Key drivers in determining LiDAR sensor selection
Jenkins, L.G.
An airborne lidar sensor represents a significant capital investment. To avoid making an inadequately informed and costly decision, careful research is essential. This paper focuses on the critical factors surveyors must consider when deciding to purchase an airborne lidar system. The main points addressed are: 1) the current state of the survey industry in terms of lidar technology; 2) critical specifications to compare when considering a lidar instrument; 3) a comparison of hardware among four different lidar systems; 4) an analysis of various types of scanners; 5) a consideration of drivers that can be decisive. Beginning with an overview of the current state of the survey industry, the paper identifies those factors that define the performance of a lidar instrument manufacturer: reputation, reliability, support, service and leadership. The question, What does the customer search for when they seek the best?? is defined in terms of efficiency in design and cost effectiveness of operation. Flexibility, accuracy, and programmability are also examined as factors that determine the quality of a lidar systemms performance. The specifications of four different lidar systems are compared: Optech 3100, Leica ALS-50, Toposys Falcon III and IGI LM5600. Also, three different scanner types are assessed: fiber, rotating polygon and oscillating mirror. Because the scanner largely determines lidar system accuracy, programmability, spot density, swath width and area coverage rate, the comparative advantages and disadvantages of each type of scanner are addressed. When deciding which lidar instrument best serves the surveyorrs needs a number of drivers can be decisive. These drivers include: altitude specification, beam divergence, automatic roll compensation and waveform digitization capabilities. The impact of these features on airborne surveying is discussed. The paper summarizes with the acknowledgment that lidar is a relatively new technology, and as such, is contributing significantly to the growth of the survey industry. As the technical capabilities of lidar sensors continue to evolve, new surveying possibilities and opportunities arise. In conclusion, the paper offers the insight that the critical criterion in choosing a particular lidar sensor should be the overall instrument efficiency, and cautions against overvaluing individual component specifications as they can easily be taken out of context.
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