> For clean Markdown of any page, append .md to the page URL.
> For a complete documentation index, see https://docs.ouster.com/sensor-docs/overview/welcome/llms.txt.
> For AI client integration (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.), connect to the MCP server at https://docs.ouster.com/_mcp/server.

# Introduction to Ouster Digital Lidar

> Documentation for Ouster sensor firmware, hardware, and integration guides.

[Ouster](https://ouster.com) is building digital lidar sensors for autonomy in the Industrial, Smart
Infrastructure, Robotics, and Automotive markets.

#### [Important Safety & Legal Information](/overview/important-safety-information)

Class 1 laser classification, regulatory notices, and safety symbols.

#### [Quick Start Guide](/overview/quick-start-guide)

What's in the box, and how to power, connect, and configure a sensor for the first time.

## Technical Documentation

The Ouster sensor documentation is meant to allow the users to take advantage of all the features
that are available with Ouster Sensors.

#### [Firmware](/firmware)

Data formats, sensor features, networking, and the API, for v4.0 and v3.2.

#### [Hardware](/hardware)

Mechanical drawings, operating limits, and electrical specifications, by model.

#### [Integration Guides](/guides)

Thermal integration and enhanced ingress protection for sensor installations.

## Sample Data

> **Info**
>
> All Ouster sample data is provided under the
> [CC BY-NC-SA license](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/), whether obtained
> through the links below or from the Ouster website.

Visualize recorded data:

| Recording                                                       | Sensor        | Mode                  |
| --------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------- | --------------------- |
| [Urban drive](https://data.ouster.dev/share/RRSY7O1GWJ332ERO)   | OS0-128 Rev 7 | 2048x10, dual returns |
| [Urban drive](https://data.ouster.dev/share/VVX59BLMFXPLVPI5)   | OS1-128 Rev 7 | 2048x10, dual returns |
| [Urban drive](https://data.ouster.dev/share/ONK2420ES2S0BF8Q)   | OS0-128 Rev 7 | 1024x10, dual returns |
| [Urban drive](https://data.ouster.dev/share/UND0A07N9DZTFJXW)   | OS1-128 Rev 7 | 1024x10, dual returns |
| [Highway drive](https://data.ouster.dev/share/ENOD8SQUHJKQF62T) | OS2-128 Rev 7 | Dual returns          |

Each link opens the recording in the Ouster Data App, where it can also be downloaded from the
**Download** tab in the top right corner of the screen.

![The Ouster Data App user interface](/sensor-docs/_fern-img/e30c2d5913ad9402e41b73aebb3f98d43c74fbc89349f03f86d6c2da8df74e1b.webp)

> **Note**
>
> Ouster presents sample data collected on the latest released firmware. If you need sample data for
> a particular firmware version, please contact [Ouster's team](https://ouster.com/talk-to-sales).

## Visualizing and Interacting with an Ouster Sensor

Once the sensor is connected, you can visualize the point cloud using the
[Ouster SDK](https://docs.ouster.com/sdk-docs/index.html) or
[Ouster Studio](https://ouster.com/products/software/ouster-studio/). Both are available for Linux,
macOS, and Windows. Visit [Ouster Resources](https://ouster.com/downloads/) for the latest tools to
visualize your sensor's output.

### Ouster SDK

The Ouster SDK provides a high-level interface for interacting with sensor hardware and recording
sensor data, suitable for prototyping, evaluation, and other non-safety-critical applications.
Example and reference code is provided for several common operations on sensor data. The SDK
includes APIs for:

* Querying and setting sensor configuration
* Recording and reading data in pcap format
* Reading and buffering sensor UDP data streams reliably
* Frame-based access to lidar data as numpy datatypes
* Conversion of raw data to range, signal, near-IR, and reflectivity images (de-staggering)
* Efficient projection of range measurements to Cartesian (X, Y, Z) coordinates

### Ouster Studio

Ouster Studio is an application provided by Ouster to visualize, record, and analyze data from
Ouster lidar sensors. It performs real-time visualization, processing, and recording of live 3D
lidar data captured from Ouster lidar sensors, with official support for Windows, macOS, and
Ubuntu.

> Documentation for Ouster sensor firmware, hardware, and integration guides.