Emerging Technologies…
LIDAR
MAPPS Summer Conference
11 July 2012
Emerging LIDAR Technologies
On the market
• Multiple-output LIDAR
• Shallow-water bathymetric LIDAR
On the market, but needing development
• Waveform-capture LIDAR
On the market, but not yet in our segment
• Flash LIDAR
• Photon-counting LIDAR
• Automotive LIDAR
What else do we need?
• Higher-speed processing
• Flexible workflows
On the market now (1/2)
Multiple-output LIDAR
• What it is
•
•
•
Two systems in a plane
Two scanners in a box
Two receivers in a scanner
• What it does for us
•
•
High effective pulse rate  high point
density, even in fast aircraft or with wide
FOV
High effective scan rate  tight alongtrack spacing, even in fast aircraft or with
wide FOV
On the market now (2/2)
Shallow water bathymetry
• What it is
•
•
•
Standard topographic LIDAR system
Switch laser from 1063 nm (infrared) to
532 nm (green) to allow penetration
through water
Add full-waveform digitizer (bottom
returns can be pulses in clear water or
“fall-off point” in less clear water)
• What is does for us
•
•
High pulse rate compared to deep-water
bathymetric LIDAR (up to 100 kHz
versus 1 kHz)
Low-cost-high-detail mapping in very
shallow (<10m deep water)
On the market, but needing further development
Waveform-capture LIDAR
• What it is
•
•
Digitize intensity in small time slices
Process data to derive equivalent
discrete pulses (on the fly, postprocessed)
• What it does for us
•
•
•
Gets beyond the limitations imposed by
laser pulse width  small minimum
vertical separation between targets
a posteriori detection threshold  see
less reflective targets
Detection of pulse stretching
• Indicator of sloped surfaces  aids
classification
• Indicator of “porous” surfaces (e.g.,
tall grases)  potential to improve
accuracy
• Why further development needed?
•
•
Some accuracy limitation in on-the-fly
firmware
Slow processing speeds
On the market, but not yet in our segment (1/3)
Flash LIDAR (e.g., Ball AeroSpace,
ASC)
• What it is
•
•
Broad-area illumination with a single
laser pulse
LIDAR “focal plane” measures range to
all points in the “scene”
• What it does for us
•
Light weight, small size, low power 
low-altitude UAVs?, man-portable LIDAR
mapping? BIM?
• Limitations
•
•
Short range (~100 m)
“Pixel” count (128 x 128 is state of the
art)
On the market, but not yet in our segment (2/3)
Photon-counting LIDAR (e.g., Lincoln Labs, Sigma Space, Voxtel, etc)
• What it is
•
•
Highly-sensitive detector, running in “near constant avalanche mode”
Interesting note: Voxtel manufactures arrays up to 256 x 256
• What it does for us
•
Low laser power (safety, DC power consumption)
• Limitations
•
Essentially for night time use only (can’t tell difference between solar photons and laser
photons)
On the market, but not yet in our segment (3/3)
Automotive LIDAR (e.g., IBEO)
• What it is
•
•
Developed for automotive industry
Scans limited horizontal “slices” at short
range
• What it does for us (potentially)
•
•
CHEAP!!! ($250?)
Light weight, small size, low power 
low-altitude UAVs?, man-portable LIDAR
mapping? BIM?
• Limitations
•
•
•
•
•
Short range (~30 m for 10% reflector)
Poor distance resolution (4 cm)
Poor angle resolution (0.25 degree)
Poor accuracy (10 cm)
Programmed for obstacle avoidance, not
for mapping
What else do we need?
High-speed point cloud generation
• LIDAR raw data capture capabilities
have grown explosively
•
•
•
Pulse rates double roughly every 2 years
Software speed has not grown so fast
Result: processing hours per flight hour
increased over time
• Processing hardware speed potential
has grown
•
•
8-core laptops for field processing
Multi-core blade computing in-house
• Point cloud generation touches many
aspects of system use
• Enabling technology for real-time (inthe-air) point cloud generation
Flexible processing solutions
• Enable customized or “vertical market”
workflows
• User control without jumping between
GUIs
Summary
LIDAR sensor hardware has achieved a high level of productivity
Some new technologies enhance productivity and profitability in current “use
cases”
Some new technologies become “enablers” for:
• New platforms (e.g., smaller aircraft, UAVs)
• New markets (high-detail bathymetry, BIM)
Additional focus on processing software will allow better exploitation of both
today’s and tomorrow’s sensors
Thank you!
ron.roth@leicaus.com