LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging)
Definition
An active remote sensing technique that emits laser pulses and measures the time of return to calculate distance to reflecting surfaces. Airborne systems sweep a laser across the terrain to build a three-dimensional point cloud.
Related terms
- Bare-earth DTM
- A digital terrain model produced by filtering LiDAR returns to ground-level pulses only, removing vegetation and structure returns. The resulting surface represents...
- Curvature
- A DTM derivative measuring the rate of change of slope. Profile curvature (along the slope direction) identifies convex mounds and concave hollows....
- Hillshade
- A raster derived from a DTM by simulating illumination from a defined sun position (azimuth and altitude angle). Produces light-and-shadow contrasts that...
- Point density
- The number of LiDAR returns per unit area of ground surface, typically expressed as points per square metre. Higher density enables finer...
- Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS)
- A ground-based 3D LIDAR survey instrument that captures millions of range measurements per scan to produce a millimetre-accurate point cloud of the...
Explained in
- LiDAR Terrain Analysis for Concealment and DisturbanceAn active remote sensing technique that emits laser pulses and measures the time of return to calculate distance to reflecting surfaces. Airborne systems sweep...