Earth Observation · 3D Forest Science

Martin Mokroš I turn forests into point clouds and point clouds into things people can act on.

Lecturer in Earth Observation · UCL
Creator · ARIA
Fellow · NCEO
Chair 2021–25 · 3DForEcoTech

DJI Osmo Pocket 4 · Captured by Ben Sanderson

What I do

Turning 3D sensing into trusted forest measurements.

I'm an Earth observation scientist at UCL working to make three-dimensional forest measurement practical beyond the research lab. Over the past decade, I've worked with many laser scanning systems, from terrestrial and mobile LiDAR to UAV and smartphone sensors, and learned that no single technology is the answer. Reliable measurements come from the entire pipeline: designing sensors, collecting data, benchmarking hardware and software, developing processing workflows, and working with foresters, ecologists and city managers to ensure the results answer real-world questions. My goal is to turn emerging technologies into trusted, affordable and open solutions that anyone can use to understand forests better.

End-to-end expertise

Working across the complete measurement pipeline: prototype development, field acquisition, benchmarking, processing, ecological interpretation and operational deployment.

International benchmarks

Leading independent evaluations of forest scanning technologies and processing pipelines, helping researchers and practitioners choose methods based on evidence rather than marketing.

Building global expertise

Designed and delivered more than 10 international summer schools and workshops, training hundreds of researchers, practitioners and students from around the world in modern forest measurement and Earth observation.

Open science & standards

Chaired 3DForEcoTech 2021–25 (600+ scientists across 60+ countries) and pushing open data, shared protocols and reproducible workflows so results are comparable, not siloed. UCL Open Science Award, 2025.

Funded ongoing projects I leadARIA · NCEO: 2
Organisations scanning with our kitUK forestry agencies, Kew, Madagascar partners: 8+
National Forest Inventory plots scanned and segmentedSlovakia 2025–26: 50

As of Oct 2026

Right now · Autumn 2026

From the field to the data.

One method — low-cost 3D scanning — carried from UK inventory plots to city streets and tropical community forests.

Open call · deadline 23 Oct 20263DTreePrint · ARIA · UCL Geography

We're hiring: an 18-month postdoc on 3DTreePrint

Help put mobile laser scanning in the hands of total non-experts. Our low-cost prototypes, built on the Livox Mid-360 with Janusz Będkowski (IPPT PAN), are already in use at Forestry England, Forestry and Land Scotland, Forest Research, Kew and with partners in Madagascar. You'll work on the processing side, turning their scans into reliable tree and forest measurements.

Read the advert & apply Questions? Email me

Role: Research Fellow (postdoc)
Start: 1 Dec 2026 · 18 months, to 31 May 2028
Skills: Forest point clouds (TLS/MLS) · SLAM · Python or C++
Deadline: 23 October 2026

June 2026 · still processingCOST Action INTUF · Bratislava

3D Urban Tree Intelligence

In June we ran a city-scale scanning testbed in Bratislava — 28 scanners capturing 1,000+ trees. Over the summer we aligned, clipped and cleaned the data and prepared the evidence and evaluation.

Visit the project site

Results: coming soon. Want them first? Sign up for the newsletter there, or email me.

July 2026 · ongoingwith Forest Research

UK National Forest Inventory — Thetford

Scanning inventory and managed woodland to test whether low-cost handheld LiDAR can match the national standard.

Summer 2026 · ongoingwith Forest Research

Flux-tower footprint — Alice Holt

Mapping the ~2.5 ha footprint beneath a carbon flux tower in 3D, linking what the tower measures to the structure behind it.

Summer 2026 · ongoingwith Earthwatch Europe

Miyawaki micro-forests — Oxford

Scanning the UK's oldest tiny forests to see how dense, engineered woodland actually grows.

Aug 2026 · doneScanning Together

Community scanning — Madagascar

10 scanners under €2,000 handed over and 15+ people trained with local partners. Tanzania next, 8–20 November.

Read the story

Open invite

Want to try it?

Curious about low-cost 3D scanning for your site, city or project? Get in touch and we'll cook something up together.

Work with me

Funded by ARIA (3DTreePrint) and NCEO (Scanning Together). In collaboration with Forest Research, Earthwatch Europe, the Polish Academy of Sciences and the University of Zurich.

What we're doing