LiDAR

LiDAR,(Light Detection and Ranging) is an optical remote sensing technology that measures properties of scattered light to find range and/or other information of a distant target. While similar to radar, LiDAR uses much shorter wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum, typically in the ultraviolet, visible or near infrared. LiDAR technology has a number of applications in the Geomatics, archaeology, geography, geology and remote sensing physics. LiDAR has a very narrow beam which allows the mapping of physical features with very high resolution compared with radar. A benefit to LiDAR is that all data is geo-referenced form inception, which directly interfaces to GIS application. LiDAR technology offers the opportunity to collect terrain data of steep and shadowed areas as well as inaccessible areas. LiDAR applications are well suited for making digital elevation models (DEM) and topographic mapping. Additional applications include coastal engineering assessment, volumetric calculation and forestry assessment. LiDAR can provide archaeologists with the ability to create high-resolution DEMs of archaeological sites hidden by vegetation.