Mapping the future with LiDAR

Everyone’s heard of RaDAR – the process of mapping a three dimensional environment with radio waves – but what about LiDAR? The former is an acronym referring to the practice of Radio Detection and Ranging, whereby radio waves are bounced off objects and recorded as they return, enabling a cartographer or mapping instrument to build up a picture of an environment, including the distance between things and their relative heights. LiDAR uses laser pulses to achieve the same objective:  the difference being that Light Detection and Ranging uses much shorter wavelengths than its radio wave counterpart, which means that smaller objects can be more accurately mapped and elevations more successfully delineated.
One of the most useful applications of LiDAR, in the cartographic world, is its ability to return detailed information on the “face structure” of a terrain:  which is to say, the actual contours of the ground beneath things like trees and plant growth. LiDAR technology has been used extensively to accurately depict the location of fault lines between tectonic plates – an immensely useful tactic for geographers trying to build working predictive structures that can provide early warning on possible earthquake hotspots. The laser pulses (usually emitted from aircraft carrying portable equipment) deliver information that is cross referenced with GPS readouts to provide a comprehensive map of ground elevation and terrain.
LiDAR is also capable of delivering intensive atmospheric information – something its radio wave counterpart is incapable of doing. Because the laser pulses involved have a much shorter wavelength than RaDAR imaging, they can be calibrated to bounce back off different densities of vapour, cloud particle, and so on. That means that the “thinness” of the air can be measured, which allows cartographers to generate maps carrying huge amounts of atmospheric detail. Ultimately, LiDAR is capable of producing maps that give impressive images both of real ground topology (rather than treeline elevations or building cover) and atmospheric characteristics. That makes the technology invaluable for scientific and geologic mapping of an area – ideal, for example, for companies who wish to enter into building or excavation projects in a particular location. In effect, the laser images of that location provide a previously impossible look at the basic geographic characteristics of the area – its rock strata, terrain configuration and likely weather patterns.
The technology has been adopted by civilian mapping companies, who are starting to create incredibly detailed maps of UK cities using Light Detection and Ranging equipment. Famously, UK cartography outfit Get Mapping has been using LiDAR for several years now to map elevation for construction projects and environmental agencies. The Light Detection and Ranging equipment being used by civilian outfits is normally shared from dedicated companies or Government bodies who have the funding and expertise to run the aircraft and equipment needed to make the maps. 
On an increasingly claustrophobic island, where space is at a premium and new building projects seem essential to house our people and bolster our economy, the technology represented by Light Detection and Ranging is fast becoming indispensable. The UK can’t afford to indulge in construction projects whose progress is halted by unforeseen difficulties of terrain: and with this technology on its side, it doesn’t have to.

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LiDAR is capable of producing maps that give impressive images both of real ground topology and atmospheric characteristics. For more information please visit http://www2.getmapping.com

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