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Laser Remote Sensing
| Article
# : |
18970 |
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Section : |
NATURAL SCIENCE
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| Issue
Date : |
2 / 1991 |
3,533 Words |
| Author
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Richard J. Joseph
Richard J. Joseph is program manager for Lidar research at Los
Alamos National Laboratory in Los Aalmos, New Mexico. |
Remote sensing for a human begins when a baby hears its first sounds or opens its eyes for the first time. We rely so much on being able to receive information through our senses about things occurring at a distance that we are not conscious of how important it is to our functioning. When we see smoke rising above a forest, we do not need to feel the heat of the flames to know that there is a fire. Humans have always developed tools to extend their powers; at first the tools augmented the strength of man, then his speed, then his senses, and finally his mind. Among the most wondrous inventions of the twentieth century are the laser and the computer.
Often referred to as "a solution looking for a problem," the laser has been the key component for a number of remarkable and useful inventions. However, it is in the field of remote sensing that, teamed with the computer, it holds particularly exciting promise.
The technique of using a laser to examine things at a distance is generally referred to as lidar, which stands for "light detection and ranging." A sister technology, laser radar, or ladar, uses a laser like a radar to locate an object. Lidar, however, refers to the more general case of using a laser to derive additional properties of an object such as density or chemical composition.
The principle is simple: Light is broadcast by the laser, striking the thing of interest. Light scattered by the object (not necessarily a solid object) returns to a receiver, where it is collected and analyzed. The basic lidar technology has been developing over the last 25 years, but the convergence of recent advances in computers, electronics, and lasers is opening new vistas of enhanced performance in applications of laser remote sensing for environmental monitoring. We shall examine some of the basic science governing the operation of a lidar, describe some of the applications, and look into the future of this remarkable and fast-growing technology.
Lasers, light, and laser light
The laser has been a commonplace appliance in the scientific world for more than two decades, but only in the last decade has the consumer begun to see laser devices in the everyday world. Supermarket bar code scanners and compact disc players are but two examples of small lasers making a large impact. They are representative of lasers being used in remote sensing applications where the ability of the laser to resolve objects of small spatial extent is
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