swissSURFACE3D
swissSURFACE3D models all natural and man-made objects of the surface of Switzerland in the form of a classified point cloud. These high-accuracy and high spatial density data are collected by airborne LiDAR.

The classified point cloud of Switzerland
Based on airborne LiDAR, swissSURFACE3D contains several millions of points per km2. These points are irregularly spaced between them and model the landscape in 3D with a high spatial density. Each measurement has very accurate X, Y, Z coordinates and is classified according to a predefined classification that defines the type of measured objects.
Applications
- Automatic 3D modelling of buildings and other landscape objects
- Volumes calculation
- Study of the forest: map of cuts, calculation of biomass, planning of cuts, digital canopy models
- 3D modelling of ground-based elements under vegetation cover such as forest roads or watercourses
- Creation of digital terrain models
- Creation of digital surface models
swissSURFACE3D will be available on the entire Switzerland and Liechtenstein from 2023 (see planning).
Terms of use
Additional information
Technical details
Structure: The data are delivered by complete 1 km2 tiles.
Format and file sizes
- LAS 1.2 : free download
- ~ 610 MB / tile, 16 TB / half of Switzerland
- CSV (X;Y;Z;Class;Modified Julian Date): on request
Classification
Class | Object type | ASPRS* class name |
1 | Unclassified and temporary objects | « Unclassified » |
2 | Ground | « Ground » |
3 | Vegetation (low – medium – high) | « Low Vegetation » |
6 | Buildings | « Building » |
9 | Water | « Water » |
17 | Bridges, viaducts | « Bridge Deck » |
Points density: Minimum 5 pts/m2, mean around 15-20 pts/m2
Coordinates system: LV95 – LN02
Planimetric accuracy: +/- 20 cm (1 sigma)
Altimetric accuracy: +/- 10 cm (1 sigma)
Update: After the complete acquisition (in 2023), no update of swissSURFACE3D is planned.
*American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing
Documents
Almost all publications concerning swissALTI3D are only available in German and French. Please select your preferred language in the navigation bar to view the desired document.
Sample data
The sample data show their type and format. They are free of charge and can be used for test purposes only. It is not allowed to include them in a product.
P.O. Box
3084 Wabern
- Tel.
- +41 58 469 01 11