The word is an acronym for Light Detection And Ranging.

 

It is a data collection system that provides information in 3D of a certain area, very useful for many applications such as generating the surface, terrain, vegetation, buildings, etc.

 

It has a sensor that uses a laser that contains a transmitter and a receiver. Accuracy in height is between 5  to 10 cm.

 

Today laser distance measurement for large-scale mapping applications is revolutionizing the collection of digital data relating to land elevation. This technique is the best alternative for the generation of a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) it is used for the generation of contour lines.

 

The LIDAR emits pulses of light that are reflected off the ground and other objects of a certain height. These intervals are transformed into distance aided by positional information obtained from the aircraft / terrain GPS receivers and the on-board inertial measurement unit (IMU), which constantly records the altitude of the aircraft.

 

The LIDAR records position (x, y) and elevation (z) data at predefined intervals. With the data obtained, a very dense network of points is generated. LiDAR America's systems record data not only for the first return, but also for the following ones, which provide heights of both the terrain and its vegetation. Vegetation heights can provide the starting point for analysis of applications of different vegetation types or height separation.