WhiteboxTools — The Complete Guide: Hundreds of Free Tools for Terrain and LiDAR Point Clouds
WhiteboxTools is an open-source geospatial analysis library with more than four hundred tools, specialising in elevation model processing and LiDAR data. It was written for performance and handles large files faster than most alternatives.
WhiteboxTools
Whitebox Geospatial
Hundreds of geospatial analysis tools, especially strong on terrain and LiDAR point clouds.
Get it from the vendorWhat you get
- Hydrology — depression filling or breaching, flow direction, stream networks and catchment delineation.
- Terrain indices — slope, curvature, roughness and relative slope position.
- LiDAR — point cloud filtering and classification, ground extraction, and terrain and surface models from LAS files.
- Image processing — filters, classification and change detection.
- Automation — command line and Python, convenient for repeated processing chains.
What is free
The core version is open and free for any use, including commercial. The company separately sells professional extensions, which are not needed for most engineering work. The convenient route for most users is the QGIS plugin, which exposes the tools in the processing toolbox.
Related tools
For more terrain analysis — SAGA GIS and GRASS GIS. To compare point clouds and measure on them — CloudCompare.
QGIS
QGIS.org
Open-source GIS for spatial analysis, layer work and map production.
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SAGA GIS
SAGA Development Team
Advanced spatial analysis, especially on elevation models and terrain.
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GRASS GIS
OSGeo
GIS with strong raster and terrain analysis — catchments, slope, visibility and elevation models.
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CloudCompare
CloudCompare Project
Point cloud and laser scan processing — registration, cleaning, as-built comparison and measurement.
Get it from the vendorThe bottom line
For anyone working with elevation models and LiDAR, WhiteboxTools is one of the fastest and most comprehensive free libraries available.