1. Lidar measurements on surfaces

1.1 Fields of application

The main fields of application are presented on 1 : lithosphere (solid earth, soils), anthroposphere (built-up and urbanized areas), biosphere (vegetation, forests, agriculture) and hydrosphere (aquatic environments). The aircraft carrying the lidar is equipped with a precise ground positioning system (GPS) and an inertial navigation system (INS) to determine the aircraft's attitude. The aircraft is linked to the GPS reference station on the ground and to the GPS satellite constellation. The aiming direction of the lidar is variable. Topography uses lasers emitting at 1064 nm, while bathymetry uses...