of ground points, especially in forested and vegetated areas, where pulse losses significantly affect the formation of the soil class. The study substantiates the need to introduce correction factors when planning airborne laser scanning missions to compensate for vegetation penetration limitations and slope-related interpolation errors. The results obtained provide a methodological basis for converting formal accuracy requirements into quantitatively justified density parameters and support further improvement and harmonization of national standards with international frameworks for light detection quality and ranging.

Keywords: airborne laser scanning; point cloud density; digital terrain model; elevation accuracy; regulatory requirements; land cover; survey scale.

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Quote article, APA style

Kalynych I. , Vash Y. , Nychvyd M. Methodological principles for determining the minimum required density of the point cloud of aviation laser scanning considering regulatory requirements for accuracy and physical and geographical conditions of the territory. West Ukrainian National University. 2026. №1. 311-315 pp. https://doi.org/10.36887/2415-8453-2026-1-58

Quote article, MLA style

Kalynych I. , Vash Y. , Nychvyd M. Methodological principles for determining the minimum required density of the point cloud of aviation laser scanning considering regulatory requirements for accuracy and physical and geographical conditions of the territory. West Ukrainian National University. https://doi.org/10.36887/2415-8453-2026-1-58