How Does Aerial Lidar Work?


 

Lidar is used in many applications. This can range from surveying to mapping. This is because it provides airborne geospatial data. It is normally done from a plane or drone.


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However, how does this technology work? In this video, you will find out.

Lidar works by having a special mounted camera shoot lasers in all directions. These lasers measure the time to an object and back again. This allows the computer to create data points of each hardpoint in a three-dimensional space. When these data points are stitched together, they can form a three-dimensional image. For example, a drone could be flown over a site that is being considered for a dam. After flying over the landscape, the computer can create a three-dimensional representation of the site. This data can then be cleaned and handed over to the construction company so that they have an exact model of their work site. As you can imagine, this makes planning much easier. It is also much faster than traditional surveying methods. However, special target points must also be set up ahead of the drone flying. These targets create reference points for the drone and are important when stitching together the data.

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