Topographic mapping flash lidar for multiple scattering, terrain, and forest mapping

Abstract

The Topographic Mapping Flash Lidar (TMFL) developed at Ball Aerospace combines a pushbroom format transmitter at 1064 nm with a flash focal plane receiver. The wide 20 degree field of view of the instrument enables broad swath coverage from a single laser pulse without the need for a scanning mechanism. These features make the TMFL design particularly well-suited for space flight. TMFL has been demonstrated during an airborne flight where data were gathered over a forest plot to measure tree waveforms. Topographic maps were assembled of river beds and geologic areas of high relief. The TMFL has also been used to observe multiple-scattering phenomena in clouds by illuminating a steam plume from the aircraft above. Signal was recorded off-axis from the illuminated laser line by as much as 1 degree. The TMFL study of multiple-scattering is valuable as it provides a unique way to significantly improve the calibration of measured backscatter for space lidars. Lidar backscatter was also measured from water surface and was shown to correlate with models of water surface roughness.

An Overview of Ball Flash LIDAR and Related Technology Development

“…In cloud studies, if the laser is used to illuminate a small part of the field of view of an intensity sensitive focal plane, then it is possible to image (and range) not only the direct backscatter from the cloud, but also from multiple scattering from the cloud [21]. Photons that scatter from water droplets have an angular scattering distribution that is determined in part by the refractive index and the size of the droplets.…”

Beam optimization for imaging lidar

“…Flash lidar has been extensively investigated for use in terrain mapping [1], forest canopy measurement [2], landinghazard avoidance [3], docking between space vehicles [4], and asteroid navigation and mapping [5] among other uses.…”

3D measurements of water surface elevation using a flash lidar camera

“…Flash lidar cameras are laser-based imaging systems that combine elements of camera and lidar technology to create 3D images (Stettner et al 2005;Crosby and Kang 2011). Although flash lidar cameras have been used in a wide variety of applications (Stettner 2010), very little information is available regarding the capacity of these systems to image the water surface (Gao et al 2014;Ramond et al 2011). Improving understanding of the capabilities and limitations of flash lidar systems is necessary to effectively incorporate this technology into nearshore science and data collection efforts.…”