Course Overview

This course introduces practical point cloud processing in QGIS, from visualisation and filtering to automated PDAL wrench workflows. Participants learn to create hydrologically relevant surfaces, explore terrain in 3D, and prepare high‑quality elevation products that support flood modelling, catchment assessment and modern water‑sector analysis.

Learning Outcomes

In this course, you will be able to:

• (Pre)process LiDAR, photogrammetry and drone point clouds to build reliable elevation inputs for hydrological modelling and terrain‑driven analysis.
• Generate digital elevation models (DSM/DTM) using multiple interpolation methods, supporting flood modelling, flow‑path mapping and catchment characterisation.
• Explore and interpret 3D terrain using QGIS’s 3D view and Elevation Profile tool, improving understanding of slopes, channels and hydrologically significant features.
• Apply point‑cloud filters to extract features such as ground, vegetation or structures, enabling cleaner hydrological surfaces and more accurate runoff modelling.
• Automate point‑cloud workflows with PDAL wrench to efficiently produce repeatable hydrological datasets for catchment studies, flood assessments and water‑sector decision‑making.

Course Outline

Session 1: From Imagery to Usable Point Clouds

(Tuesday, 4 August 2026, 3 – 5 PM Sydney Time)

• Deriving point clouds from drone imagery using WebODM.
• Loading and managing LiDAR tiles in QGIS.
• Exploring point cloud datasets in 2D and 3D.
• Creating Virtual Point Clouds (VPC).

Session 2: Filtering, Interpolation & Terrain Analysis

(Tuesday, 11 August 2026, 3 – 5 PM Sydney Time)

• Applying point‑cloud filters (ground, noise, classification) and manual editing.
• Generating DSMs and DTMs with interpolation methods.
• Using the Elevation Profile tool for terrain and channel inspection.
• Identifying hydrologically relevant features (slopes, flow paths, barriers).
• Preparing elevation products for modelling workflows.

Session 3: Filtering, Interpolation & Terrain Analysis

(Tuesday, 18 August 2026, 3 – 5 PM Sydney Time)

• Introduction to PDAL pipelines and the PDAL wrench interface.
• Running multi‑threaded point‑cloud processing tools.
• Automating filtering, clipping and surface generation.
• Building reproducible hydrological preprocessing workflows.
• Integrating PDAL wrench outputs back into QGIS projects.

Format

• 6+ hours of session recordings with unlimited access for 30-days after the final session.
• Pre-and-post-course materials to go through via the AWS learning platform.
• Additional resources and working model download/s.
• Ability to ask questions to the presenters at any time through the learning platform.

Pre-requisites

• Basic knowledge of QGIS.
• Understanding of fundamental GIS concepts.
  • (Optional) AWS QGIS Masterclass course.
  • (Optional) AWS QGIS Essentials for Groundwater: Mapping and Modelling course.
  • (Optional) AWS Webinar: QGIS 4 for Water: What’s New, What’s Next

Requirements

• QGIS 3.44 Solothurn: https://qgis.org/download/
• WebODM: https://webodm.org/
• Windows OS 10 or later
  • Limited support for Linux and MacOS.
• Hardware recommendations
  • 8-16 cores Processor
  • 32-64 GB RAM
  • Mid-range GPU (RTX 3060/4060 or better)

Completion Certification

• Participants earn CPD hours/points (i.e. with Engineers Australia) for at least 6 hours for the entire course. 
• On completion of the course attendees will be issued with a Certificate of Completion. 

Refund Policy

Frequent Asked Questions (FAQs)