Sunday, April 19, 2009

20.) LIDAR



LIDAR:

Lidar uses laser light to measure distances. It is used in many ways, from estimating atmospheric aerosols by shooting a laser skyward to catching speeders in freeway traffic with a handheld laser-speed detector. Airborne laser-scanning technology is a specialized, aircraft-based type of lidar that provides extremely accurate, detailed 3-D measurements of the ground, vegetation, and buildings. Developed in just the last 15 years, one of lidar’s first commercial uses in the United States was to survey powerline corridors to identify encroaching vegetation. Additional uses include mapping landforms and coastal areas. In open, flat areas, ground contours can be recorded from an aircraft flying overhead providing accuracy within 6 inches of actual elevation. In steep, forested areas accuracy is typically in the range of 1 to 2 feet and depends on many factors, including density of canopy cover and the spacing of laser shots. The speed and accuracy of lidar made it feasible to map large areas with the kind of detail that before had only been possible with time-consuming and expensive ground survey crews.



http://www.icrest.missouri.edu/Sensors/lidar.jpg

No comments: