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# Introduction

Thank you for using LizardTech® products. This is the documentation for the MrSID® Decode Software Development Kit (SDK) for LiDAR data. The SDK provides a framework for extracting LiDAR data from MrSID Generation 4 (MG4™) files.

LiDAR data is becoming increasingly important to many aspects of business, industry, and government. Because of the enormous quantities of data involved, the use of LiDAR files has been hindered by storage and bandwidth constraints. LizardTech's technologies and products solve these problems and lay the groundwork for truly dynamic LiDAR file access.

Lossless compression with LizardTech LiDAR Compressor enables users to turn giant point cloud data sets into efficient MrSID files that retain 100 percent of the raw data at just 25 percent or less of the original file size (lossless compression). If storage requirements are critical, they can reduce LiDAR file sizes by 90 percent or more by choosing a higher compression ratio and letting LiDAR Compressor select the best way to reach a desired file size (lossy compression).

Used as the foundation for LiDAR Compressor, the MrSID Decode SDK is a robust toolkit suitable for complex application development needs.

NOTE: The MrSID format supports raster data as well as LiDAR data, but a separate set of tools and libraries is used in supporting raster data in the MrSID format. Separate documentation is available in your installation for integrating support for raster-encoded MrSID files.

###### MrSID Generation 4 (MG4)

The industry standard MrSID format has been trusted as a raster format by geospatial professionals since 1992 and supported in virtually all GIS applications. With the release of LiDAR Compressor LizardTech unveiled a new and improved version of the format, MrSID Generation 4 (MG4). MG4 enables users to view and access their LiDAR data quickly.

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SDK Contents

Architecture and Design