Uses
of LiDAR Technology
There are many different things
that this technology is used for that are
extremely helpful. The most obvious is calculating
the elevation of the ground that the plane is
flying over. But that is just one example, a more
interesting use of this technology led the
discovery of a lost Mayan ruins under all of the
vegetation in the forests.
LiDAR technology is very good at
using wavelengths very close to that of green on
the visible spectrum, which allows the laser to
penetrate through the dense trees and see what
lies beneath. This aided in finding the
"Megalopolis" that had never been discovered
because travel into the area on foot was
difficult. (6)
Source: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/maya-laser-lidar-guatemala-pacunam
Another example that LiDAR
technology exceeds in is determining the depth of
ocean floors. Once again, the wavelength used by
the laser is important because it needs to be able
to avoid attenuation when in water. This assists
researchers or even search crews when they are
attempting to find ruins or naval accidents that
resulted in ships being sunk.
