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Lidar Remote Sensing for Planetary and Earth Science Applications
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Lidar Remote Sensing for Planetary and Earth Science Applications

A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Remote Sensors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 29356

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Haris Riris

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
NASA Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO), Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
Interests: lidar, lidar topographic and trace gas lidars for planetary and earth science applications; tunable laser spectroscopy for planetary and earth science applications

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

LiDAR systems are critical for current and future Earth and Planetary Science applications.  Active (laser) remote sensing space systems have been used to map the surface topography of Mars, the moon and the polar ice sheets, atmospheric cloud, and aerosol profiles and measure the Earth’s forest canopy vertical structure.  

In the near future, several space missions will likely use active optical systems for entry descent and landing (EDL) and autonomous navigation in poorly illuminated regions of distant planetary bodies, ice detection and mapping for future human exploration, wind and atmospheric composition measurements, backscatter lidars for planetary boundary layer dynamics and surface topography lidars to name just a few. 

In order to meet these future scientific needs, a number of key technologies must be developed. These include but are not limited to low mass, power, and volume lidar systems with improved wavelength coverage in the ultraviolet and infrared spectral regions, multi-beam, and multi-wavelength lidars, high sensitivity detection systems with improved dynamic range, advanced detection and retrieval methods including machine learning and artificial intelligence.

This Special Issue welcomes original research contributions and state-of-the-art reviews, from academia, government, and industry, regarding the use of LIDAR technologies and their application to planetary and Earth science.

Dr. Haris Riris
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • lidar
  • remote sensing
  • atmospheric composition and trace gas detection
  • planetray boundar layer
  • entry, descent and landing
  • ice detection
  • integrated path differential absorption
  • surface topography
  • wind measurements
  • backscatter lidar

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 7621 KiB  
Article
The Effectiveness of a UAV-Based LiDAR Survey to Develop Digital Terrain Models and Topographic Texture Analyses
by Piotr Bartmiński, Marcin Siłuch and Waldemar Kociuba
Sensors 2023, 23(14), 6415; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23146415 - 14 Jul 2023
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2427
Abstract
This study presents a comparison of data acquired from three LiDAR sensors from different manufacturers, i.e., Yellow Scan Mapper (YSM), AlphaAir 450 Airborne LiDAR System CHC Navigation (CHC) and DJI Zenmuse L1 (L1). The same area was surveyed with laser sensors mounted on [...] Read more.
This study presents a comparison of data acquired from three LiDAR sensors from different manufacturers, i.e., Yellow Scan Mapper (YSM), AlphaAir 450 Airborne LiDAR System CHC Navigation (CHC) and DJI Zenmuse L1 (L1). The same area was surveyed with laser sensors mounted on the DIJ Matrice 300 RTK UAV platform. In order to compare the data, a diverse test area located in the north-western part of the Lublin Province in eastern Poland was selected. The test area was a gully system with high vegetation cover. In order to compare the UAV information, LiDAR reference data were used, which were collected within the ISOK project (acquired for the whole area of Poland). In order to examine the differentiation of the acquired data, both classified point clouds and DTM products calculated on the basis of point clouds acquired from individual sensors were compared. The analyses showed that the largest average height differences between terrain models calculated from point clouds were recorded between the CHC sensor and the base data, exceeding 2.5 m. The smallest differences were recorded between the L1 sensor and ISOK data—RMSE was 0.31 m. The use of UAVs to acquire very high resolution data can only be used locally and must be subject to very stringent landing site preparation procedures, as well as data processing in DTM and its derivatives. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lidar Remote Sensing for Planetary and Earth Science Applications)
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18 pages, 22693 KiB  
Article
Point Density Variations in Airborne Lidar Point Clouds
by Vaclav Petras, Anna Petrasova, James B. McCarter, Helena Mitasova and Ross K. Meentemeyer
Sensors 2023, 23(3), 1593; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23031593 - 1 Feb 2023
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 5960
Abstract
In spite of increasing point density and accuracy, airborne lidar point clouds often exhibit point density variations. Some of these density variations indicate issues with point clouds, potentially leading to errors in derived products. To highlight these issues, we provide an overview of [...] Read more.
In spite of increasing point density and accuracy, airborne lidar point clouds often exhibit point density variations. Some of these density variations indicate issues with point clouds, potentially leading to errors in derived products. To highlight these issues, we provide an overview of point density variations and show examples in six airborne lidar point cloud datasets that we used in our topographic and geospatial modeling research. Using the published literature, we identified sources of point density variations and issues indicated or caused by these variations. Lastly, we discuss the reduction in point density variations using decimations, homogenizations, and their applicability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lidar Remote Sensing for Planetary and Earth Science Applications)
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Graphical abstract

11 pages, 4460 KiB  
Article
Mapping Understory Vegetation Density in Mediterranean Forests: Insights from Airborne and Terrestrial Laser Scanning Integration
by Carlotta Ferrara, Nicola Puletti, Matteo Guasti and Roberto Scotti
Sensors 2023, 23(1), 511; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23010511 - 3 Jan 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2969
Abstract
The understory is an essential ecological and structural component of forest ecosystems. The lack of efficient, accurate, and objective methods for evaluating and quantifying the spatial spread of understory characteristics over large areas is a challenge for forest planning and management, with specific [...] Read more.
The understory is an essential ecological and structural component of forest ecosystems. The lack of efficient, accurate, and objective methods for evaluating and quantifying the spatial spread of understory characteristics over large areas is a challenge for forest planning and management, with specific regard to biodiversity and habitat governance. In this study, we used terrestrial and airborne laser scanning (TLS and ALS) data to characterize understory in a European beech and black pine forest in Italy. First, we linked understory structural features derived from traditional field measurements with TLS metrics, then, we related such metrics to the ones derived from ALS. Results indicate that (i) the upper understory density (5–10 m above ground) is significantly associated with two ALS metrics, specifically the mean height of points belonging to the lower third of the ALS point cloud within the voxel (HM1/3) and the corresponding standard deviation (SD1/3), while (ii) for the lower understory layer (2–5 m above ground), the most related metric is HM1/3 alone. As an example application, we have produced a map of forest understory for each layer, extending over the entire study region covered by ALS data, based on the developed spatial prediction models. With this study, we also demonstrated the power of hand-held mobile-TLS as a fast and high-resolution tool for measuring forest structural attributes and obtaining relevant ecological data. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lidar Remote Sensing for Planetary and Earth Science Applications)
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17 pages, 34604 KiB  
Article
Real-Time Interpolated Rendering of Terrain Point Cloud Data
by Jaka Kordež, Matija Marolt and Ciril Bohak
Sensors 2023, 23(1), 72; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23010072 - 21 Dec 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1855
Abstract
Most real-time terrain point cloud rendering techniques do not address the empty space between the points but rather try to minimize it by changing the way the points are rendered by either rendering them bigger or with more appropriate shapes such as paraboloids. [...] Read more.
Most real-time terrain point cloud rendering techniques do not address the empty space between the points but rather try to minimize it by changing the way the points are rendered by either rendering them bigger or with more appropriate shapes such as paraboloids. In this work, we propose an alternative approach to point cloud rendering, which addresses the empty space between the points and tries to fill it with appropriate values to achieve the best possible output. The proposed approach runs in real time and outperforms several existing point cloud rendering techniques in terms of speed and render quality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lidar Remote Sensing for Planetary and Earth Science Applications)
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Review

Jump to: Research

27 pages, 4973 KiB  
Review
The Use of Green Laser in LiDAR Bathymetry: State of the Art and Recent Advancements
by Anna Szafarczyk and Cezary Toś
Sensors 2023, 23(1), 292; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23010292 - 27 Dec 2022
Cited by 27 | Viewed by 15220
Abstract
Bathymetric LiDAR technology is a technology used for simultaneous data acquisition regarding the morphology of the bottom of water reservoirs and the surrounding coastal zone, realized from the air, e.g., by plane or drone. Contrary to the air topographic LiDAR, which uses an [...] Read more.
Bathymetric LiDAR technology is a technology used for simultaneous data acquisition regarding the morphology of the bottom of water reservoirs and the surrounding coastal zone, realized from the air, e.g., by plane or drone. Contrary to the air topographic LiDAR, which uses an infrared wavelength of 1064 nm, bathymetric LiDAR systems additionally use a green wavelength of 532 nm. The green laser can penetrate the water, which makes it possible to measure the depth of shallow water reservoirs, rivers, and coastal sea waters within three Secchi depths. This article presents the theoretical basis for the construction of a green laser. Against the background of other methods of measuring the bottom of water reservoirs, the technology using waves from the visible light range is presented in detail in the assessment of the bottom morphology of shallow water reservoirs. The possibilities of using green laser in lidar bathymetry implemented in particular in non-navigable regions are shown. The results of the researchers’ work on river processes (erosion, sedimentation), design of stream restoration, determination of morphometric parameters of the riverbed, as well as assessment of the topography of the marine coastal bottom zones are summarized. The development direction of lidar bathymetry is discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lidar Remote Sensing for Planetary and Earth Science Applications)
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