Creates a .lax file for each .las or .laz file of the processed datase. A .lax file contains spatial
indexing information. Spatial indexing drastically speeds up tile buffering and spatial queries.
In lasR, it is mandatory to have spatially indexed point clouds, either using .lax files or .copc.laz
files. If the processed file collection is not spatially indexed, a write_lax() file will automatically
be added at the beginning of the pipeline (see Details).
Arguments
- embedded
boolean. A .lax file is an auxiliary file that accompanies its corresponding las or laz file. A .lax file can also be embedded within a laz file to produce a single file.
- overwrite
boolean. This stage does not create a new spatial index if the corresponding point cloud already has a spatial index. If TRUE, it forces the creation of a new one.
copc.lazfiles are never reindexed withlaxfiles.
Details
When this stage is added automatically by lasR, it is placed at the beginning of the pipeline, and las/laz
files are indexed on-the-fly when they are used. The advantage is that users do not need to do anything;
it works transparently and does not delay the processing. The drawback is that, under this condition,
the stage cannot be run in parallel. When this stage is explicitly added by the users, it can be
placed anywhere in the pipeline but will always be executed first before anything else. All the
files will be indexed first in parallel, and then the actual processing will start. To avoid overthinking
about how it works, it is best and simpler to run exec(write_lax(), on = files) on the non indexed
point cloud before doing anything with the point cloud.
Examples
if (FALSE) { # \dontrun{
exec(write_lax(), on = files)
} # }