Visualization using 3D voxelization of full lidar waveforms

Joong Yong Park; Vinod Ramnath; Victor Feygels

doi:10.1117/12.2069284

17 November 2014 Visualization using 3D voxelization of full lidar waveforms

Joong Yong Park, Vinod Ramnath, Victor Feygels

Proceedings Volume 9262, Lidar Remote Sensing for Environmental Monitoring XIV; 92620N (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2069284
Event: SPIE Asia-Pacific Remote Sensing, 2014, Beijing, China

Abstract

Airborne bathymetric lidar (Light Detection and Ranging) systems measure photoelectrons on the optical path (range and angle) at the photocathode of a returned laser pulse at high rates, such as every nanosecond. The collected measurement of a single pulse in a time series is called a waveform. Based on the calibration of the lidar system, the return signal is converted into units of received power. This converted value from the lidar waveform data is used to compute an estimate of the reflectance from the returned backscatter, which contains environmental information from along the optical path. This concept led us to develop a novel tool to visualize lidar data in terms of the returned backscatter, and to use this as a data analysis and editing tool. The full lidar waveforms along the optical path, from laser points collected in the region of interest (ROI), are voxelized into a 3D image cube. This allows lidar measurements to be analyzed in three orthogonal directions simultaneously. The laser pulse return (reflection) from the seafloor is visible in the waveform as a pronounced "bump" above the volume backscatter. Floating or submerged objects in the water may also be visible. Similarly, forest canopies and tree branches can be identified in the 3D voxelization. This paper discusses the possibility of using this unique three-orthogonal volume visualizing tool to extract environmental information for carrying out rapid environmental assessments over forests and water.

Citation Download Citation

Joong Yong Park, Vinod Ramnath, and Victor Feygels "Visualization using 3D voxelization of full lidar waveforms", Proc. SPIE 9262, Lidar Remote Sensing for Environmental Monitoring XIV, 92620N (17 November 2014); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2069284

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