5. Conclusion

In this article, the emphasis is on presenting the methodologies and physics of lidar surface measurement, so as to better understand the more technical presentations dealing more specifically with the use of data for professional purposes. Geolidar and its applications to topographic surveying, canopy mapping and bathymetry have undergone considerable development over the last two decades, representing a societal as well as an economic challenge. Today, entire regions and even countries are mapped using laser altimetry in combination with high-resolution visible and IR imagery. Canopy lidars are widely used for forest management and to better assess the contribution of forests in the carbon cycle as at least a partial remedy to the increase of CO ₂ in the atmosphere. Canopy and bathymetric lidars are used for studies of the impact of pollution...