# Weakly-Supervised Learning for Tree Instances Segmentation in Airborne Lidar Point Clouds

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.15646 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2508.15646/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 6 of its 19 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 21 Aug 2025.

## Builds on (most cited first, 6 of 6)

- [PointNet: Deep Learning on Point Sets for 3D Classification and Segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1612.00593/) (2016)
- [PointNet++: Deep Hierarchical Feature Learning on Point Sets in a Metric Space](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1706.02413/) (2017)
- [PointGroup: Dual-Set Point Grouping for 3D Instance Segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2004.01658/) (2020)
- [Recurrent Slice Networks for 3D Segmentation of Point Clouds](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1802.04402/) (2018)
- [SegmentAnyTree: A sensor and platform agnostic deep learning model for tree segmentation using laser scanning data](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2401.15739/) (2024)
- [Point2Tree(P2T) -- framework for parameter tuning of semantic and instance segmentation used with mobile laser scanning data in coniferous forest](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.02651/) (2023)

## Built on by (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [Benchmarking individual tree segmentation using multispectral airborne laser scanning data: the FGI-EMIT dataset](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2511.00653/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Tree instance segmentation of airborne laser scanning (ALS) data is of utmost importance for forest monitoring, but remains challenging due to variations in the data caused by factors such as sensor resolution, vegetation state at acquisition time, terrain characteristics, etc. Moreover, obtaining a sufficient amount of precisely labeled data to train fully supervised instance segmentation methods is expensive. To address these challenges, we propose a weakly supervised approach where labels of an initial segmentation result obtained either by a non-finetuned model or a closed form algorithm are provided as a quality rating by a human operator. The labels produced during the quality assessment are then used to train a rating model, whose task is to classify a segmentation output into the same classes as specified by the human operator. Finally, the segmentation model is finetuned using feedback from the rating model. This in turn improves the original segmentation model by 34% in terms of correctly identified tree instances while considerably reducing the number of non-tree instances predicted. Challenges still remain in data over sparsely forested regions characterized by small trees (less than two meters in height) or within complex surroundings containing shrubs, boulders, etc. which can be confused as trees where the performance of the proposed method is reduced.