HYDROSCAN: Airborne laser mapping of hydrological features and resources

A summary of the technology and integration of components for a generic airborne laser scanning (ALS) system is provided. At times the Optech ALTM 3100 is used as an example, as this is the sensor owned and operated by the Applied Geomatics Research Group (AGRG). ALS mapping systems are an integration of four main measuring systems: 1) a differential global position system (GPS) solution is used to fix the position of the aircraft platform; 2) an inertial measurement unit (IMU) is used to record the angular orientation of the sensor; 3) a LiDAR (light detection and ranging) system is used to emit and receive pulses of laser light; and 4) a scanning system redirects laser pulses orthogonally beneath the aircraft platform to collect of swath of data at ground level. ALS LiDAR sensors are most commonly configured to map earth surface terrain at a high spatial resolution; however, bathymetric depth mapping using dual laser wavelengths and water quality mapping using LiDAR fluorescence techniques are becoming more common place.

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