lasmerge

lasmerge is a command-line utility within the LAStools software suite used to merge multiple LAS or LAZ LiDAR point cloud files into a single dataset. It is commonly employed to assemble data collected in separate tiles or flight lines into a unified file for analysis, visualization, or further processing. The tool focuses on concatenating point records while preserving as much of the original header information and point attributes as possible.

In operation, lasmerge takes one or more input LAS or LAZ files and produces a single output file, which can be written in LAS or LAZ format. It is designed to handle large datasets that exceed the size of an individual tile and is often used to create seamless datasets from adjacent footprints or overlapping acquisitions. The resulting file retains attributes such as color, intensity, GPS time, and classification when present in the input files.

lasmerge is part of the LAStools collection, which is developed for cross-platform use on LiDAR processing workflows. It is favored for its speed and ability to work with many files in a single command, making it a common step in preprocessing pipelines before classification, filtering, or thinning operations.

Users should ensure input files share a compatible coordinate reference system and point format, and that metadata remains consistent across inputs. After merging, validating the integrity and indexing of the output file is recommended to ensure compatibility with downstream software and workflows.