3D Airborne Laser Scanning (LiDAR)
Airborne LiDAR, which stands for Light Detection and Ranging, is the most rapid and efficient method of accurately measuring the height of the earth’s surface and objects on it. LiDAR is often perceived as just a method of creating a terrain model, but it is far more than that, and for many applications it can save time and money by reducing fieldwork of more manual methods.
LiDAR is an active form of remote sensing which fires a huge stream of laser pulses to the ground and records the returning signal (multiple reflections) that is reflected form the surface below. It has the capability to penetrate the vegetation and capture the ground under deep forest canopy. By measuring the time delay between the transmitted and incoming pulse it measures the distance to the ground. The post processing system can differentiate between buildings, powerlines, infrastructure, vegetation, and the ground surface by evaluating the time differences between the multiple return signals. Knowing the position and orientation of the aircraft at the same time, it is possible to determine the spatial coordinates of each registered point, giving a georeferenced topographic point cloud. Flying altitude and LiDAR instrument determine the point density of all measurements. This can go up to multiple points per square meter.
Application Fields
Regarding LiDAR solutions, it has to be emphasized that AeroPhoto Co Ltd is specialized in LiDAR data collection and processing, using state-of-the-art laser scanners and software. We focus on aerial LiDAR scanning using RIEGL’s Laser Measurement System VQ-1560i and VQ-880-G II suitable for mapping wide areas with complex terrain. By operating LiDAR missions, we offer a cost-effective solution to wide area surveys which are impossible, difficult or expensive to access or complete using conventional terrestrial systems.
Needless to say, AeroPhoto Co Ltd can also execute LiDAR missions in combination with other digital sensors, in which case flying is restricted to day-time missions. Simultaneous acquisition of aerial imagery gives us the opportunity to add further intelligence to our LiDAR data, enabling more detailed analysis, interpretation and interrogation than ever before. When only flying the LiDAR system, missions can be flown during night-time thus making use of an extended time-window with most stable atmospheric conditions.
AeroPhoto Co Ltd, has extensive experience and offers the following solutions and enhanced data products:
From the topographic point cloud, highly accurate elevation products (DTM/DSM) can be rapidly generated, opening various applications and markets like flood modelling, water management (hydrological and drainage studies), infrastructure design and maintenance, corridor mapping, forestry management and land classification, power transmission line surveys, monitoring of coastal erosion and investigation of archaeological places.
