The mapping industry is one of the areas that is always given attention to balance the rapid development of current technology. The application of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology in the mapping industry opens up a wide dimension of discussion involving industry users as well as academics. LiDAR technology is now a common method for faster and higher quality topographic data collection than conventional topographic data collection methods. Observation data that is generally in the form of high-density point (point cloud) can also be applied in various uses, especially in the field of mapping and terrain analysis. Therefore, this paper will discuss related LiDAR technology including basic information or principles of LiDAR technology, the latest developments of LiDAR methods, and work processes involved from the point of view of the Department of Survey and Mapping Malaysia (JUPEM).

The age of spatial information has undoubtedly unlocked the potential in visualising, investigating, and forecasting natural disasters, especially for policymakers. From this viewpoint, the implementation of spatial data has drastically transformed the traditions through which human civilisations embrace natural disaster management policies to reduce loss of life and economic losses. Unfortunately, each natural disaster is harmed varied and has different impacts locally. The various environmental and climate factors for mega-landform diversity countries like Malaysia play a crucial role in causing natural disasters and limiting the agency’s ability to obtain geomorphological spatial information during and after the incident. Therefore, this paper will analyse the constraint faced by Department of Survey and Mapping Malaysia (JUPEM) in providing spatial data for stakeholders based on a case study of natural disasters in Gunung Jerai, Kedah. All six (6) identified constraints, including time, climate, system, data, equipment, and human constraints, were examined. The opportunities to enhance the existing JUPEMs’ policies for natural disasters were highlighted from the JUPEM perspective. The prospects for empowering Subject Matter Expert (SMEs), equipment maintenance and improvement, annual disaster preparation, and enhancement of JUPEMs’ Peraturan Tetap Operasi (PTO) for disaster management were discussed in this paper.

Smart cities and solar energy are crucial components in climate change adaptation and sustainability. The interrelation with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) based on the 7th SDG goal, Affordable and Clean Energy for solar energy, and the 11th SDG goal, Sustainable Cities and Communities for smart cities, catalyze the research in this field. Unfortunately, there are some gaps in integrating smart cities and solar energy, especially in the elevation model and solar potential accuracy factors. It is essential because the highly accurate integrated model is enormously beneficial, especially for stakeholders. Therefore, this study is leveraging the Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology to provide high-resolution datasets for elevation models and create a precise 3D urban environment model for resilient integrated smart cities climate change. Digital terrain, including Digital Terrain Model and Digital Surface Model, were developed based on precise LiDAR point clouds before two vital surfaces, building rooftops and land parcels, were treated as a fundamental surface for solar potential calculation. The solar potential Return of Investment rate was classified and integrated with the 3D urban environment model. This 3D urban environment model helps visualize and provides a more specific and coherent picture of reality. The potential application of LiDAR data in climate change adaptation and sustainability that can be linked using various technologies and scales is also demonstrated in this study.

Aerial mapping is now widely used for plenty of applications especially in generating digital terrain models. In this Industrial Revolution 4.0 era, the digital product is integrated with each other to add a new value-added into industries. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to deliberate the integration process between aerial photography, airborne LiDAR, and airborne IFSAR for enhancing the airborne IFSAR quality and come out with new value-added aerial mapping products. The aerial photography was used to enhance the ORI IFSAR imagery through the image fusion method and LiDAR DTM was used to enhance the accuracy of IFSAR DTM through the DTM fusion method. For image fusion, the result shows that colorized ORI imagery (CORI) was generated. On the other hand, terrain profiling analysis was conducted to validate the result of DTM fusion based on by using LiDAR DTM as a benchmark. The result shows that the fused DTM accuracy is nearest to LiDAR DTM compared to IFSAR DTM. This result also shows that new value-added aerial mapping products can be generated from this integration process.