Quantifying riparian zone structure from airborne LiDAR: Vegetation filtering, anisotropic interpolation, and uncertainty propagation

► LiDAR derived elevation data require vegetation filtering and interpolation. ► A new algorithm removed vegetation whilst preserving channel morphology. ► Anisotropic interpolation is important to consider for channel morphology. ► Errors can propagate between stages in DEM preparation if not considered. ► Errors in DEM preparation need to be identified to inform end user hydrologists.