LiDAR Technologies and Systems
LiDAR is one of many active sensor technologies that uses
electromagnetic radiation. Operating in the optical and infrared
wavelengths, it is similar to more-familiar passive EO/IR sensor
technology. It is also similar to radar in that it uses reflected
electromagnetic radiation emitted by the sensor. LiDAR is commonly
used for making high-resolution maps and has applications in
geodesy, geomatics, archaeology, geography, geology, geomorphology,
seismology, forestry, atmospheric physics, laser guidance, airborne
laser swath mapping, and laser altimetry. It is also being used for
control and navigation of some autonomous cars.
The first part of LiDAR Technologies and Systems introduces LiDAR
and its history, and then covers the LiDAR range equation and the
link budget (how much signal a LiDAR must emit in order to get a
certain number of reflected photons back), as well as the rich
phenomenology of LiDAR, which results in a diverse array of LiDAR
types. The middle chapters discuss the components of a LiDAR
system, including laser sources and modulators, LiDAR receivers,
beam-steering approaches, and LiDAR processing. The last part
covers testing, performance metrics, and significant applications,
including how to build systems for some of the more popular
applications.