LIDAR Technology and Applications

LiDAR is an instrument that measures distance to a reflecting object by emitting timed pulses of laser light and measuring the time between emission and reception of reflected pulses. The measured time interval is converted to distance. LiDAR is a method of remote sensing that obtains three dimensional data points by using a laser mounted on an aircraft. Airborne LiDAR provides the ability to acquire detailed three-dimensional data over a large area in a relatively short period of time. It is a powerful tool for identifying and mapping features with a topographic expression, but is best used as part of a remote sensing toolkit that encompasses aerial photography and ground-based approaches to landscape archaeology