LIDAR SURVEYING FOR GEOLOGICAL FEATURES

While lidar (Light Detection and Ranging) is a relatively new technology, both topographic and bathymetric lidar methods have matured and are now mainstream methods for engineering and scientific investigations. Lidar is predominately deployed from an airborne platform, but ground-based systems are also used. This presentation will briefly survey lidar technology capabilities currently in use. The strengths and weaknesses of lidar methods and measurements will be compared in both qualitative and quantitative characteristics.

One of the major advantages of airborne lidar is its capacity to survey at high areal coverage rates. It is especially cost-effective for linear features, or for long profiles, because this reduces the surveying time spent in aircraft turns. Horizontal and vertical accuracies for airborne lidar surveys have been increased by utilization of kinematic GPS methods. The technology is augmented by its capability to collect other data types, such as digital aerial ortho-photography or hyperspectral imagery, simultaneously with the lidar data. Lidar technology will be characterized and compared by an assessment of data accuracy and density, and illustrated by examples of lidar raw data and final data products.