
To make a DEM comparable to the one produced in the QGIS Tutorial we will use the binning method and Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) to determine the raster cell values. The final process is to convert the LAS Dataset points to a raster using the Conversion Toolset (remember that the 3D Analyst or the Spatial Analyst license are required to use these tools). Leave the rest of the parameters as default and click on run. The program will auto generate a name for the LAS Dataset but I would recommend changing the name to something more logical. Open the tool and under Input Files click on the little folder icon on the right hand side of the text box and browse to your. You can either search by entering “Create LAS Dataset” into the Find Tools box or browse to the tool by clicking on Toolboxes, opening Data Management Tools -> LAS Dataset -> Create LAS Dataset A panel with processing tools will open on the right hand side of the screen. To create the LAS Dataset click on the Analysis tab at the top of the window and click on the Tools icon. Also, many LiDAR files can be added to the LAS Dataset so larger areas can be brought into the analyst without having to merge.

This is a convenient way to access the point cloud data as the source data does not have to be modified for ArcGIS Pro to work with the information and parameters can be set to limit the incoming data to only contain the information the user needs to see, such as only ground points or first returns. An LAS Dataset is how ArcGIS Pro stores directions to the LiDAR file or files and also allows for specific parameters to be set on those files.
