LiDAR measures distance with laser pulses, producing dense, accurate point clouds even through partial vegetation. Photogrammetry reconstructs 3D geometry from overlapping photographs — inexpensive and visually rich, but dependent on lighting, texture, and coverage. Both are measurement technologies.
Land surveying is different in kind: it is a licensed professional practice that determines boundaries and legally significant positions. In Hawaiʻi, boundary determinations must come from a Hawaiʻi-licensed land surveyor. A point cloud, however accurate, is not a boundary.
Most real projects combine them: drone photogrammetry for orthomosaics and visualization, LiDAR for precision terrain and structures, and a licensed surveyor for control and any boundary or legal component. The right question is what decision the data supports — design, volume calculation, documentation, or a legal determination — and we scope the capture to that.
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This article is general information, not engineering, legal, or safety advice for any specific project. Site-specific conclusions require assessment by qualified — and where required, licensed — professionals.