Airborne tunable diode laser spectrometer for trace-gas measurement in the lower stratosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Podolske, James; Loewenstein, Max

1993-01-01

This paper describes the airborne tunable laser absorption spectrometer, a tunable diode laser instrument designed for in situ trace-gas measurement in the lower stratosphere from an ER-2 high-altitude research aircraft. Laser-wavelength modulation and second-harmonic detection are employed to achieve the required constituent detection sensitivity. The airborne tunable laser absorption spectrometer was used in two polar ozone campaigns, the Airborne Antarctic Ozone Experiment and the Airborne Arctic Stratospheric Expedition, and measured nitrous oxide with a response time of 1 s and an accuracy not greater than 10 percent.

National center for airborne laser mapping proposed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carter, Bill; Shrestha, Ramesh L.; Dietrich, Bill

Researchers from universities, U.S. government agencies, U.S. national laboratories, and private industry met in the spring to learn about the current capabilities of Airborne Laser Swath Mapping (ALSM), share their experiences in using the technology for a wide variety of research applications, outline research that would be made possible by research-grade ALSM data, and discuss the proposed operation and management of the brand new National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping (NCALM).The workshop successfully identified a community of researchers with common interests in the advancement and use of ALSM—a community which strongly supports the immediate establishment of the NCALM.

Ranging error analysis of single photon satellite laser altimetry under different terrain conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Jiapeng; Li, Guoyuan; Gao, Xiaoming; Wang, Jianmin; Fan, Wenfeng; Zhou, Shihong

2018-02-01

Single photon satellite laser altimeter is based on Geiger model, which has the characteristics of small spot, high repetition rate etc. In this paper, for the slope terrain, the distance of error's formula and numerical calculation are carried out. Monte Carlo method is used to simulate the experiment of different terrain measurements. The experimental results show that ranging accuracy is not affected by the spot size under the condition of the flat terrain, But the inclined terrain can influence the ranging error dramatically, when the satellite pointing angle is 0.001° and the terrain slope is about 12°, the ranging error can reach to 0.5m. While the accuracy can't meet the requirement when the slope is more than 70°. Monte Carlo simulation results show that single photon laser altimeter satellite with high repetition rate can improve the ranging accuracy under the condition of complex terrain. In order to ensure repeated observation of the same point for 25 times, according to the parameters of ICESat-2, we deduce the quantitative relation between the footprint size, footprint, and the frequency repetition. The related conclusions can provide reference for the design and demonstration of the domestic single photon laser altimetry satellite.

Geodetic imaging with airborne LiDAR: the Earth's surface revealed.

PubMed

Glennie, C L; Carter, W E; Shrestha, R L; Dietrich, W E

2013-08-01

The past decade has seen an explosive increase in the number of peer reviewed papers reporting new scientific findings in geomorphology (including fans, channels, floodplains and landscape evolution), geologic mapping, tectonics and faulting, coastal processes, lava flows, hydrology (especially snow and runoff routing), glaciers and geo-archaeology. A common genesis of such findings is often newly available decimeter resolution 'bare Earth' geodetic images, derived from airborne laser swath mapping, a.k.a. airborne LiDAR, observations. In this paper we trace nearly a half century of advances in geodetic science made possible by space age technology, such as the invention of short-pulse-length high-pulse-rate lasers, solid state inertial measurement units, chip-based high speed electronics and the GPS satellite navigation system, that today make it possible to map hundreds of square kilometers of terrain in hours, even in areas covered with dense vegetation or shallow water. To illustrate the impact of the LiDAR observations we present examples of geodetic images that are not only stunning to the eye, but help researchers to develop quantitative models explaining how terrain evolved to its present form, and how it will likely change with time. Airborne LiDAR technology continues to develop quickly, promising ever more scientific discoveries in the years ahead.

Feasibility of airborne detection of laser-induced fluorescence emissions from green terrestrial plants

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoge, F. E.; Swift, R. N.; Yungel, J. K.

1983-01-01

The present investigation provides a demonstration of the feasibility of the airborne detection of the laser-induced fluorescence spectral emissions from living terrestrial grasses, shrubs, and trees using existing levels of lidar technology. Airborne studies were performed to ascertain system requirements necessary to detect laser-induced fluorescence from living terrestrial plants, to assess the practical acquisition of useful single-shot laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) waveforms over vegetative canopies, and to determine the comparative suitability of laser system, airborne platform, and terrestrial environmental parameters. The field experiment was conducted on May 3, 1982, over the northern portion of Wallops Island, VA. Attention is given to airborne lidar results and the description of laboratory investigations.

Airborne laser scanning for high-resolution mapping of Antarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Csatho, Bea; Schenk, Toni; Krabill, William; Wilson, Terry; Lyons, William; McKenzie, Garry; Hallam, Cheryl; Manizade, Serdar; Paulsen, Timothy

In order to evaluate the potential of airborne laser scanning for topographic mapping in Antarctica and to establish calibration/validation sites for NASA's Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) altimeter mission, NASA, the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) joined forces to collect high-resolution airborne laser scanning data.In a two-week campaign during the 2001-2002 austral summer, NASA's Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM) system was used to collect data over several sites in the McMurdo Sound area of Antarctica (Figure 1a). From the recorded signals, NASA computed laser points and The Ohio State University (OSU) completed the elaborate computation/verification of high-resolution Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) in 2003. This article reports about the DEM generation and some exemplary results from scientists using the geomorphologic information from the DEMs during the 2003-2004 field season.

Airborne laser-diode-array illuminator assessment for the night vision's airborne mine-detection arid test

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stetson, Suzanne; Weber, Hadley; Crosby, Frank J.; Tinsley, Kenneth; Kloess, Edmund; Nevis, Andrew J.; Holloway, John H., Jr.; Witherspoon, Ned H.

2004-09-01

The Airborne Littoral Reconnaissance Technologies (ALRT) project has developed and tested a nighttime operational minefield detection capability using commercial off-the-shelf high-power Laser Diode Arrays (LDAs). The Coastal System Station"s ALRT project, under funding from the Office of Naval Research (ONR), has been designing, developing, integrating, and testing commercial arrays using a Cessna airborne platform over the last several years. This has led to the development of the Airborne Laser Diode Array Illuminator wide field-of-view (ALDAI-W) imaging test bed system. The ALRT project tested ALDAI-W at the Army"s Night Vision Lab"s Airborne Mine Detection Arid Test. By participating in Night Vision"s test, ALRT was able to collect initial prototype nighttime operational data using ALDAI-W, showing impressive results and pioneering the way for final test bed demonstration conducted in September 2003. This paper describes the ALDAI-W Arid Test and results, along with processing steps used to generate imagery.

Airborne Digital Sensor System and GPS-aided inertial technology for direct geopositioning in rough terrain

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sanchez, Richard D.

2004-01-01

High-resolution airborne digital cameras with onboard data collection based on the Global Positioning System (GPS) and inertial navigation systems (INS) technology may offer a real-time means to gather accurate topographic map information by reducing ground control and eliminating aerial triangulation. Past evaluations of this integrated system over relatively flat terrain have proven successful. The author uses Emerge Digital Sensor System (DSS) combined with Applanix Corporation?s Position and Orientation Solutions for Direct Georeferencing to examine the positional mapping accuracy in rough terrain. The positional accuracy documented in this study did not meet large-scale mapping requirements owing to an apparent system mechanical failure. Nonetheless, the findings yield important information on a new approach for mapping in Antarctica and other remote or inaccessible areas of the world.

An adaptive surface filter for airborne laser scanning point clouds by means of regularization and bending energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Han; Ding, Yulin; Zhu, Qing; Wu, Bo; Lin, Hui; Du, Zhiqiang; Zhang, Yeting; Zhang, Yunsheng

2014-06-01

The filtering of point clouds is a ubiquitous task in the processing of airborne laser scanning (ALS) data; however, such filtering processes are difficult because of the complex configuration of the terrain features. The classical filtering algorithms rely on the cautious tuning of parameters to handle various landforms. To address the challenge posed by the bundling of different terrain features into a single dataset and to surmount the sensitivity of the parameters, in this study, we propose an adaptive surface filter (ASF) for the classification of ALS point clouds. Based on the principle that the threshold should vary in accordance to the terrain smoothness, the ASF embeds bending energy, which quantitatively depicts the local terrain structure to self-adapt the filter threshold automatically. The ASF employs a step factor to control the data pyramid scheme in which the processing window sizes are reduced progressively, and the ASF gradually interpolates thin plate spline surfaces toward the ground with regularization to handle noise. Using the progressive densification strategy, regularization and self-adaption, both performance improvement and resilience to parameter tuning are achieved. When tested against the benchmark datasets provided by ISPRS, the ASF performs the best in comparison with all other filtering methods, yielding an average total error of 2.85% when optimized and 3.67% when using the same parameter set.

Terrain Extraction by Integrating Terrestrial Laser Scanner Data and Spectral Information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lau, C. L.; Halim, S.; Zulkepli, M.; Azwan, A. M.; Tang, W. L.; Chong, A. K.

2015-10-01

The extraction of true terrain points from unstructured laser point cloud data is an important process in order to produce an accurate digital terrain model (DTM). However, most of these spatial filtering methods just utilizing the geometrical data to discriminate the terrain points from nonterrain points. The point cloud filtering method also can be improved by using the spectral information available with some scanners. Therefore, the objective of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of using the three-channel (red, green and blue) of the colour image captured from built-in digital camera which is available in some Terrestrial Laser Scanner (TLS) for terrain extraction. In this study, the data acquisition was conducted at a mini replica landscape in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Skudai campus using Leica ScanStation C10. The spectral information of the coloured point clouds from selected sample classes are extracted for spectral analysis. The coloured point clouds which within the corresponding preset spectral threshold are identified as that specific feature point from the dataset. This process of terrain extraction is done through using developed Matlab coding. Result demonstrates that a higher spectral resolution passive image is required in order to improve the output. This is because low quality of the colour images captured by the sensor contributes to the low separability in spectral reflectance. In conclusion, this study shows that, spectral information is capable to be used as a parameter for terrain extraction.

Clustering of Multispectral Airborne Laser Scanning Data Using Gaussian Decomposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morsy, S.; Shaker, A.; El-Rabbany, A.

2017-09-01

With the evolution of the LiDAR technology, multispectral airborne laser scanning systems are currently available. The first operational multispectral airborne LiDAR sensor, the Optech Titan, acquires LiDAR point clouds at three different wavelengths (1.550, 1.064, 0.532 μm), allowing the acquisition of different spectral information of land surface. Consequently, the recent studies are devoted to use the radiometric information (i.e., intensity) of the LiDAR data along with the geometric information (e.g., height) for classification purposes. In this study, a data clustering method, based on Gaussian decomposition, is presented. First, a ground filtering mechanism is applied to separate non-ground from ground points. Then, three normalized difference vegetation indices (NDVIs) are computed for both non-ground and ground points, followed by histograms construction from each NDVI. The Gaussian function model is used to decompose the histograms into a number of Gaussian components. The maximum likelihood estimate of the Gaussian components is then optimized using Expectation - Maximization algorithm. The intersection points of the adjacent Gaussian components are subsequently used as threshold values, whereas different classes can be clustered. This method is used to classify the terrain of an urban area in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, into four main classes, namely roofs, trees, asphalt and grass. It is shown that the proposed method has achieved an overall accuracy up to 95.1 % using different NDVIs.

An X-Band Radar Terrain Feature Detection Method for Low-Altitude SVS Operations and Calibration Using LiDAR

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Young, Steve; UijtdeHaag, Maarten; Campbell, Jacob

2004-01-01

To enable safe use of Synthetic Vision Systems at low altitudes, real-time range-to-terrain measurements may be required to ensure the integrity of terrain models stored in the system. This paper reviews and extends previous work describing the application of x-band radar to terrain model integrity monitoring. A method of terrain feature extraction and a transformation of the features to a common reference domain are proposed. Expected error distributions for the extracted features are required to establish appropriate thresholds whereby a consistency-checking function can trigger an alert. A calibration-based approach is presented that can be used to obtain these distributions. To verify the approach, NASA's DC-8 airborne science platform was used to collect data from two mapping sensors. An Airborne Laser Terrain Mapping (ALTM) sensor was installed in the cargo bay of the DC-8. After processing, the ALTM produced a reference terrain model with a vertical accuracy of less than one meter. Also installed was a commercial-off-the-shelf x-band radar in the nose radome of the DC-8. Although primarily designed to measure precipitation, the radar also provides estimates of terrain reflectivity at low altitudes. Using the ALTM data as the reference, errors in features extracted from the radar are estimated. A method to estimate errors in features extracted from the terrain model is also presented.

Airborne Measurements of Atmospheric Methane Using Pulsed Laser Transmitters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Numata, Kenji; Riris, Haris; Wu, Stewart; Gonzalez, Brayler; Rodriguez, Michael; Hasselbrack, William; Fahey, Molly; Yu, Anthony; Stephen, Mark; Mao, Jianping;

Flow control about an airborne laser turret

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Penix, L. E.

1982-06-01

This thesis project is the latest in a series of experiments conducted at the Naval Postgraduate School to improve the air flow in which a laser beam propagates. The particular turret to be studied is currently employed on Airborne Laser Laboratory which is aboard the NKC-135 aircraft; a one-third scale model was constructed in the 5 x 5 foot wind tunnel. The objective is to decrease the optical path distortion and jitter resulting from turbulent flow in the aft hemisphere of the turret that houses the laser telescope.

Airborne Laser Scanning of Forest Stem Volume in a Mountainous Environment

PubMed Central

Hollaus, Markus; Wagner, Wolfgang; Maier, Bernhard; Schadauer, Klemens

2007-01-01

Airborne laser scanning (ALS) is an active remote sensing technique that uses the time-of-flight measurement principle to capture the three-dimensional structure of the earth's surface with pulsed lasers that transmit nanosecond-long laser pulses with a high pulse repetition frequency. Over forested areas most of the laser pulses are reflected by the leaves and branches of the trees, but a certain fraction of the laser pulses reaches the forest floor through small gaps in the canopy. Thus it is possible to reconstruct both the three-dimensional structure of the forest canopy and the terrain surface. For the retrieval of quantitative forest parameters such as stem volume or biomass it is necessary to use models that combine ALS with inventory data. One approach is to use multiplicative regression models that are trained with local inventory data. This method has been widely applied over boreal forest regions, but so far little experience exists with applying this method for mapping alpine forest. In this study the transferability of this approach to a 128 km2 large mountainous region in Vorarlberg, Austria, was evaluated. For the calibration of the model, inventory data as operationally collected by Austrian foresters were used. Despite these inventory data are based on variable sample plot sizes, they could be used for mapping stem volume for the entire alpine study area. The coefficient of determination R2 was 0.85 and the root mean square error (RMSE) 90.9 m3ha−1 (relative error of 21.4%) which is comparable to results of ALS studies conducted over topographically less complex environments. Due to the increasing availability, ALS data could become an operational part of Austrian's forest inventories.

Laser communications technology with airborne platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Huilin; Liu, Guojun; Yin, Fuchang; Liu, Zhi

2006-01-01

Space laser communications (SLC) possess a series of advantages, such as higher data rates, large capacity of information, very good secrecy, et al. So SLC has been attracting great attention the throughout western and developed countries. USA, EU and Japan are making great efforts in establishing space-air-ground integrated communications network, with satellites, planes or ground vehicles as platforms. China has also carried out laser communication research activities in recent years. Changchun University of Science and technology (CUST) has been doing research studies on space laser communications with plane as the platform, and relatively thorough study on some of the key technologies such as airborne lasercom terminal design. The present paper will address some of these topics.

Aircraft accident report : uncontrolled flight into terrain, ABX Air (Airborne Express), Douglas DC-8-63, N827AX Narrows, Virginia, December 22, 1996

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-07-15

This report explains the accident involving a Douglas DC-8-63, operated by ABX Air Inc. (Airborne Express), that impacted mountainous terrain near Narrows, Virginia, while on a post-modification functional evaluation flight on December 22, 1996. Safe...

Terrain, Turbulence, and Tight Turns: Airborne Measurement of the Aliso Canyon Methane Leak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conley, S. A.; Ryerson, T. B.; Faloona, I. C.; Blake, D. R.; Franco, G.

2016-12-01

The now infamous natural gas well SS25 sits mid-way up the Santa Susanna mountains at an elevation of 900 meters, on the northern border of the Los Angeles basin. To the north, terrain rises sharply by another 200 meters, with rugged hilly terrain east and west. To the south, the town of Porter Ranch lies in the San Fernando valley 400 meters below SS25. With climatologic wintertime north winds carrying the odorized gas into the valley, airborne measurement was confined to a narrow region between the hills and the nearby Los Angeles airspace, and wind speed gradients as much as 20 m s-1 over a distance of several kilometers resulted in frequent severe turbulence at low altitudes over Porter Ranch. We flew 17 missions to measure the leak, constructing a 2D flux plane roughly 3 kilometers downwind of the source. By integrating the flux measured at each altitude from our minimum safe altitude ( 65 meters) to somewhere above the plume top ( 1000 meters), we estimate the total methane emission from the largest anthropogenic methane source in US history (97,100 metric tons over the course of approximately four months).

Interpretation of laser/multi-sensor data for short range terrain modeling and hazard detection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Messing, B. S.

1980-01-01

A terrain modeling algorithm that would reconstruct the sensed ground images formed by the triangulation scheme, and classify as unsafe any terrain feature that would pose a hazard to a roving vehicle is described. This modeler greatly reduces quantization errors inherent in a laser/sensing system through the use of a thinning algorithm. Dual filters are employed to separate terrain steps from the general landscape, simplifying the analysis of terrain features. A crosspath analysis is utilized to detect and avoid obstacles that would adversely affect the roll of the vehicle. Computer simulations of the rover on various terrains examine the performance of the modeler.

Flying Fast and High: Operational Flight Planning for Maximum Data Return for Airborne Snow Observatory Mountain Surveys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berisford, D. F.; Painter, T. H.; Richardson, M.; Wallach, A.; Deems, J. S.; Bormann, K. J.

2017-12-01

The Airborne Snow Observatory (ASO - http://aso.jpl.nasa.gov) uses an airborne laser scanner to map snow depth, and imaging spectroscopy to map snow albedo in order to estimate snow water equivalent and melt rate over mountainous, hydrologic basin-scale areas. Optimization of planned flight lines requires the balancing of many competing factors, including flying altitude and speed, bank angle limitation, laser pulse rate and power level, flightline orientation relative to terrain, surface optical properties, and data output requirements. These variables generally distill down to cost vs. higher resolution data. The large terrain elevation variation encountered in mountainous terrain introduces the challenge of narrow swath widths over the ridgetops, which drive tight flightline spacing and possible dropouts over the valleys due to maximum laser range. Many of the basins flown by ASO exceed 3,000m of elevation relief, exacerbating this problem. Additionally, sun angle may drive flightline orientations for higher-quality spectrometer data, which may change depending on time of day. Here we present data from several ASO missions, both operational and experimental, showing the lidar performance and accuracy limitations for a variety of operating parameters. We also discuss flightline planning strategies to maximize data density return per dollar, and a brief analysis on the effect of short turn times/steep bank angles on GPS position accuracy.

Snow Depth from Lidar: Challenges and New Technology for Measurements in Extreme Terrain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berisford, D. F.; Kadatskiy, V.; Boardman, J. W.; Bormann, K.; Deems, J. S.; Goodale, C. E.; Mattmann, C. A.; Ramirez, P.; Richardson, M.; Painter, T. H.

2014-12-01

The Airborne Snow Observatory (ASO) uses an airborne LiDAR system to measure basin-wide snow depth with cm-scale accuracy at ~1m spatial resolution. This is accomplished by creating a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) over snow-free terrain in the summer, then repeating the flights again when the terrain is snow-covered and subtracting the elevations. Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) is then calculated by incorporating modeled snow density estimates, and when combined with coincident spectrometer albedo measurements, informs distributed hydrologic modeling and runoff prediction. This method provides SWE estimates of unprecedented accuracy and extent compared to traditional snow surveys and towers, and 24hr latency data products through the ASO processing pipeline using Apache Tika and OODT software. The timely ASO outputs support operational decision making by water/dam operators for optimal water management. The water-resource snowpack in the western US lies in remote mountainous terrain, spanning large areas containing steep faces at all aspects, often amongst tree canopy. This extreme terrain presents unusual challenges for LiDAR, and requires high altitude flights to achieve wide area coverage, high point density to capture small terrain features, and the ability to capture all slope aspects without shadowing. These challenges were met by the new state-of-the-art Riegl LMS-Q1560 LiDAR system, which incorporates two independent laser channels and a single rotating mirror. Both lasers and mirror are designed to provide forward, backward, and nadir look capability, which minimizes shadowing and ensures data capture even on very steep slopes. The system is capable of logging more than 10 simultaneous pulses in the air, which allows data collection at extremely high resolution while maintaining very high altitude which reduces complete region acquisition time significantly, and allows data collection over terrain with extreme elevation variation. Our experience to

ICESat-2 simulated data from airborne altimetery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brunt, K. M.; Neumann, T.; Markus, T.; Brenner, A. C.; Barbieri, K.; Field, C.; Sirota, M.

2010-12-01

Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) is scheduled to launch in 2015 and will carry onboard the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS), which represents a new approach to spaceborne determination of surface elevations. Specifically, the current ATLAS design is for a micropulse, multibeam, photon-counting laser altimeter with lower energy, a shorter pulse width, and a higher repetition rate relative to the Geoscience Laser Altimeter (GLAS), the instrument that was onboard ICESat. Given the new and untested technology associated with ATLAS, airborne altimetry data is necessary (1) to test the proposed ATLAS instrument geometry, (2) to validate instrument models, and (3) to assess the atmospheric effects on multibeam altimeters. We present an overview of the airborne instruments and datasets intended to address the ATLAS instrument concept, including data collected over Greenland (July 2009) using an airborne SBIR prototype 100 channel, photon-counting, terrain mapping altimeter, which addresses the first of these 3 scientific concerns. Additionally, we present the plan for further simulator data collection over vegetated and ice covered regions using Multiple Altimeter Beam Experimental Lidar (MABEL), intended to address the latter two scientific concerns. As the ICESAT-2 project is in the design phase, the particular configuration of the ATLAS instrument may change. However, we expect this work to be relevant as long as ATLAS pursues a photon-counting approach.

Absolute tracer dye concentration using airborne laser-induced water Raman backscatter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoge, F. E.; Swift, R. N.

1981-01-01

The use of simultaneous airborne-laser-induced dye fluorescence and water Raman backscatter to measure the absolute concentration of an ocean-dispersed tracer dye is discussed. Theoretical considerations of the calculation of dye concentration by the numerical comparison of airborne laser-induced fluorescence spectra with laboratory spectra for known dye concentrations using the 3400/cm OH-stretch water Raman scatter as a calibration signal are presented which show that minimum errors are obtained and no data concerning water mass transmission properties are required when the laser wavelength is chosen to yield a Raman signal near the dye emission band. Results of field experiments conducted with an airborne conical scan lidar over a site in New York Bight into which rhodamine dye had been injected in a study of oil spill dispersion are then indicated which resulted in a contour map of dye concentrations, with a minimum detectable dye concentration of approximately 2 ppb by weight.

NCALM: NSF Supported Center for Airborne Laser Mapping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shrestha, R. L.; Carter, W. E.; Dietrich, W. E.

2003-12-01

The National Science Foundation (NSF) recently awarded a grant to create a research center to support the use of airborne laser mapping technology in the scientific community. The NSF supported Center for Airborne Laser Mapping (NCALM) will be operated jointly by the Department of Civil & Coastal Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Florida (UF) and the Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California-Berkeley (UCB). NCALM will use the Airborne Laser Swath Mapping (ALSM) system jointly owned by UF and Florida International University (FIU), based at the UF Geosensing Engineering and Mapping (GEM) Research Center. The state-of-the-art laser surveying instrumentation, GPS systems, which are installed in a Cessna 337 Skymaster aircraft, will collect research grade data in areas selected through the competitive NSF grant review process. The ALSM observations will be analyzed both at UF and UCB, and made available to the PI through an archiving and distribution center at UCB-building upon the Berkeley Seismological Laboratory (BSL) Northern California Earthquake Data Center system. The purpose of NCALM is to provide research grade data from ALSM technology to NSF supported research studies in geosciences. The Center will also contribute to software development that will increase the processing speed and data accuracy. This presentation will discuss NCALM operation and the process of submitting proposals to NSF. In addition, it will outline the process to request available NCALM seed project funds to help jump-start small scientific research studies. Funds are also available for travel by academic researchers and students for hands-on knowledge and experience in ALSM technology at UF and UCB.

Catchment-Scale Terrain Modelling with Structure-from-Motion Photogrammetry: a replacement for airborne lidar?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brasington, James; James, Joe; Cook, Simon; Cox, Simon; Lotsari, Eliisa; McColl, Sam; Lehane, Niall; Williams, Richard; Vericat, Damia

2016-04-01

In recent years, 3D terrain reconstructions based on Structure-from-Motion photogrammetry have dramatically democratized the availability of high quality topographic data. This approach involves the use of a non-linear bundle adjustment to estimate simultaneously camera position, pose, distortion and 3D model coordinates. In contrast to traditional aerial photogrammetry, the bundle adjustment is typically solved without external constraints and instead ground control is used a posteriori to transform the modelled coordinates to an established datum using a similarity transformation. The limited data requirements, coupled with the ability to self-calibrate compact cameras, has led to a burgeoning of applications using low-cost imagery acquired terrestrially or from low-altitude platforms. To date, most applications have focused on relatively small spatial scales (0.1-5 Ha), where relaxed logistics permit the use of dense ground control networks and high resolution, close-range photography. It is less clear whether this low-cost approach can be successfully upscaled to tackle larger, watershed-scale projects extending over 102-3 km2 where it could offer a competitive alternative to established landscape modelling with airborne lidar. At such scales, compromises over the density of ground control, the speed and height of sensor platform and related image properties are inevitable. In this presentation we provide a systematic assessment of the quality of large-scale SfM terrain products derived for over 80 km2 of the braided Dart River and its catchment in the Southern Alps of NZ. Reference data in the form of airborne and terrestrial lidar are used to quantify the quality of 3D reconstructions derived from helicopter photography and used to establish baseline uncertainty models for geomorphic change detection. Results indicate that camera network design is a key determinant of model quality, and that standard aerial photogrammetric networks based on strips of nadir

Multispectral Terrain Background Simulation Techniques For Use In Airborne Sensor Evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weinberg, Michael; Wohlers, Ronald; Conant, John; Powers, Edward

1988-08-01

A background simulation code developed at Aerodyne Research, Inc., called AERIE is designed to reflect the major sources of clutter that are of concern to staring and scanning sensors of the type being considered for various airborne threat warning (both aircraft and missiles) sensors. The code is a first principles model that could be used to produce a consistent image of the terrain for various spectral bands, i.e., provide the proper scene correlation both spectrally and spatially. The code utilizes both topographic and cultural features to model terrain, typically from DMA data, with a statistical overlay of the critical underlying surface properties (reflectance, emittance, and thermal factors) to simulate the resulting texture in the scene. Strong solar scattering from water surfaces is included with allowance for wind driven surface roughness. Clouds can be superimposed on the scene using physical cloud models and an analytical representation of the reflectivity obtained from scattering off spherical particles. The scene generator is augmented by collateral codes that allow for the generation of images at finer resolution. These codes provide interpolation of the basic DMA databases using fractal procedures that preserve the high frequency power spectral density behavior of the original scene. Scenes are presented illustrating variations in altitude, radiance, resolution, material, thermal factors, and emissivities. The basic models utilized for simulation of the various scene components and various "engineering level" approximations are incorporated to reduce the computational complexity of the simulation.

Geometric and radiometric preprocessing of airborne visible/infrared imaging spectrometer (AVIRIS) data in rugged terrain for quantitative data analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meyer, Peter; Green, Robert O.; Staenz, Karl; Itten, Klaus I.

1994-01-01

A geocoding procedure for remotely sensed data of airborne systems in rugged terrain is affected by several factors: buffeting of the aircraft by turbulence, variations in ground speed, changes in altitude, attitude variations, and surface topography. The current investigation was carried out with an Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) scene of central Switzerland (Rigi) from NASA's Multi Aircraft Campaign (MAC) in Europe (1991). The parametric approach reconstructs for every pixel the observation geometry based on the flight line, aircraft attitude, and surface topography. To utilize the data for analysis of materials on the surface, the AVIRIS data are corrected to apparent reflectance using algorithms based on MODTRAN (moderate resolution transfer code).

Use of ALS data for digital terrain extraction and roughness parametrization in floodplain areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Idda, B.; Nardinocchi, C.; Marsella, M.

2009-04-01

In order to undertake structural and land planning actions aimed at improving risk thresholds and vulnerability associated to floodplain inundation, the evaluation of the area concerning the channel overflowing from his natural embankments it is of essential importance. Floodplain models requires the analysis of historical floodplains extensions, ground's morphological structure and hydraulic measurements. Within this set of information, a more detailed characterization about the hydraulic roughness, which controls the velocity to the hydraulic flow, is a interesting challenge to achieve a 2D spatial distribution into the model. Remote sensing optical and radar sensors techniques can be applied to generate 2D and 3D map products useful to perimeter floodplains extension during the main event and extrapolate river cross-sections. Among these techniques, it is unquestionable the enhancement that the Airborne Laser Scanner (ALS) have brought for its capability to extract high resolution and accurate Digital Terrain Models. In hydraulic applications, a number of studies investigated the use of ALS for DTM generation and approached the quantitative estimations of the hydraulic roughness. The aim of this work is the generation of a digital terrain model and the estimation of hydraulic parameters useful for floodplains models from Airborne Laser Scanner data collected in a test area, which encloses a portion of a drainage basin of the Mela river (Sicily, Italy). From the Airborne Laser Scanner dataset, a high resolution Digital Elevation Model was first created, then after applying filtering and classification processes, a dedicated procedure was implemented to assess automatically a value for the hydraulic roughness coefficient (in Manning's formulation) per each point interested in the floodplain. The obtained results allowed to generate maps of equal roughness, hydraulic level depending, based on the application of empirical formulas for specific-type vegetation at

Aerial profiling of terrain to define stream-valley geometry: study report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Desai, Mukund; Drohan, William A.; Hursh, John W.; Mamon, Glenn; Youmans, Douglas G.

1976-01-01

A six-month engineering analysis was performed by The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc., at the request of the U. S. Geological Survey, to investigate the suitability of an airborne instrument package based on inertial techniques to serve as the datum for a laser altimeter in a system for aerial profiling of terrain to determine selected features of stream-valley geometry to an accuracy of ± 0.5 ft. in the vertical coordinate and ± 10 ft. in the horizontal coordinates. Feasible system configuration features a high performance inertial platform incorporating an integral laser tracker, pointing and ranging on retroreflectors on the ground, in order to provide the frequent updates needed to meet the accuracy requirements. In all environments except those of severe gravity gradients the nominal two- by twenty-mile survey area can be covered using three ground-surveyed retroreflectors, interspersed with several unlocated retroreflectors that are surveyed in by the airborne system along a longitudinal path within the river valley when the aircraft arrives over the site. Subsequent transverse profiling runs (traverses that may be spaced as close as one-quarter mile apart) are flown using, in turn, all retroreflectors as updating position references. Pointing and range information from the tracker are optimally combined with the on-board inertial measurements and available gravity data to provide position information and serve as the height datum for a terrain-clearance measuring laser altimeter. Data-logging means and operator display, as well as steering commands to the aircraft autopilot, are provided. The system configuration is capable of operating in single- or twin-engine aircraft including helecopters. It is recommended that work proceed into the design phase.

Airborne laser swath mapping of the Denton Hills, Transantarctic Mountains, Antarctica: Applications for structural and glacial geomorphic mapping

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wilson, Terry; Csathó, Beata

2007-01-01

High-resolution digital elevation data acquired by airborne laser scanning (ALS) for the Denton Hills, along the coastal foothills of the Royal Society Range, Transantarctic Mountains, are examined for applications to bedrock and glacial geomorphic mapping. Digital elevation models (DEMs), displayed as shaded-relief images and slope maps, portray geomorphic landscape features in unprecedented detail across the region. Structures of both ductile and brittle origin, ranging in age from the Paleozoic to the Quaternary, can be mapped from the DEMs. Glacial features, providing a record of the limits of grounded ice, of lake paleoshorelines, and of proglacial lake-ice conveyor deposits, are also prominent on the DEMs. The ALS-derived topographic data have great potential for a range of mapping applications in regions of ice-free terrain in Antarctica

Water depth measurement using an airborne pulsed neon laser system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoge, F. E.; Swift, R. N.; Frederick, E. B.

1980-01-01

The paper presents the water depth measurement using an airborne pulsed neon laser system. The results of initial base-line field test results of NASA airborne oceanographic lidar in the bathymetry mode are given, with water-truth measurements of depth and beam attenuation coefficients by boat taken at the same time as overflights to aid in determining the system's operational performance. The nadir-angle tests and field-of-view data are presented; this laser bathymetry system is an improvement over prior models in that (1) the surface-to-bottom pulse waveform is digitally recorded on magnetic tape, and (2) wide-swath mapping data may be routinely acquired using a 30 deg full-angle conical scanner.

Oil film thickness using airborne laser-induced oil fluorescence backscatter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoge, F. E.

1983-01-01

Remote airborne measurement of oil film thickness on ocean surface using laser-induced water Raman backscatter is discussed. It is pointed out that the theoretical model of oil fluorescence by Horvath et al. (1971) contains the necessary constituents to provide for the natural background fluorescence that is also induced by the laser during the course of an oil thickness experiment. How the various parameters of the model are obtained from typical airborne profile data is discussed, and it is shown that the water Raman backscatter may be used to assist further in the application of the data. The regions or water types over which the technique might be most useful or applicable are discussed.

Wide-field airborne laser diode array illuminator: demonstration results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suiter, H. R.; Holloway, J. H., Jr.; Tinsley, K. R.; Pham, C. N.; Kloess, E. C., III; Witherspoon, N. H.; Stetson, S.; Crosby, F.; Nevis, A.; McCarley, K. A.; Seales, T. C.

2005-06-01

The Airborne Littoral Reconnaissance Technology (ALRT) program has successfully demonstrated the Wide-Field Airborne Laser Diode Array Illuminator (ALDAI-W). This illuminator is designed to illuminate a large area from the air with limited power, weight, and volume. A detection system, of which the ALDAI-W is a central portion, is capable of detecting surface-laid minefields in absolute darkness, extending the allowed mission times to night operations. This will be an overview report, giving processing results and suggested paths for additional development.

Mapping Nearby Terrain in 3D by Use of a Grid of Laser Spots

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Padgett, Curtis; Liebe, Carl; Chang, Johnny; Brown, Kenneth

2007-01-01

A proposed optoelectronic system, to be mounted aboard an exploratory robotic vehicle, would be used to generate a three-dimensional (3D) map of nearby terrain and obstacles for purposes of navigating the vehicle across the terrain and avoiding the obstacles. The difference between this system and the other systems would lie in the details of implementation. In this system, the illumination would be provided by a laser. The beam from the laser would pass through a two-dimensional diffraction grating, which would divide the beam into multiple beams propagating in different, fixed, known directions. These beams would form a grid of bright spots on the nearby terrain and obstacles. The centroid of each bright spot in the image would be computed. For each such spot, the combination of (1) the centroid, (2) the known direction of the light beam that produced the spot, and (3) the known baseline would constitute sufficient information for calculating the 3D position of the spot.

Airborne Laser Hydrography II

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Philpot, W.; Wozencraft, J.

2016-02-01

In 1985, Dr. Gary Guenther assembled the text, "Airborne Laser Hydrography" which quickly became a heavily used manual and guide for any and all scientists and engineers involved with airborne lidar bathymetry (ALB). It was a remarkable book that captured a snapshot of the state of the art of ALB and included historical developments, theoretical and modeling efforts as well as design characteristics and constraints, ending with accuracy assessment and a discussion of design tradeoffs. Known familiarly as the "Blue Book" it served the community remarkably well for many years. At 30 years of age, it is still a valued reference, but unavoidably dated in a field that has developed rapidly and nonstop over the intervening years. It is time for an update. The new text is attempt by the ALB community to update and expand upon Guenther's text. Like the original, Blue Book II reviews the historical developments in ALB, extending them into the 21st century, considers basic environmental water optical properties, theoretical developments, data processing and performance evaluation. All have progressed dramatically in the past 30 years. This paper presents an outline of the new book, a description of the contents, with emphasis on the theoretical models of the lidar waveform and its propagation through, and interaction with the water.

MATILDA Version 2: Rough Earth TIALD Model for Laser Probabilistic Risk Assessment in Hilly Terrain - Part I

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-03-13

support of airborne laser designator use during test and training exercises on military ranges. The initial MATILDA tool, MATILDA PRO Version-1.6.1...was based on the 2007 PRA model developed to perform range safety clearances for the UK Thermal Imaging Airborne Laser Designator (TIALD) system...AFRL Technical Reports. This Technical Report, designated Part I, con- tains documentation of the computational procedures for probabilistic fault

Spatial variability of oceanic phycoerythrin spectral types derived from airborne laser-induced fluorescence emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoge, Frank E.; Wright, C. Wayne; Kana, Todd M.; Swift, Robert N.; Yungel, James K.

1998-07-01

We report spatial variability of oceanic phycoerythrin spectral types detected by means of a blue spectral shift in airborne laser-induced fluorescence emission. The blue shift of the phycoerythrobilin fluorescence is known from laboratory studies to be induced by phycourobilin chromophore substitution at phycoerythrobilin chromophore sites in some strains of phycoerythrin-containing marine cyanobacteria. The airborne 532-nm laser-induced phycoerythrin fluorescence of the upper oceanic volume showed distinct segregation of cyanobacterial chromophore types in a flight transect from coastal water to the Sargasso Sea in the western North Atlantic. High phycourobilin levels were restricted to the oceanic (oligotrophic) end of the flight transect, in agreement with historical ship findings. These remotely observed phycoerythrin spectral fluorescence shifts have the potential to permit rapid, wide-area studies of the spatial variability of spectrally distinct cyanobacteria, especially across interfacial regions of coastal and oceanic water masses. Airborne laser-induced phytoplankton spectral fluorescence observations also further the development of satellite algorithms for passive detection of phytoplankton pigments. Optical modifications to the NASA Airborne Oceanographic Lidar are briefly described that permitted observation of the fluorescence spectral shifts.

Typical Applications of Airborne LIDAR Technolagy in Geological Investigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, X.; Xiao, C.

2018-05-01

The technology of airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR), also referred to as Airborne Laser Scanning, is widely used for high-resolution topographic data acquisition (even under forest cover) with sub-meter planimetric and vertical accuracy. This contribution constructs the real digital terrain model to provide the direct observation data for the landscape analysis in geological domains. Based on the advantage of LiDAR, the authors mainly deal with the applications of LiDAR data to such fields as surface land collapse, landslide and fault structure extraction. The review conclusion shows that airborne LiDAR technology is becoming an indispensable tool for above mentioned issues, especially in the local and large scale investigations of micro-topography. The technology not only can identify the surface collapse, landslide boundary and subtle faulted landform, but also be able to extract the filling parameters of collapsed surface, the geomorphic parameters of landslide stability evaluation and cracks. This technology has extensive prospect of applications in geological investigation.

Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging Performance in a High-Fidelity Lunar Terrain Field

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chuang, Jason

2015-01-01

The prime objective of this project is to evaluate Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) systems and compare their performance for hazard avoidance when tested at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC's) lunar high-fidelity terrain field (see fig. 1). Hazard avoidance is the ability to avoid boulders, holes, or slopes that would jeopardize a safe landing and the deployment of scientific payloads. This capability is critical for any sample return mission intending to land in challenging terrain. Since challenging terrain is frequently where the most scientifically attractive targets are, hazard avoidance will be among the highest priorities for future robotic exploration missions. The maturation of hazard avoidance sensing addressed in this project directly supports the MSFC Tier I priority of sample return.

A Multiple Resource Inventory of Delaware Using an Airborne Profiling Laser

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nelson, Ross; Short, Austin; Valenti, Michael A.; Keller, Cherry; Smith, David E. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

An airborne profiling laser is used to monitor multiple resources related to landscape structure, both natural and man-made, across regions encompassing hundreds of thousands of hectares. A small, lightweight, inexpensive airborne profiling laser is used to inventory Delaware forests, to estimate impervious surface area statewide, and to locate potentially Suitable Delmarva Fox Squirrel (Scrotum niger cinereus) habitat. Merchantable volume estimates are within 14% of US Forest Service estimates at the county level and within 4% statewide. Total above-ground dry biomass estimates are within 19% of USES estimates at the county level and within 16% statewide. Mature forest stands suitable for reintroduction of the Delmarva Fox Squirrel, an endangered species historically endemic to the eastern shores of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia, are identified and mapped along the laser transacts. Intersection lengths with various types of impervious surface (roofs, concrete/asphalt) and open water are tallied to estimate percent and areal coverage statewide, by stratum and county. Laser estimates of open water are within 7% of photointerpreted GIS estimates at the county level and within 3% of the GIS at the state level.

Laser Imaging of Airborne Acoustic Emission by Nonlinear Defects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Solodov, Igor; Döring, Daniel; Busse, Gerd

2008-06-01

Strongly nonlinear vibrations of near-surface fractured defects driven by an elastic wave radiate acoustic energy into adjacent air in a wide frequency range. The variations of pressure in the emitted airborne waves change the refractive index of air thus providing an acoustooptic interaction with a collimated laser beam. Such an air-coupled vibrometry (ACV) is proposed for detecting and imaging of acoustic radiation of nonlinear spectral components by cracked defects. The photoelastic relation in air is used to derive induced phase modulation of laser light in the heterodyne interferometer setup. The sensitivity of the scanning ACV to different spatial components of the acoustic radiation is analyzed. The animated airborne emission patterns are visualized for the higher harmonic and frequency mixing fields radiated by planar defects. The results confirm a high localization of the nonlinear acoustic emission around the defects and complicated directivity patterns appreciably different from those observed for fundamental frequencies.

Modeling streamflow from coupled airborne laser scanning and acoustic Doppler current profiler data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Norris, Lam; Kean, Jason W.; Lyon, Steve

2016-01-01

The rating curve enables the translation of water depth into stream discharge through a reference cross-section. This study investigates coupling national scale airborne laser scanning (ALS) and acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) bathymetric survey data for generating stream rating curves. A digital terrain model was defined from these data and applied in a physically based 1-D hydraulic model to generate rating curves for a regularly monitored location in northern Sweden. Analysis of the ALS data showed that overestimation of the streambank elevation could be adjusted with a root mean square error (RMSE) block adjustment using a higher accuracy manual topographic survey. The results of our study demonstrate that the rating curve generated from the vertically corrected ALS data combined with ADCP data had lower errors (RMSE = 0.79 m3/s) than the empirical rating curve (RMSE = 1.13 m3/s) when compared to streamflow measurements. We consider these findings encouraging as hydrometric agencies can potentially leverage national-scale ALS and ADCP instrumentation to reduce the cost and effort required for maintaining and establishing rating curves at gauging station sites similar to the Röån River.

Assessment of NASA airborne laser altimetry data using ground-based GPS data near Summit Station, Greenland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brunt, Kelly M.; Hawley, Robert L.; Lutz, Eric R.; Studinger, Michael; Sonntag, John G.; Hofton, Michelle A.; Andrews, Lauren C.; Neumann, Thomas A.

2017-03-01

A series of NASA airborne lidars have been used in support of satellite laser altimetry missions. These airborne laser altimeters have been deployed for satellite instrument development, for spaceborne data validation, and to bridge the data gap between satellite missions. We used data from ground-based Global Positioning System (GPS) surveys of an 11 km long track near Summit Station, Greenland, to assess the surface-elevation bias and measurement precision of three airborne laser altimeters including the Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM), the Land, Vegetation, and Ice Sensor (LVIS), and the Multiple Altimeter Beam Experimental Lidar (MABEL). Ground-based GPS data from the monthly ground-based traverses, which commenced in 2006, allowed for the assessment of nine airborne lidar surveys associated with ATM and LVIS between 2007 and 2016. Surface-elevation biases for these altimeters - over the flat, ice-sheet interior - are less than 0.12 m, while assessments of measurement precision are 0.09 m or better. Ground-based GPS positions determined both with and without differential post-processing techniques provided internally consistent solutions. Results from the analyses of ground-based and airborne data provide validation strategy guidance for the Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite 2 (ICESat-2) elevation and elevation-change data products.

Airborne Laser Polar Nephelometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grams, Gerald W.

1973-01-01

A polar nephelometer has been developed at NCAR to measure the angular variation of the intensity of light scattered by air molecules and particles. The system has been designed for airborne measurements using outside air ducted through a 5-cm diameter airflow tube; the sample volume is that which is common to the intersection of a collimated source beam and the detector field of view within the airflow tube. The source is a linearly polarized helium-neon laser beam. The optical system defines a collimated field-of-view (0.5deg half-angle) through a series of diaphragms located behind a I72-mm focal length objective lens. A photomultiplier tube is located immediately behind an aperture in the focal plane of the objective lens. The laser beam is mechanically chopped (on-off) at a rate of 5 Hz; a two-channel pulse counter, synchronized to the laser output, measures the photomultiplier pulse rate with the light beam both on and off. The difference in these measured pulse rates is directly proportional to the intensity of the scattered light from the volume common to the intersection of the laser beam and the detector field-of-view. Measurements can be made at scattering angles from 15deg to 165deg with reference to the direction of propagation of the light beam. Intermediate angles are obtained by selecting the angular increments desired between these extreme angles (any multiple of 0.1deg can be selected for the angular increment; 5deg is used in normal operation). Pulses provided by digital circuits control a stepping motor which sequentially rotates the detector by pre-selected angular increments. The synchronous photon-counting system automatically begins measurement of the scattered-light intensity immediately after the rotation to a new angle has been completed. The instrument has been flown on the NASA Convair 990 airborne laboratory to obtain data on the complex index of refraction of atmospheric aerosols. A particle impaction device is operated simultaneously

Comparison of High and Low Density Airborne LIDAR Data for Forest Road Quality Assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kiss, K.; Malinen, J.; Tokola, T.

2016-06-01

Good quality forest roads are important for forest management. Airborne laser scanning data can help create automatized road quality detection, thus avoiding field visits. Two different pulse density datasets have been used to assess road quality: high-density airborne laser scanning data from Kiihtelysvaara and low-density data from Tuusniemi, Finland. The field inventory mainly focused on the surface wear condition, structural condition, flatness, road side vegetation and drying of the road. Observations were divided into poor, satisfactory and good categories based on the current Finnish quality standards used for forest roads. Digital Elevation Models were derived from the laser point cloud, and indices were calculated to determine road quality. The calculated indices assessed the topographic differences on the road surface and road sides. The topographic position index works well in flat terrain only, while the standardized elevation index described the road surface better if the differences are bigger. Both indices require at least a 1 metre resolution. High-density data is necessary for analysis of the road surface, and the indices relate mostly to the surface wear and flatness. The classification was more precise (31-92%) than on low-density data (25-40%). However, ditch detection and classification can be carried out using the sparse dataset as well (with a success rate of 69%). The use of airborne laser scanning data can provide quality information on forest roads.

Laser scanning methods and a phase comparison, modulated laser range finder for terrain sensing on a Mars roving vehicle. M.S. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Herb, G. T.

1973-01-01

Two areas of a laser range finder for a Mars roving vehicle are investigated: (1) laser scanning systems, and (2) range finder methods and implementation. Several ways of rapidly scanning a laser are studied. Two digital deflectors and a matrix of laser diodes, are found to be acceptable. A complete range finder scanning system of high accuracy is proposed. The problem of incident laser spot distortion on the terrain is discussed. The instrumentation for a phase comparison, modulated laser range finder is developed and sections of it are tested.

NASA airborne laser altimetry and ICESat-2 post-launch data validation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brunt, K. M.; Neumann, T.; Studinger, M.; Hawley, R. L.; Markus, T.

2016-12-01

A series of NASA airborne lidars have made repeated surveys over an 11,000-m ground-based kinematic GPS traverse near Summit Station, Greenland. These ground-based data were used to assess the surface elevation bias and measurement precision of two airborne laser altimeters: Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM) and Land, Vegetation, and Ice Sensor (LVIS). Data from the ongoing monthly traverses allowed for the assessment of 8 airborne lidar campaigns; elevation biases for these altimeters were less than 12.2 cm, while assessments of surface measurement precision were less than 9.1 cm. Results from the analyses of the Greenland ground-based GPS and airborne lidar data provide guidance for validation strategies for Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite 2 (ICESat-2) elevation and elevation-change data products. Specifically, a nested approach to validation is required, where ground-based GPS data are used to constrain the bias and measurement precision of the airborne lidar data; airborne surveys can then be designed and conducted on longer length-scales to provide the amount of airborne data required to make more statistically meaningful assessments of satellite elevation data. This nested validation approach will continue for the ground-traverse in Greenland; further, the ICESat-2 Project Science Office has plans to conduct similar coordinated ground-based and airborne data collection in Antarctica.

GeoSAR: A Radar Terrain Mapping System for the New Millennium

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thompson, Thomas; vanZyl, Jakob; Hensley, Scott; Reis, James; Munjy, Riadh; Burton, John; Yoha, Robert

2000-01-01

GeoSAR Geographic Synthetic Aperture Radar) is a new 3 year effort to build a unique, dual-frequency, airborne Interferometric SAR for mapping of terrain. This is being pursued via a Consortium of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Calgis, Inc., and the California Department of Conservation. The airborne portion of this system will operate on a Calgis Gulfstream-II aircraft outfitted with P- and X-band Interferometric SARs. The ground portions of this system will be a suite of Flight Planning Software, an IFSAR Processor and a Radar-GIS Workstation. The airborne P-band and X-band radars will be constructed by JPL with the goal of obtaining foliage penetration at the longer P-band wavelengths. The P-band and X-band radar will operate at frequencies of 350 Mhz and 9.71 Ghz with bandwidths of either 80 or 160 Mhz. The airborne radars will be complemented with airborne laser system for measuring antenna positions. Aircraft flight lines and radar operating instructions will be computed with the Flight Planning Software The ground processing will be a two-step step process. First, the raw radar data will be processed into radar images and interferometer derived Digital Elevation Models (DEMs). Second, these radar images and DEMs will be processed with a Radar GIS Workstation which performs processes such as Projection Transformations, Registration, Geometric Adjustment, Mosaicking, Merging and Database Management. JPL will construct the IFSAR Processor and Calgis, Inc. will construct the Radar GIS Workstation. The GeoSAR Project was underway in November 1996 with a goal of having the radars and laser systems fully integrated onto the Calgis Gulfstream-II aircraft in early 1999. Then, Engineering Checkout and Calibration-Characterization Flights will be conducted through November 1999. The system will be completed at the end of 1999 and ready for routine operations in the year 2000.

Estimating forest biomass and volume using airborne laser data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nelson, Ross; Krabill, William; Tonelli, John

1988-01-01

An airborne pulsed laser system was used to obtain canopy height data over a southern pine forest in Georgia in order to predict ground-measured forest biomass and timber volume. Although biomass and volume estimates obtained from the laser data were variable when compared with the corresponding ground measurements site by site, the present models are found to predict mean total tree volume within 2.6 percent of the ground value, and mean biomass within 2.0 percent. The results indicate that species stratification did not consistently improve regression relationships for four southern pine species.

A research on snow distribution in mountainous area using airborne laser scanning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nishihara, T.; Tanise, A.

2015-12-01

In snowy cold regions, the snowmelt water stored in dams in early spring meets the water demand for the summer season. Thus, snowmelt water serves as an important water resource. However, snowmelt water also can cause snowmelt floods. Therefore, it's necessary to estimate snow water equivalent in a dam basin as accurately as possible. For this reason, the dam operation offices in Hokkaido, Japan conduct snow surveys every March to estimate snow water equivalent in the dam basin. In estimating, we generally apply a relationship between elevation and snow water equivalent. But above the forest line, snow surveys are generally conducted along ridges due to the risk of avalanches or other hazards. As a result, snow water equivalent above the forest line is significantly underestimated. In this study, we conducted airborne laser scanning to measure snow depth in the high elevation area including above the forest line twice in the same target area (in 2012 and 2015) and analyzed the relationships of snow depth above the forest line and some indicators of terrain. Our target area was the Chubetsu dam basin. It's located in central Hokkaido, a high elevation area in a mountainous region. Hokkaido is a northernmost island of Japan. Therefore it's a cold and snowy region. The target range for airborne laser scanning was 10km2. About 60% of the target range was above the forest line. First, we analyzed the relationship between elevation and snow depth. Below the forest line, the snow depth increased linearly with elevation increase. On the other hand, above the forest line, the snow depth varied greatly. Second, we analyzed the relationship between overground-openness and snow depth above the forest line. Overground-openness is an indicator quantifying how far a target point is above or below the surrounding surface. As a result, a simple relationship was clarified. Snow depth decreased linearly as overground-openness increases. This means that areas with heavy snow cover are

Simulation of the Performances of WIND, an Airborne CO2 Lidar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oh, D.; Dabas, A.; Lieutaud, F.; Loth, C.; Flamant, P. H.

1992-01-01

An airborne Doppler coherent lidar is under development as a joint project between France and Germany. The instrument is designed around CO2 laser technology, heterodyne detection, and a conical scanning of the line-of-site. The 10 micron domain is suitable for long range measurements due to the maturity of the technology and because it corresponds to an atmospheric window. The objectives of WIND are twofold: (1) to conduct mesoscale scientific studies in particular over oceanic and inhomogeneous terrain areas; and (2) to support the Earth-orbiting wind lidar projects.

Fusion of Terrestrial and Airborne Laser Data for 3D modeling Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohammed, Hani Mahmoud

This thesis deals with the 3D modeling phase of the as-built large BIM projects. Among several means of BIM data capturing, such as photogrammetric or range tools, laser scanners have been one of the most efficient and practical tool for a long time. They can generate point clouds with high resolution for 3D models that meet nowadays' market demands. The current 3D modeling projects of as-built BIMs are mainly focused on using one type of laser scanner data, such as Airborne or Terrestrial. According to the literatures, no significant (few) efforts were made towards the fusion of heterogeneous laser scanner data despite its importance. The importance of the fusion of heterogeneous data arises from the fact that no single type of laser data can provide all the information about BIM, especially for large BIM projects that are existing on a large area, such as university buildings, or Heritage places. Terrestrial laser scanners are able to map facades of buildings and other terrestrial objects. However, they lack the ability to map roofs or higher parts in the BIM project. Airborne laser scanner on the other hand, can map roofs of the buildings efficiently and can map only small part of the facades. Short range laser scanners can map the interiors of the BIM projects, while long range scanners are used for mapping wide exterior areas in BIM projects. In this thesis the long range laser scanner data obtained in the Stop-and-Go mapping mode, the short range laser scanner data, obtained in a fully static mapping mode, and the airborne laser data are all fused together to bring a complete effective solution for a large BIM project. Working towards the 3D modeling of BIM projects, the thesis framework starts with the registration of the data, where a new fast automatic registration algorithm were developed. The next step is to recognize the different objects in the BIM project (classification), and obtain 3D models for the buildings. The last step is the development of an

Catchment-Scale Terrain Modelling with Structure-from-Motion Photogrammetry: a replacement for airborne lidar?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brasington, J.

2015-12-01

Over the last five years, Structure-from-Motion photogrammetry has dramatically democratized the availability of high quality topographic data. This approach involves the use of a non-linear bundle adjustment to estimate simultaneously camera position, pose, distortion and 3D model coordinates. In contrast to traditional aerial photogrammetry, the bundle adjustment is typically solved without external constraints and instead ground control is used a posteriori to transform the modelled coordinates to an established datum using a similarity transformation. The limited data requirements, coupled with the ability to self-calibrate compact cameras, has led to a burgeoning of applications using low-cost imagery acquired terrestrially or from low-altitude platforms. To date, most applications have focused on relatively small spatial scales where relaxed logistics permit the use of dense ground control and high resolution, close-range photography. It is less clear whether this low-cost approach can be successfully upscaled to tackle larger, watershed-scale projects extending over 102-3 km2 where it could offer a competitive alternative to landscape modelling with airborne lidar. At such scales, compromises over the density of ground control, the speed and height of sensor platform and related image properties are inevitable. In this presentation we provide a systematic assessment of large-scale SfM terrain products derived for over 80 km2 of the braided Dart River and its catchment in the Southern Alps of NZ. Reference data in the form of airborne and terrestrial lidar are used to quantify the quality of 3D reconstructions derived from helicopter photography and used to establish baseline uncertainty models for geomorphic change detection. Results indicate that camera network design is a key determinant of model quality, and that standard aerial networks based on strips of nadir photography can lead to unstable camera calibration and systematic errors that are difficult

Airborne and spaceborne lasers for terrestrial geophysical sensing; Proceedings of the Meeting, Los Angeles, CA, Jan. 14, 15, 1988

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allario, Frank (Editor)

1988-01-01

The present conference on airborne and spaceborne remote sensing laser applications discusses topics in atmospheric and geophysical sciences-related sensors, lidar and DIAL component and subsystem technologies, and coherent laser experiments and semiconductor laser technologies. Attention is given to airborne lidar measurement of aerosols, a ground-based injection-locked pulsed TEA laser for wind measurements, chemical/biological agent standoff detection methods, lidars for wind shear erosion, laser tuning to selected gas absorption lines in the atmosphere, the NASA lidar-in-space technology experiment, and the Laser Atmospheric Wind Sounder.

Orientation of airborne laser scanning point clouds with multi-view, multi-scale image blocks.

PubMed

Rönnholm, Petri; Hyyppä, Hannu; Hyyppä, Juha; Haggrén, Henrik

2009-01-01

Comprehensive 3D modeling of our environment requires integration of terrestrial and airborne data, which is collected, preferably, using laser scanning and photogrammetric methods. However, integration of these multi-source data requires accurate relative orientations. In this article, two methods for solving relative orientation problems are presented. The first method includes registration by minimizing the distances between of an airborne laser point cloud and a 3D model. The 3D model was derived from photogrammetric measurements and terrestrial laser scanning points. The first method was used as a reference and for validation. Having completed registration in the object space, the relative orientation between images and laser point cloud is known. The second method utilizes an interactive orientation method between a multi-scale image block and a laser point cloud. The multi-scale image block includes both aerial and terrestrial images. Experiments with the multi-scale image block revealed that the accuracy of a relative orientation increased when more images were included in the block. The orientations of the first and second methods were compared. The comparison showed that correct rotations were the most difficult to detect accurately by using the interactive method. Because the interactive method forces laser scanning data to fit with the images, inaccurate rotations cause corresponding shifts to image positions. However, in a test case, in which the orientation differences included only shifts, the interactive method could solve the relative orientation of an aerial image and airborne laser scanning data repeatedly within a couple of centimeters.

Orientation of Airborne Laser Scanning Point Clouds with Multi-View, Multi-Scale Image Blocks

PubMed Central

Rönnholm, Petri; Hyyppä, Hannu; Hyyppä, Juha; Haggrén, Henrik

2009-01-01

Comprehensive 3D modeling of our environment requires integration of terrestrial and airborne data, which is collected, preferably, using laser scanning and photogrammetric methods. However, integration of these multi-source data requires accurate relative orientations. In this article, two methods for solving relative orientation problems are presented. The first method includes registration by minimizing the distances between of an airborne laser point cloud and a 3D model. The 3D model was derived from photogrammetric measurements and terrestrial laser scanning points. The first method was used as a reference and for validation. Having completed registration in the object space, the relative orientation between images and laser point cloud is known. The second method utilizes an interactive orientation method between a multi-scale image block and a laser point cloud. The multi-scale image block includes both aerial and terrestrial images. Experiments with the multi-scale image block revealed that the accuracy of a relative orientation increased when more images were included in the block. The orientations of the first and second methods were compared. The comparison showed that correct rotations were the most difficult to detect accurately by using the interactive method. Because the interactive method forces laser scanning data to fit with the images, inaccurate rotations cause corresponding shifts to image positions. However, in a test case, in which the orientation differences included only shifts, the interactive method could solve the relative orientation of an aerial image and airborne laser scanning data repeatedly within a couple of centimeters. PMID:22454569

Accuracy assessment of TanDEM-X IDEM using airborne LiDAR on the area of Poland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Woroszkiewicz, Małgorzata; Ewiak, Ireneusz; Lulkowska, Paulina

2017-06-01

The TerraSAR-X add-on for Digital Elevation Measurement (TanDEM-X) mission launched in 2010 is another programme - after the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) in 2000 - that uses space-borne radar interferometry to build a global digital surface model. This article presents the accuracy assessment of the TanDEM-X intermediate Digital Elevation Model (IDEM) provided by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) under the project "Accuracy assessment of a Digital Elevation Model based on TanDEM-X data" for the southwestern territory of Poland. The study area included: open terrain, urban terrain and forested terrain. Based on a set of 17,498 reference points acquired by airborne laser scanning, the mean errors of average heights and standard deviations were calculated for areas with a terrain slope below 2 degrees, between 2 and 6 degrees and above 6 degrees. The absolute accuracy of the IDEM data for the analysed area, expressed as a root mean square error (Total RMSE), was 0.77 m.

Integration of radar altimeter, precision navigation, and digital terrain data for low-altitude flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zelenka, Richard E.

1992-01-01

Avionic systems that depend on digitized terrain elevation data for guidance generation or navigational reference require accurate absolute and relative distance measurements to the terrain, especially as they approach lower altitudes. This is particularly exacting in low-altitude helicopter missions, where aggressive terrain hugging maneuvers create minimal horizontal and vertical clearances and demand precise terrain positioning. Sole reliance on airborne precision navigation and stored terrain elevation data for above-ground-level (AGL) positioning severely limits the operational altitude of such systems. A Kalman filter is presented which blends radar altimeter returns, precision navigation, and stored terrain elevation data for AGL positioning. The filter is evaluated using low-altitude helicopter flight test data acquired over moderately rugged terrain. The proposed Kalman filter is found to remove large disparities in predicted AGL altitude (i.e., from airborne navigation and terrain elevation data) in the presence of measurement anomalies and dropouts. Previous work suggested a minimum clearance altitude of 220 ft AGL for a near-terrain guidance system; integration of a radar altimeter allows for operation of that system below 50 ft, subject to obstacle-avoidance limitations.

Control methods for merging ALSM and ground-based laser point clouds acquired under forest canopies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slatton, Kenneth C.; Coleman, Matt; Carter, William E.; Shrestha, Ramesh L.; Sartori, Michael

2004-12-01

Merging of point data acquired from ground-based and airborne scanning laser rangers has been demonstrated for cases in which a common set of targets can be readily located in both data sets. However, direct merging of point data was not generally possible if the two data sets did not share common targets. This is often the case for ranging measurements acquired in forest canopies, where airborne systems image the canopy crowns well, but receive a relatively sparse set of points from the ground and understory. Conversely, ground-based scans of the understory do not generally sample the upper canopy. An experiment was conducted to establish a viable procedure for acquiring and georeferencing laser ranging data underneath a forest canopy. Once georeferenced, the ground-based data points can be merged with airborne points even in cases where no natural targets are common to both data sets. Two ground-based laser scans are merged and georeferenced with a final absolute error in the target locations of less than 10cm. This is comparable to the accuracy of the georeferenced airborne data. Thus, merging of the georeferenced ground-based and airborne data should be feasible. The motivation for this investigation is to facilitate a thorough characterization of airborne laser ranging phenomenology over forested terrain as a function of vertical location in the canopy.

NASA three-laser airborne differential absorption lidar system electronics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allen, R. J.; Copeland, G. D.

1984-01-01

The system control and signal conditioning electronics of the NASA three laser airborne differential absorption lidar (DIAL) system are described. The multipurpose DIAL system was developed for the remote measurement of gas and aerosol profiles in the troposphere and lower stratosphere. A brief description and photographs of the majority of electronics units developed under this contract are presented. The precision control system; which includes a master control unit, three combined NASA laser control interface/quantel control units, and three noise pulse discriminator/pockels cell pulser units; is described in detail. The need and design considerations for precision timing and control are discussed. Calibration procedures are included.

Airborne Laser Swath Mapping (ALSM) for Enhanced Riparian Water Use Estimates, Basin Sediment Budgets, and Terrain Characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goodrich, D. C.; Farid, A.; Miller, S. N.; Semmens, D.; Williams, D. J.; Moran, S.; Unkrich, C. L.

2003-12-01

The uses of Airborne Laser Swath Mapping (ALSM) or LIDAR for earth science applications beyond topographic mapping are rapidly expanding. The USDA-ARS Southwest Watershed Research Center, in collaboration with the Geosensing Systems Engineering Group at the Univ. of Florida and a wide range of other investigators, designed and conducted a multi-purpose ALSM mission over southeastern Arizona. Research goals include: 1) differentiate young and old riparian cottonwood trees to improve riparian water use estimates; 2) assess the ability of LIDAR to define channel bank steepness and thus cross-channel trafficability; 3) assess the ability of LIDAR to define relatively small, isolated depressions where higher soil moisture may persist; and, 4) quantify changes in channel morphology and sediment movement between pre- and post-monsoon flights. The first flight mission was successfully completed in early June and a post-monsoon mission is scheduled for October. Research goals, mission planning, and initial results will be further developed in this presentation. Acknowledgements: The Upper San Pedro Partnership, DOD-Legacy Program, EPA-Landscape Ecology Branch, U.S. Army-TEC, and the Bureau of Land Management are gratefully acknowledged for supporting this effort. The second author is supported by SAHRA (Sustainability of semi-Arid Hydrology and Riparian Areas) under the STC Program of the National Science Foundation, Agreement No. EAR-9876800.

Airborne measurements of turbulent trace gas fluxes and analysis of eddy structure in the convective boundary layer over complex terrain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hasel, M.; Kottmeier, Ch.; Corsmeier, U.; Wieser, A.

2005-03-01

Using the new high-frequency measurement equipment of the research aircraft DO 128, which is described in detail, turbulent vertical fluxes of ozone and nitric oxide have been calculated from data sampled during the ESCOMPTE program in the south of France. Based on airborne turbulence measurements, radiosonde data and surface energy balance measurements, the convective boundary layer (CBL) is examined under two different aspects. The analysis covers boundary-layer convection with respect to (i) the control of CBL depth by surface heating and synoptic scale influences, and (ii) the structure of convective plumes and their vertical transport of ozone and nitric oxides. The orographic structure of the terrain causes significant differences between planetary boundary layer (PBL) heights, which are found to exceed those of terrain height variations on average. A comparison of boundary-layer flux profiles as well as mean quantities over flat and complex terrain and also under different pollution situations and weather conditions shows relationships between vertical gradients and corresponding turbulent fluxes. Generally, NO x transports are directed upward independent of the terrain, since primary emission sources are located near the ground. For ozone, negative fluxes are common in the lower CBL in accordance with the deposition of O 3 at the surface. The detailed structure of thermals, which largely carry out vertical transports in the boundary layer, are examined with a conditional sampling technique. Updrafts mostly contain warm, moist and NO x loaded air, while the ozone transport by thermals alternates with the background ozone gradient. Evidence for handover processes of trace gases to the free atmosphere can be found in the case of existing gradients across the boundary-layer top. An analysis of the size of eddies suggests the possibility of some influence of the heterogeneous terrain in mountainous area on the length scales of eddies.

The airborne laser ranging system, its capabilities and applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kahn, W. D.; Degnan, J. J.; Englar, T. S., Jr.

1982-01-01

The airborne laser ranging system is a multibeam short pulse laser ranging system on board an aircraft. It simultaneously measures the distances between the aircraft and six laser retroreflectors (targets) deployed on the Earth's surface. The system can interrogate over 100 targets distributed over an area of 25,000 sq, kilometers in a matter of hours. Potentially, a total of 1.3 million individual range measurements can be made in a six hour flight. The precision of these range measurements is approximately + or - 1 cm. These measurements are used in procedure which is basically an extension of trilateration techniques to derive the intersite vector between the laser ground targets. By repeating the estimation of the intersite vector, strain and strain rate errors can be estimated. These quantities are essential for crustal dynamic studies which include determination and monitoring of regional strain in the vicinity of active fault zones, land subsidence, and edifice building preceding volcanic eruptions.

Covariance analysis of the airborne laser ranging system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Englar, T. S., Jr.; Hammond, C. L.; Gibbs, B. P.

1981-01-01

The requirements and limitations of employing an airborne laser ranging system for detecting crustal shifts of the Earth within centimeters over a region of approximately 200 by 400 km are presented. The system consists of an aircraft which flies over a grid of ground deployed retroreflectors, making six passes over the grid at two different altitudes. The retroreflector baseline errors are assumed to result from measurement noise, a priori errors on the aircraft and retroreflector positions, tropospheric refraction, and sensor biases.

Effective Detection of Sub-Surface Archeological Features from Laser Scanning Point Clouds and Imagery Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fryskowska, A.; Kedzierski, M.; Walczykowski, P.; Wierzbicki, D.; Delis, P.; Lada, A.

2017-08-01

The archaeological heritage is non-renewable, and any invasive research or other actions leading to the intervention of mechanical or chemical into the ground lead to the destruction of the archaeological site in whole or in part. For this reason, modern archeology is looking for alternative methods of non-destructive and non-invasive methods of new objects identification. The concept of aerial archeology is relation between the presence of the archaeological site in the particular localization, and the phenomena that in the same place can be observed on the terrain surface form airborne platform. One of the most appreciated, moreover, extremely precise, methods of such measurements is airborne laser scanning. In research airborne laser scanning point cloud with a density of 5 points/sq. m was used. Additionally unmanned aerial vehicle imagery data was acquired. Test area is located in central Europe. The preliminary verification of potentially microstructures localization was the creation of digital terrain and surface models. These models gave an information about the differences in elevation, as well as regular shapes and sizes that can be related to the former settlement/sub-surface feature. The paper presents the results of the detection of potentially sub-surface microstructure fields in the forestry area.

Fourth Airborne Geoscience Workshop

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

The focus of the workshop was on how the airborne community can assist in achieving the goals of the Global Change Research Program. The many activities that employ airborne platforms and sensors were discussed: platforms and instrument development; airborne oceanography; lidar research; SAR measurements; Doppler radar; laser measurements; cloud physics; airborne experiments; airborne microwave measurements; and airborne data collection.

Integrating optical satellite data and airborne laser scanning in habitat classification for wildlife management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nijland, W.; Coops, N. C.; Nielsen, S. E.; Stenhouse, G.

2015-06-01

Wildlife habitat selection is determined by a wide range of factors including food availability, shelter, security and landscape heterogeneity all of which are closely related to the more readily mapped landcover types and disturbance regimes. Regional wildlife habitat studies often used moderate resolution multispectral satellite imagery for wall to wall mapping, because it offers a favourable mix of availability, cost and resolution. However, certain habitat characteristics such as canopy structure and topographic factors are not well discriminated with these passive, optical datasets. Airborne laser scanning (ALS) provides highly accurate three dimensional data on canopy structure and the underlying terrain, thereby offers significant enhancements to wildlife habitat mapping. In this paper, we introduce an approach to integrate ALS data and multispectral images to develop a new heuristic wildlife habitat classifier for western Alberta. Our method combines ALS direct measures of canopy height, and cover with optical estimates of species (conifer vs. deciduous) composition into a decision tree classifier for habitat - or landcover types. We believe this new approach is highly versatile and transferable, because class rules can be easily adapted for other species or functional groups. We discuss the implications of increased ALS availability for habitat mapping and wildlife management and provide recommendations for integrating multispectral and ALS data into wildlife management.

Airborne laser mapping of Assateague National Seashore Beach

USGS Publications Warehouse

Krabill, W.B.; Wright, C.W.; Swift, R.N.; Frederick, E.B.; Manizade, S.S.; Yungel, J.K.; Martin, C.F.; Sonntag, J.G.; Duffy, Mark; Hulslander, William; Brock, John C.

2000-01-01

Results are presented from topographic surveys of the Assateague Island National Seashore using an airborne scanning laser altimeter and kinematic Global Positioning System (GPS) technology. The instrument used was the Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM), developed by the NASA Arctic Ice Mapping (AIM) group from the Goddard Space Flight Center's Wallops Flight Facility. In November, 1995, and again in May, 1996, these topographic surveys were flown as a functionality check prior to conducting missions to measure the elevation of extensive sections of the Greenland Ice Sheet as part of NASA's Global Climate Change program. Differences between overlapping portions of both surveys are compared for quality control. An independent assessment of the accuracy of the ATM survey is provided by comparison to surface surveys which were conducted using standard techniques. The goal of these projects is to make these measurements to an accuracy of ± 10 cm. Differences between the fall 1995 and 1996 surveys provides an assessment of net changes in the beach morphology over an annual cycle.

Generation of topographic terrain models utilizing synthetic aperture radar and surface level data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Imhoff, Marc L. (Inventor)

1991-01-01

Topographical terrain models are generated by digitally delineating the boundary of the region under investigation from the data obtained from an airborne synthetic aperture radar image and surface elevation data concurrently acquired either from an airborne instrument or at ground level. A set of coregistered boundary maps thus generated are then digitally combined in three dimensional space with the acquired surface elevation data by means of image processing software stored in a digital computer. The method is particularly applicable for generating terrain models of flooded regions covered entirely or in part by foliage.

Application of Airborne Hydrographic Laser Scanning for Mapping Shallow Water Riverine Environments in the Pacific Northwest, United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cooper, C.; Nayegandhi, A.; Faux, R.

2013-12-01

Small-footprint, green wavelength airborne LiDAR systems can provide seamless topography across the land-water interface at very high spatial resolution. These data have the potential to improve floodplain modeling, fisheries habitat assessments, stream restoration efforts, and other applications by continuously mapping shallow water depths that are difficult or impossible to measure using traditional ground-based or water-borne survey techniques. WSI (Corvallis, Oregon) in collaboration with Dewberry, (Tampa, Florida) and Riegl (Orlando, Florida), deployed the Riegl VQ-820-G hydrographic airborne laser scanner to map riverine and lacustrine environments from Oregon to Minnesota. Discussion will focus on the ability to accurately map depth and underwater structure, as well as riparian vegetation and terrain under different conditions. Results indicate that depth penetration varies with both water (i.e. clarity and surface conditions) and bottom conditions (i.e. substrate, depth, and landform). Depth penetration was typically limited to 1 Secchi depth or less across selected project areas. As an example, the green LiDAR system effectively mapped 83% of a shallow water river system, the Sandy River, with typical depths ranging from 0-2.5 meters. WSI will show quantitative comparisons of Green LiDAR surveys against more traditional methods such as rod or sonar surveys. WSI will also discuss advantages and limitations of Green LiDAR surveys for bathymetric modeling including survey accuracy, density, and efficiency along with data processing challenges not inherent with traditional NIR LiDAR processing.

Infrared spectrometry studies. Phase 4: Emittance spectra of selected targets from mission 108 airborne data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lyon, R. J. P.

1971-01-01

Infrared radiance measurements from geological materials were studied. These involved laboratory and field spectroscopic measurements, both on the ground and airborne. A proven, feasible system is presented for airborne use over terrains with minimal vegetation. It has been shown that the spectral emittance concepts can be utilized in emittance ratio imagery which depicts the silicate composition of the terrain.

Airborne seeker evaluation and test system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jollie, William B.

1991-08-01

The Airborne Seeker Evaluation Test System (ASETS) is an airborne platform for development, test, and evaluation of air-to-ground seekers and sensors. ASETS consists of approximately 10,000 pounds of equipment, including sixteen racks of control, display, and recording electronics, and a very large stabilized airborne turret, all carried by a modified C- 130A aircraft. The turret measures 50 in. in diameter and extends over 50 in. below the aircraft. Because of the low ground clearance of the C-130, a unique retractor mechanism was designed to raise the turret inside the aircraft for take-offs and landings, and deploy the turret outside the aircraft for testing. The turret has over 7 cubic feet of payload space and can accommodate up to 300 pounds of instrumentation, including missile seekers, thermal imagers, infrared mapping systems, laser systems, millimeter wave radar units, television cameras, and laser rangers. It contains a 5-axis gyro-stabilized gimbal system that will maintain a line of sight in the pitch, roll, and yaw axes to an accuracy better than +/- 125 (mu) rad. The rack-mounted electronics in the aircraft cargo bay can be interchanged to operate any type of sensor and record the data. Six microcomputer subsystems operate and maintain all of the system components during a test mission. ASETS is capable of flying at altitudes between 200 and 20,000 feet, and at airspeeds ranging from 100 to 250 knots. Mission scenarios can include air-to-surface seeker testing, terrain mapping, surface target measurement, air-to-air testing, atmospheric transmission studies, weather data collection, aircraft or missile tracking, background signature measurements, and surveillance. ASETS is fully developed and available to support test programs.

Bathymetry from fusion of airborne hyperspectral and laser data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kappus, Mary E.; Davis, Curtiss O.; Rhea, W. Joseph

1998-10-01

Airborne hyperspectral and nadir-viewing laser data can be combined to ascertain shallow water bathymetry. The combination emphasizes the advances and overcomes the disadvantages of each method used alone. For laser systems, both the hardware and software for obtaining off-nadir measurement are complicated and expensive, while for the nadir view the conversion of laser pulse travel time to depth is straightforward. The hyperspectral systems can easily collect data in a full swath, but interpretation for water depth requires careful calibration and correction for transmittance through the atmosphere and water. Relative depths are apparent in displays of several subsets of hyperspectral data, for example, single blue-green wavelengths, endmembers that represent the pure water component of the data, or ratios of deep to shallow water endmembers. A relationship between one of these values and the depth measured by the aligned nadir laser can be determined, and then applied to the rest of the swath to obtain depth in physical units for the entire area covered. We demonstrate this technique using bathymetric charts as a proxy for laser data, and hyperspectral data taken by AVIRIS over Lake Tahoe and Key West.

Airborne Laser Laboratory departure from Kirtland Air Force Base and a brief history of aero-optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kyrazis, Demos T.

2013-07-01

We discuss aspects of the development of the Airborne Laser Laboratory. Our discussion is historical in nature and consists of the text from a speech given on the occasion of the Airborne Laser Laboratory leaving Kirtland Air Force Base (AFB) to fly to Wright-Patterson AFB to become an exhibit at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. The last part of the discussion concerns the inception of the study of aero-optics as an area of research and some of the milestones in the understanding of the causes and prediction of aero-optical effects.

An airborne laser fluorosensor for the detection of oil on water

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kim, H. H.; Hickman, G. D.

1973-01-01

The successful operation of an airborne laser fluorosensor system is reported that makes it possible to detect and map surface oil, either of natural-seepage or spill origin, on large bodies of water. Preliminary results indicate that the sensitivity of the instrument exceeds that of conventional passive remote sensors currently available for oil spill detection.

Laser pattern generator challenges in airborne molecular contamination protection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ekberg, Mats; Skotte, Per-Uno; Utterback, Tomas; Paul, Swaraj; Kishkovich, Oleg P.; Hudzik, James S.

2003-08-01

The introduction of photomask laser pattern generators presents new challenges to system designers and manufacturers. One of the laser pattern generator's environmental operating challenges is Airborne Molecular Contamination (AMC), which affects both chemically amplified resists (CAResist) and laser optics. Similar challenges in CAResist protection have already been addressed in semiconductor wafer lithography with reasonable solutions and experience gained by all those involved. However, photomask and photomask equipment manufacturers have not previously had a comparable experience, and some photomask AMC issues differ from those seen in semiconductor wafer lithography. Culminating years of AMC experience, the authors discuss specific requirements of Photomask AMC. Air sampling and material of construction analysis were performed to understand these particular AMC challenges and used to develop an appropriate filtration specification for different classes of contaminates. The authors portray the importance of cooperation between tool designers and AMC experts early in the design stage to assure goal attainment to maximize both process stability and machine productivity in advanced mask making. In conclusion, the authors provide valuable recommendations to both laser tool users and other equipment manufacturers.

Assessment of NASA Airborne Laser Altimetry Data Using Ground-Based GPS Data near Summit Station, Greenland

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brunt, Kelly M.; Hawley, Robert L.; Lutz, Eric R.; Studinger, Michael; Sonntag, John G.; Hofton, Michelle A.; Andrews, Lauren C.; Neumann, Thomas A.

2017-01-01

A series of NASA airborne lidars have been used in support of satellite laser altimetry missions. These airbornelaser altimeters have been deployed for satellite instrument development, for spaceborne data validation, and to bridge the data gap between satellite missions. We used data from ground-based Global Positioning System (GPS) surveys of an 11 km long track near Summit Station, Greenland, to assess the surface elevation bias and measurement precision of three airborne laser altimeters including the Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM), the Land, Vegetation, and Ice Sensor (LVIS), and the Multiple Altimeter Beam Experimental Lidar (MABEL). Ground-based GPS data from the monthly ground-based traverses, which commenced in 2006, allowed for the assessment of nine airborne lidar surveys associated with ATM and LVIS between 2007 and 2016. Surface elevation biases for these altimeters over the flat, ice-sheet interior are less than 0.12 m, while assessments of measurement precision are 0.09 m or better. Ground-based GPS positions determined both with and without differential post-processing techniques provided internally consistent solutions. Results from the analyses of ground-based and airborne data provide validation strategy guidance for the Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite 2 (ICESat-2) elevation and elevation-change data products.

Tree-centric mapping of forest carbon density from airborne laser scanning and hyperspectral data.

PubMed

Dalponte, Michele; Coomes, David A

2016-10-01

Forests are a major component of the global carbon cycle, and accurate estimation of forest carbon stocks and fluxes is important in the context of anthropogenic global change. Airborne laser scanning (ALS) data sets are increasingly recognized as outstanding data sources for high-fidelity mapping of carbon stocks at regional scales.We develop a tree-centric approach to carbon mapping, based on identifying individual tree crowns (ITCs) and species from airborne remote sensing data, from which individual tree carbon stocks are calculated. We identify ITCs from the laser scanning point cloud using a region-growing algorithm and identifying species from airborne hyperspectral data by machine learning. For each detected tree, we predict stem diameter from its height and crown-width estimate. From that point on, we use well-established approaches developed for field-based inventories: above-ground biomasses of trees are estimated using published allometries and summed within plots to estimate carbon density.We show this approach is highly reliable: tests in the Italian Alps demonstrated a close relationship between field- and ALS-based estimates of carbon stocks ( r 2  = 0·98). Small trees are invisible from the air, and a correction factor is required to accommodate this effect.An advantage of the tree-centric approach over existing area-based methods is that it can produce maps at any scale and is fundamentally based on field-based inventory methods, making it intuitive and transparent. Airborne laser scanning, hyperspectral sensing and computational power are all advancing rapidly, making it increasingly feasible to use ITC approaches for effective mapping of forest carbon density also inside wider carbon mapping programs like REDD++.

High Resolution Airborne InSAR DEM of Bagley Ice Valley, South-central Alaska: Geodetic Validation with Airborne Laser Altimeter Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muskett, R. R.; Lingle, C. S.; Echelmeyer, K. A.; Valentine, V. B.; Elsberg, D.

2001-12-01

Bagley Ice Valley, in the St. Elias and Chugach Mountains of south-central Alaska, is an integral part of the largest connected glacierized terrain on the North American continent. From the flow divide between Mt. Logan and Mt. St. Elias, Bagley Ice Valley flows west-northwest for some 90 km down a slope of less than 1o, at widths up to 15 km, to a saddle-gap where it turns south-west to become Bering Glacier. During 4-13 September 2000, an airborne survey of Bagley Ice Valley was performed by Intermap Technologies, Inc., using their Star-3i X-band SAR interferometer. The resulting digital elevation model (DEM) covers an area of 3243 km2. The DEM elevations are orthometric heights, in meters above the EGM96 geoid. The horizontal locations of the 10-m postings are with respect to the WGS84 ellipsoid. On 26 August 2000, 9 to 18 days prior to the Intermap Star-3i survey, a small-aircraft laser altimeter profile was acquired along the central flow line for validation. The laser altimeter data consists of elevations above the WGS84 ellipsoid and orthometric heights above GEOID99-Alaska. Assessment of the accuracy of the Intermap Star-3i DEM was made by comparison of both the DEM orthometric heights and elevations above the WGS84 ellipsoid with the laser altimeter data. Comparison of the orthometric heights showed an average difference of 5.4 +/- 1.0 m (DEM surface higher). Comparison of elevations above the WGS84 ellipsoid showed an average difference of -0.77 +/- 0.93 m (DEM surface lower). This indicates that the X-band Star-3i interferometer was penetrating the glacier surface by an expected small amount. The WGS84 comparison is well within the 3 m RMS accuracy quoted for GT-3 DEM products. Snow accumulation may have occurred, however, on Bagley Ice Valley between 26 August and 4-13 September 2000. This will be estimated using a mass balance model and used to correct the altimeter-derived surface heights. The new DEM of Bagley Ice Valley will provide a reference

Estimating forest structural characteristics using the airborne LiDAR scanning system and a near-real time profiling laser system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Kaiguang

LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) directly measures canopy vertical structures, and provides an effective remote sensing solution to accurate and spatially-explicit mapping of forest characteristics, such as canopy height and Leaf Area Index. However, many factors, such as large data volume and high costs for data acquisition, precludes the operational and practical use of most currently available LiDARs for frequent and large-scale mapping. At the same time, a growing need is arising for real-time remote sensing platforms, e.g., to provide timely information for urgent applications. This study aims to develop an airborne profiling LiDAR system, featured with on-the-fly data processing, for near real- or real-time forest inventory. The development of such a system involves implementing the on-board data processing and analysis as well as building useful regression-based models to relate LiDAR measurements with forest biophysical parameters. This work established a paradigm for an on-the-fly airborne profiling LiDAR system to inventory regional forest resources in real- or near real-time. The system was developed based on an existing portable airborne laser system (PALS) that has been previously assembled at NASA by Dr. Ross Nelson. Key issues in automating PALS as an on-the-fly system were addressed, including the design of an archetype for the system workflow, the development of efficient and robust algorithms for automatic data processing and analysis, the development of effective regression models to predict forest biophysical parameters from LiDAR measurements, and the implementation of an integrated software package to incorporate all the above development. This work exploited the untouched potential of airborne laser profilers for real-time forest inventory, and therefore, documented an initial step toward developing airborne-laser-based, on-the-fly, real-time, forest inventory systems. Results from this work demonstrated the utility and effectiveness of

Remote sensing of the earth's surface with an airborne polarized laser

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kalshoven, James E.; Dabney, Philip W.

1993-01-01

Attention is given to the Airborne Laser Polarization Sensor (ALPS), which makes multispectral radiometric and polarization measurements of the earth's surface using a polarized laser light source. Results from data flights taken over boreal forests in Maine at two wavelengths (1060 and 532 nm) using an Nd:YAG laser source show distinct depolarization signatures for three broadleaf and five coniferous tree species. A statistically significant increase in depolarization is found to correlate with increasing leaf surface roughness for the broadleaf species in the near-IR. The ALPS system 3 employs 12 photomultiplier tube detectors configurable to measure desired parameters such as the total backscatter and the polarization state, including the azimuthal angle and ellipticity, at different UV to near-IR wavelengths simultaneously.

The airborne Laser Absorption Spectrometer - A new instrument of remote measurement of atmospheric trace gases

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shumate, M. S.; Menzies, R. T.

1978-01-01

The Laser Absorption Spectrometer is a portable instrument developed by JPL for remote measurement of trace gases from an aircraft platform. It contains two carbon dioxide lasers, two optical heterodyne receivers, appropriate optics to aim the lasers at the ground and detect the backscattered energy, and signal processing and recording electronics. Operating in the differential-absorption mode, it is possible to monitor one atmospheric gas at a time and record the data in real time. The system can presently measure ozone, ethylene, water vapor, and chlorofluoromethanes with high sensitivity. Airborne measurements were made in early 1977 from the NASA/JPL twin-engine Beechcraft and in May 1977 from the NASA Convair 990 during the ASSESS-II Shuttle Simulation Study. These flights resulted in measurements of ozone concentrations in the lower troposphere which were compared with ground-based values provided by the Air Pollution Control District. This paper describes the details of the instrument and results of the airborne measurements.

Object-Based Point Cloud Analysis of Full-Waveform Airborne Laser Scanning Data for Urban Vegetation Classification

PubMed Central

Rutzinger, Martin; Höfle, Bernhard; Hollaus, Markus; Pfeifer, Norbert

2008-01-01

Airborne laser scanning (ALS) is a remote sensing technique well-suited for 3D vegetation mapping and structure characterization because the emitted laser pulses are able to penetrate small gaps in the vegetation canopy. The backscattered echoes from the foliage, woody vegetation, the terrain, and other objects are detected, leading to a cloud of points. Higher echo densities (>20 echoes/m2) and additional classification variables from full-waveform (FWF) ALS data, namely echo amplitude, echo width and information on multiple echoes from one shot, offer new possibilities in classifying the ALS point cloud. Currently FWF sensor information is hardly used for classification purposes. This contribution presents an object-based point cloud analysis (OBPA) approach, combining segmentation and classification of the 3D FWF ALS points designed to detect tall vegetation in urban environments. The definition tall vegetation includes trees and shrubs, but excludes grassland and herbage. In the applied procedure FWF ALS echoes are segmented by a seeded region growing procedure. All echoes sorted descending by their surface roughness are used as seed points. Segments are grown based on echo width homogeneity. Next, segment statistics (mean, standard deviation, and coefficient of variation) are calculated by aggregating echo features such as amplitude and surface roughness. For classification a rule base is derived automatically from a training area using a statistical classification tree. To demonstrate our method we present data of three sites with around 500,000 echoes each. The accuracy of the classified vegetation segments is evaluated for two independent validation sites. In a point-wise error assessment, where the classification is compared with manually classified 3D points, completeness and correctness better than 90% are reached for the validation sites. In comparison to many other algorithms the proposed 3D point classification works on the original measurements

Development of an airborne laser bathymeter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kim, H., H.; Cervenka, P. O.; Lankford, C. B.

1975-01-01

An airborne laser depth sounding system was built and taken through a complete series of field tests. Two green laser sources were tried: a pulsed neon laser at 540 nm and a frequency-doubled Nd:YAG transmitter at 532 nm. To obtain a depth resolution of better than 20 cm, the pulses had a duration of 5 to 7 nanoseconds and could be fired up to at rates of 50 pulses per second. In the receiver, the signal was detected by a photomultiplier tube connected to a 28 cm diameter Cassegrainian telescope that was aimed vertically downward. Oscilloscopic traces of the signal reflected from the sea surface and the ocean floor could either be recorded by a movie camera on 35 mm film or digitized into 500 discrete channels of information and stored on magnetic tape, from which depth information could be extracted. An aerial color movie camera recorded the geographic footprint while a boat crew of oceanographers measured depth and other relevant water parameters. About two hundred hours of flight time on the NASA C-54 airplane in the area of Chincoteague, Virginia, the Chesapeake Bay, and in Key West, Florida, have yielded information on the actual operating conditions of such a system and helped to optimize the design. One can predict the maximum depth attainable in a mission by measuring the effective attenuation coefficient in flight. This quantity is four times smaller than the usual narrow beam attenuation coefficient. Several square miles of a varied underwater landscape were also mapped.

Using NASA`s Airborne Topographic Mapper IV to Quantify Geomorphic Change in Arid Southwestern Stream Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finnegan, D. C.; Krabill, W.; Lichvar, R. W.; Ericsson, M. P.; Frederick, E.; Manizade, S.; Yungel, J.; Sonntag, J.; Swift, R.

2005-12-01

Understanding how arid stream systems respond to individual climatic events is often difficult given the dynamic and `flashy' nature of most watersheds and the unpredictable nature of individual storm events. Until recently conventional methods for quantifying change dictated the use of stream gauge measurements coupled with periodic cross-section measurements to quantify changes in large-scale channel geometry. Using this approach to quantify change across large areas often proves to be impractical and unattainable given the laborious nature of most surveying techniques including modern GPS systems. Alternately, airborne laser technologies such as NASA's Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM) are capable of quantifying small-scale changes (~5-10cm) across large-scale terrain rapidly and accurately. The ATM was developed at the NASA-GSFC Wallops Flight Facility. Its current version, ATM-4, measures topography 5,000 times per second across a 45-degree swath below the aircraft by transmitting a 532nm (green) laser pulse and receiving the backscattered signal in a high-speed waveform digitizer. The laser range measurements are combined with aircraft location from GPS and attitude from an inertial navigation system (INS) to provide a precise XYZ coordinate for each (~1-meter diameter) laser footprint on the ground. Our work focuses on the use of airborne laser altimetry to quantify the nature of individual surfaces and the geomorphic change that occurs within small arid stream systems during significant storm events. In September of 2003 and 2005 acquisition surveys using NASA's ATM-IV were flown over Mission Creek, a small arid stream system in Southern California's Mojave Desert with a relatively long gauging history (>40yrs), allowing us to quantify the geomorphic change occurring within the channel as a result of the record storm events during the winter of 2004-2005. Preliminary results associated with our work are encouraging and lead us to believe that when compared

Semi-automatic mapping of cultural heritage from airborne laser scanning using deep learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Due Trier, Øivind; Salberg, Arnt-Børre; Holger Pilø, Lars; Tonning, Christer; Marius Johansen, Hans; Aarsten, Dagrun

2016-04-01

This paper proposes to use deep learning to improve semi-automatic mapping of cultural heritage from airborne laser scanning (ALS) data. Automatic detection methods, based on traditional pattern recognition, have been applied in a number of cultural heritage mapping projects in Norway for the past five years. Automatic detection of pits and heaps have been combined with visual interpretation of the ALS data for the mapping of deer hunting systems, iron production sites, grave mounds and charcoal kilns. However, the performance of the automatic detection methods varies substantially between ALS datasets. For the mapping of deer hunting systems on flat gravel and sand sediment deposits, the automatic detection results were almost perfect. However, some false detections appeared in the terrain outside of the sediment deposits. These could be explained by other pit-like landscape features, like parts of river courses, spaces between boulders, and modern terrain modifications. However, these were easy to spot during visual interpretation, and the number of missed individual pitfall traps was still low. For the mapping of grave mounds, the automatic method produced a large number of false detections, reducing the usefulness of the semi-automatic approach. The mound structure is a very common natural terrain feature, and the grave mounds are less distinct in shape than the pitfall traps. Still, applying automatic mound detection on an entire municipality did lead to a new discovery of an Iron Age grave field with more than 15 individual mounds. Automatic mound detection also proved to be useful for a detailed re-mapping of Norway's largest Iron Age grave yard, which contains almost 1000 individual graves. Combined pit and mound detection has been applied to the mapping of more than 1000 charcoal kilns that were used by an iron work 350-200 years ago. The majority of charcoal kilns were indirectly detected as either pits on the circumference, a central mound, or both

Derivation of Ground Surface and Vegetation in a Coastal Florida Wetland with Airborne Laser Technology

USGS Publications Warehouse

Raabe, Ellen A.; Harris, Melanie S.; Shrestha, Ramesh L.; Carter, William E.

2008-01-01

The geomorphology and vegetation of marsh-dominated coastal lowlands were mapped from airborne laser data points collected on the Gulf Coast of Florida near Cedar Key. Surface models were developed using low- and high-point filters to separate ground-surface and vegetation-canopy intercepts. In a non-automated process, the landscape was partitioned into functional landscape units to manage the modeling of key landscape features in discrete processing steps. The final digital ground surface-elevation model offers a faithful representation of topographic relief beneath canopies of tidal marsh and coastal forest. Bare-earth models approximate field-surveyed heights by + 0.17 m in the open marsh and + 0.22 m under thick marsh or forest canopy. The laser-derived digital surface models effectively delineate surface features of relatively inaccessible coastal habitats with a geographic coverage and vertical detail previously unavailable. Coastal topographic details include tidal-creek tributaries, levees, modest topographic undulations in the intertidal zone, karst features, silviculture, and relict sand dunes under coastal-forest canopy. A combination of laser-derived ground-surface and canopy-height models and intensity values provided additional mapping capabilities to differentiate between tidal-marsh zones and forest types such as mesic flatwood, hydric hammock, and oak scrub. Additional derived products include fine-scale shoreline and topographic profiles. The derived products demonstrate the capability to identify areas of concern to resource managers and unique components of the coastal system from laser altimetry. Because the very nature of a wetland system presents difficulties for access and data collection, airborne coverage from remote sensors has become an accepted alternative for monitoring wetland regions. Data acquisition with airborne laser represents a viable option for mapping coastal topography and for evaluating habitats and coastal change on marsh

Using airborne laser altimetry to determine fuel models for estimating fire behavior

Treesearch

Carl A. Seielstad; Lloyd P. Queen

2003-01-01

Airborne laser altimetry provides an unprecedented view of the forest floor in timber fuel types and is a promising new tool for fuels assessments. It can be used to resolve two fuel models under closed canopies and may be effective for estimating coarse woody debris loads. A simple metric - obstacle density - provides the necessary quantification of fuel bed roughness...

Volumetric evolution of Surtsey, Iceland, from topographic maps and scanning airborne laser altimetry

USGS Publications Warehouse

Garvin, J.B.; Williams, R.S.; Frawley, J.J.; Krabill, W.B.

2000-01-01

The volumetric evolution of Surtsey has been estimated on the basis of digital elevation models derived from NASA scanning airborne laser altimeter surveys (20 July 1998), as well as digitized 1:5,000-scale topographic maps produced by the National Land Survey of Iceland and by Norrman. Subaerial volumes have been computed from co-registered digital elevation models (DEM's) from 6 July 1968, 11 July 1975, 16 July 1993, and 20 July 1998 (scanning airborne laser altimetry), as well as true surface area (above mean sea level). Our analysis suggests that the subaerial volume of Surtsey has been reduced from nearly 0.100 km3 on 6 July 1968 to 0.075 km3 on 20 July 1998. Linear regression analysis of the temporal evolution of Surtsey's subaerial volume indicates that most of its subaerial surface will be at or below mean sea-level by approximately 2100. This assumes a conservative estimate of continuation of the current pace of marine erosion and mass-wasting on the island, including the indurated core of the conduits of the Surtur I and Surtur II eruptive vents. If the conduits are relatively resistant to marine erosion they will become sea stacks after the rest of the island has become a submarine shoal, and some portions of the island could survive for centuries. The 20 July 1998 scanning laser altimeter surveys further indicate rapid enlargement of erosional canyons in the northeastern portion of the partial tephra ring associated with Surtur I. Continued airborne and eventually spaceborne topographic surveys of Surtsey are planned to refine the inter-annual change of its subaerial volume.

Predicting forest height using the GOST, Landsat 7 ETM+, and airborne LiDAR for sloping terrains in the Greater Khingan Mountains of China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gu, Chengyan; Clevers, Jan G. P. W.; Liu, Xiao; Tian, Xin; Li, Zhouyuan; Li, Zengyuan

2018-03-01

Sloping terrain of forests is an overlooked factor in many models simulating the canopy bidirectional reflectance distribution function, which limits the estimation accuracy of forest vertical structure parameters (e.g., forest height). The primary objective of this study was to predict forest height on sloping terrain over large areas with the Geometric-Optical Model for Sloping Terrains (GOST) using airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data and Landsat 7 imagery in the western Greater Khingan Mountains of China. The Sequential Maximum Angle Convex Cone (SMACC) algorithm was used to generate image endmembers and corresponding abundances in Landsat imagery. Then, LiDAR-derived forest metrics, topographical factors and SMACC abundances were used to calibrate and validate the GOST, which aimed to accurately decompose the SMACC mixed forest pixels into sunlit crown, sunlit background and shade components. Finally, the forest height of the study area was retrieved based on a back-propagation neural network and a look-up table. Results showed good performance for coniferous forests on all slopes and at all aspects, with significant coefficients of determination above 0.70 and root mean square errors (RMSEs) between 0.50 m and 1.00 m based on ground observed validation data. Higher RMSEs were found in areas with forest heights below 5 m and above 17 m. For 90% of the forested area, the average RMSE was 3.58 m. Our study demonstrates the tremendous potential of the GOST for quantitative mapping of forest height on sloping terrains with multispectral and LiDAR inputs.

Airborne Lidar measurements of the atmospheric pressure profile with tunable Alexandrite lasers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Korb, C. L.; Schwemmer, G. K.; Dombrowski, M.; Milrod, J.; Walden, H.

1986-01-01

The first remote measurements of the atmospheric pressure profile made from an airborne platform are described. The measurements utilize a differential absorption lidar and tunable solid state Alexandrite lasers. The pressure measurement technique uses a high resolution oxygen A band where the absorption is highly pressure sensitive due to collision broadening. Absorption troughs and regions of minimum absorption were used between pairs of stongly absorption lines for these measurements. The trough technique allows the measurement to be greatly desensitized to the effects of laser frequency instabilities. The lidar system was set up to measure pressure with the on-line laser tuned to the absorption trough at 13147.3/cm and with the reference laser tuned to a nonabsorbing frequency near 13170.0/cm. The lidar signal returns were sampled with a 200 range gate (30 vertical resoltion) and averaged over 100 shots.

Geodetic Imaging for Rapid Assessment of Earthquakes: Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carter, W. E.; Shrestha, R. L.; Glennie, C. L.; Sartori, M.; Fernandez-Diaz, J.; National CenterAirborne Laser Mapping Operational Center

2010-12-01

To the residents of an area struck by a strong earthquake quantitative information on damage to the infrastructure, and its attendant impact on relief and recovery efforts, is urgent and of primary concern. To earth scientists a strong earthquake offers an opportunity to learn more about earthquake mechanisms, and to compare their models with the real world, in hopes of one day being able to accurately predict the precise locations, magnitudes, and times of large (and potentially disastrous) earthquakes. Airborne laser scanning (also referred to as airborne LiDAR or Airborne Laser Swath Mapping) is particularly well suited for rapid assessment of earthquakes, both for immediately estimating the damage to infrastructure and for providing information for the scientific study of earthquakes. ALS observations collected at low altitude (500—1000m) from a relatively slow (70—100m/sec) aircraft can provide dense (5—15 points/m2) sets of surface features (buildings, vegetation, ground), extending over hundreds of square kilometers with turn around times of several hours to a few days. The actual response time to any given event depends on several factors, including such bureaucratic issues as approval of funds, export license formalities, and clearance to fly over the area to be mapped, and operational factors such as the deployment of the aircraft and ground teams may also take a number of days for remote locations. Of course the need for immediate mapping of earthquake damage generally is not as urgent in remote regions with less infrastructure and few inhabitants. During August 16-19, 2010 the National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping (NCALM) mapped the area affected by the magnitude 7.2 El Mayor-Cucapah Earthquake (Northern Baja California Earthquake), which occurred on April 4, 2010, and was felt throughout southern California, Arizona, Nevada, and Baja California North, Mexico. From initial ground observations the fault rupture appeared to extend 75 km

The Laser Vegetation Imaging Sensor: a medium-altitude, digitisation-only, airborne laser altimeter for mapping vegetation and topography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blair, J. Bryan; Rabine, David L.; Hofton, Michelle A.

The Laser Vegetation Imaging Sensor (LVIS) is an airborne, scanning laser altimeter, designed and developed at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). LVIS operates at altitudes up to 10 km above ground, and is capable of producing a data swath up to 1000 m wide nominally with 25-m wide footprints. The entire time history of the outgoing and return pulses is digitised, allowing unambiguous determination of range and return pulse structure. Combined with aircraft position and attitude knowledge, this instrument produces topographic maps with dm accuracy and vertical height and structure measurements of vegetation. The laser transmitter is a diode-pumped Nd:YAG oscillator producing 1064 nm, 10 ns, 5 mJ pulses at repetition rates up to 500 Hz. LVIS has recently demonstrated its ability to determine topography (including sub-canopy) and vegetation height and structure on flight missions to various forested regions in the US and Central America. The LVIS system is the airborne simulator for the Vegetation Canopy Lidar (VCL) mission (a NASA Earth remote sensing satellite due for launch in year 2000), providing simulated data sets and a platform for instrument proof-of-concept studies. The topography maps and return waveforms produced by LVIS provide Earth scientists with a unique data set allowing studies of topography, hydrology, and vegetation with unmatched accuracy and coverage.

Accuracy Assessment of Lidar-Derived Digital Terrain Model (dtm) with Different Slope and Canopy Cover in Tropical Forest Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salleh, M. R. M.; Ismail, Z.; Rahman, M. Z. A.

2015-10-01

Airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology has been widely used recent years especially in generating high accuracy of Digital Terrain Model (DTM). High density and good quality of airborne LiDAR data promises a high quality of DTM. This study focussing on the analysing the error associated with the density of vegetation cover (canopy cover) and terrain slope in a LiDAR derived-DTM value in a tropical forest environment in Bentong, State of Pahang, Malaysia. Airborne LiDAR data were collected can be consider as low density captured by Reigl system mounted on an aircraft. The ground filtering procedure use adaptive triangulation irregular network (ATIN) algorithm technique in producing ground points. Next, the ground control points (GCPs) used in generating the reference DTM and these DTM was used for slope classification and the point clouds belong to non-ground are then used in determining the relative percentage of canopy cover. The results show that terrain slope has high correlation for both study area (0.993 and 0.870) with the RMSE of the LiDAR-derived DTM. This is similar to canopy cover where high value of correlation (0.989 and 0.924) obtained. This indicates that the accuracy of airborne LiDAR-derived DTM is significantly affected by terrain slope and canopy caver of study area.

Helicopter Airborne Laser Positioning System (HALPS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eppel, Joseph C.; Christiansen, Howard; Cross, Jeffrey; Totah, Joseph

1990-01-01

The theory of operation, configuration, laboratory, and ground test results obtained with a helicopter airborne laser positioning system developed by Princeton University is presented. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, flight data could not be completed for presentation at this time. The system measures the relative position between two aircraft in three dimensions using two orthogonal fan-shaped laser beams sweeping across an array of four detectors. Specifically, the system calculates the relative range, elevation, and azimuth between an observation aircraft and a test helicopter with a high degree of accuracy. The detector array provides a wide field of view in the presence of solar interference due to compound parabolic concentrators and spectral filtering of the detector pulses. The detected pulses and their associated time delays are processed by the electronics and are sent as position errors to the helicopter pilot who repositions the aircraft as part of the closed loop system. Accuracies obtained in the laboratory at a range of 80 ft in the absence of sunlight were + or - 1 deg in elevation; +0.5 to -1.5 deg in azimuth; +0.5 to -1.0 ft in range; while elevation varied from 0 to +28 deg and the azimuth varied from 0 to + or - 45 deg. Accuracies in sunlight were approximately 40 deg (+ or - 20 deg) in direct sunlight.

Visualisation of urban airborne laser scanning data with occlusion images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hinks, Tommy; Carr, Hamish; Gharibi, Hamid; Laefer, Debra F.

2015-06-01

Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) was introduced to provide rapid, high resolution scans of landforms for computational processing. More recently, ALS has been adapted for scanning urban areas. The greater complexity of urban scenes necessitates the development of novel methods to exploit urban ALS to best advantage. This paper presents occlusion images: a novel technique that exploits the geometric complexity of the urban environment to improve visualisation of small details for better feature recognition. The algorithm is based on an inversion of traditional occlusion techniques.

Airborne laser scanning based quantification of dead-ice melting in recently deglaciated terrain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klug, C.; Sailer, R.; Schümberg, M.; Stötter, J.

2012-04-01

Dead-ice is explained as stagnant glacial ice, not influenced by glacier flow anymore. Whenever glaciers have negative mass balances and an accumulation of debris-cover on the surface, dead-ice may form. Although, there are numerous conceptual process-sediment-landform models for the melt-out of dead-ice bodies and areas of dead-ice environments at glacier margins are easily accessible, just a few quantitative studies of dead-ice melting have been carried out so far. Processes and rates of dead-ice melting are commonly believed to be controlled by climate and debris-cover properties, but there is still a lack of knowledge about this fact. This study has a focus on the quantification of process induced volumetric changes caused by dead-ice melting. The research for this project was conducted at Hintereisferner (Ötztal Alps, Austria), Gepatschferner (Ötztal Alps, Austria) and Schrankar (Stubai Alps, Austria), areas for which a good data basis of ALS (Airborne Laser Scanning) measurements is available. 'Hintereisferner' can be characterized as a typical high alpine environment in mid-latitudes, which ranges between approximately 2250 m and 3740 m a.s.l.. The Hintereisferner region has been investigated intensively since many decades. Two dead ice bodies at the orographic right side and one at the orographic left side of the Hintereisferner glacier terminus (approx. at 2500 m to 2550 m a.s.l.) were identified. Since 2001, ALS measurements have been carried out regularly at Hintereisferner resulting in a unique data record of 21 ALS flight campaigns, allowing long-term explorations of the two dead-ice areas. The second study area of 'Gepatschferner' in the Kaunertal ranges between 2060 m and 3520 m a.s.l. and is the second largest glacier of Austria. Near the glacier tongue at the orographic right side a significant dead ice body has formed. The ALS data used for quantification include a period of time of 4 years (2006 - 2010). 'Schrankar' is located in the Western

The shelf-life of airborne laser scanning data for enhancing forest inventory inferences

Treesearch

Ronald E. McRoberts; Qi Chen; Dale D. Gormanson; Brian F. Walters

2018-01-01

The term shelf-life is used to characterize the elapsed time beyond which a commodity loses its usefulness. The term is most often used with reference to foods and medicines, but herein it is used to characterize the elapsed time beyond which airborne laser scanning (ALS) data are no longer useful for enhancing inferences for forest inventory...

LSNR Airborne LIDAR Mapping System Design and Early Results (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shrestha, K.; Carter, W. E.; Slatton, K. C.

2009-12-01

Low signal-to-noise ratio (LSNR) detection techniques allow for implementation of airborne light detection and range (LIDAR) instrumentation aboard platforms with prohibitive power, size, and weight restrictions. The University of Florida has developed the Coastal Area Tactical-mapping System (CATS), a prototype LSNR LIDAR system capable of single photon laser ranging. CATS is designed to operate in a fixed-wing aircraft flying 600 m above ground level, producing 532 nm, 480 ps, 3 μJ output pulses at 8 kHz. To achieve continuous coverage of the terrain with 20 cm spatial resolution in a single pass, a 10x10 array of laser beamlets is scanned. A Risley prism scanner (two rotating V-coated optical wedges) allows the array of laser beamlets to be deflected in a variety of patterns, including conical, spiral, and lines at selected angles to the direction of flight. Backscattered laser photons are imaged onto a 100 channel (10x10 segmented-anode) photomultiplier tube (PMT) with a micro-channel plate (MCP) amplifier. Each channel of the PMT is connected to a multi-stop 2 GHz event timer. Here we report on tests in which ranges for known targets were accumulated for repeated laser shots and statistical analyses were applied to evaluate range accuracy, minimum separation distance, bathymetric mapping depth, and atmospheric scattering. Ground-based field test results have yielded 10 cm range accuracy and sub-meter feature identification at variable scan settings. These experiments also show that a secondary surface can be detected at a distance of 15 cm from the first. Range errors in secondary surface identification for six separate trials were within 7.5 cm, or within the timing resolution limit of the system. Operating at multi-photon sensitivity may have value for situations in which high ambient noise precludes single-photon sensitivity. Low reflectivity targets submerged in highly turbid waters can cause detection issues. CATS offers the capability to adjust the

Laser measurement of extinction coefficients of highly absorbing liquids. [airborne oil spill monitoring application

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoge, F. E.; Kincaid, J. S.

1980-01-01

A coaxial dual-channel laser system has been developed for the measurement of extinction coefficients of highly absorbing liquids. An empty wedge-shaped sample cell is first translated laterally through a He-Ne laser beam to measure the differential thickness using interference fringes in reflection. The wedge cell is carefully filled with the oil sample and translated through the coaxially positioned dye laser beam for the differential attenuation or extinction measurement. Optional use of the instrumentation as a single-channel extinction measurement system and also as a refractometer is detailed. The system and calibration techniques were applied to the measurement of two crude oils whose extinction values were required to complete the analysis of airborne laser data gathered over four controlled spills.

Oil film thickness measurement using airborne laser-induced water Raman backscatter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoge, F. E.; Swift, R. N.

1980-01-01

The use of laser-induced water Raman backscatter for remote thin oil film detection and thickness measurement is reported here for the first time. A 337.1-nm nitrogen laser was used to excite the 3400-cm-1 OH stretch band of natural ocean water beneath the oil slick from an altitude of 150 m. The signal strength of the 381-nm water Raman backscatter was always observed to depress when the oil was encountered and then return to its original undepressed value after complete aircraft traversal of the floating slick. After removal of background and oil fluorescence contributions, the ratio of the depressed-to-undepressed airborne water Raman signal intensities, together with laboratory measured oil extinction coefficients, is used to calculate the oil film thickness.

Airborne laser altimetry and multispectral imagery for modeling Golden-cheeked Warbler (Setophaga chrysoparia) density

Treesearch

Steven E. Sesnie; James M. Mueller; Sarah E. Lehnen; Scott M. Rowin; Jennifer L. Reidy; Frank R. Thompson

2016-01-01

Robust models of wildlife population size, spatial distribution, and habitat relationships are needed to more effectively monitor endangered species and prioritize habitat conservation efforts. Remotely sensed data such as airborne laser altimetry (LiDAR) and digital color infrared (CIR) aerial photography combined with well-designed field studies can help fill these...

Using airborne laser scanning profiles to validate marine geoid models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Julge, Kalev; Gruno, Anti; Ellmann, Artu; Liibusk, Aive; Oja, Tõnis

2014-05-01

Airborne laser scanning (ALS) is a remote sensing method which utilizes LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) technology. The datasets collected are important sources for large range of scientific and engineering applications. Mostly the ALS is used to measure terrain surfaces for compilation of Digital Elevation Models but it can also be used in other applications. This contribution focuses on usage of ALS system for measuring sea surface heights and validating gravimetric geoid models over marine areas. This is based on the ALS ability to register echoes of LiDAR pulse from the water surface. A case study was carried out to analyse the possibilities for validating marine geoid models by using ALS profiles. A test area at the southern shores of the Gulf of Finland was selected for regional geoid validation. ALS measurements were carried out by the Estonian Land Board in spring 2013 at different altitudes and using different scan rates. The one wavelength Leica ALS50-II laser scanner on board of a small aircraft was used to determine the sea level (with respect to the GRS80 reference ellipsoid), which follows roughly the equipotential surface of the Earth's gravity field. For the validation a high-resolution (1'x2') regional gravimetric GRAV-GEOID2011 model was used. This geoid model covers the entire area of Estonia and surrounding waters of the Baltic Sea. The fit between the geoid model and GNSS/levelling data within the Estonian dry land revealed RMS of residuals ±1… ±2 cm. Note that such fitting validation cannot proceed over marine areas. Therefore, an ALS observation-based methodology was developed to evaluate the GRAV-GEOID2011 quality over marine areas. The accuracy of acquired ALS dataset were analyzed, also an optimal width of nadir-corridor containing good quality ALS data was determined. Impact of ALS scan angle range and flight altitude to obtainable vertical accuracy were investigated as well. The quality of point cloud is analysed by cross

Airborne 3D Imaging Lidar for Contiguous Decimeter Resolution Terrain Mapping and Shallow Water Bathymetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Degnan, J. J.; Wells, D. N.; Huet, H.; Chauvet, N.; Lawrence, D. W.; Mitchell, S. E.; Eklund, W. D.

2005-12-01

A 3D imaging lidar system, developed for the University of Florida at Gainesville and operating at the water transmissive wavelength of 532 nm, is designed to contiguously map underlying terrain and/or perform shallow water bathymetry on a single overflight from an altitude of 600 m with a swath width of 225 m and a horizontal spatial resolution of 20 cm. Each 600 psec pulse from a frequency-doubled, low power (~3 microjoules @ 8 kHz = 24 mW), passively Q-switched Nd:YAG microchip laser is passed through a holographic element which projects a 10x10 array of spots onto a 2m x 2m target area. The individual ground spots are then imaged onto individual anodes within a 10x10 segmented anode photomultiplier. The latter is followed by a 100 channel multistop ranging receiver with a range resolution of about 4 cm. The multistop feature permits single photon detection in daylight with wide range gates as well as multiple single photon returns per pixel per laser fire from volumetric scatterers such as tree canopies or turbid water columns. The individual single pulse 3D images are contiguously mosaiced together through the combined action of the platform velocity and a counter-rotating dual wedge optical scanner whose rotations are synchronized to the laser pulse train. The paper provides an overview of the lidar opto-mechanical design, the synchronized dual wedge scanner and servo controller, and the experimental results obtained to date.

Use of high resolution Airborne Laser Scanning data for landslide interpretation under mixed forest and tropical rainforest: case study in Barcelonnette, France and Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azahari Razak, Khamarrul; Straatsma, Menno; van Westen, Cees; Malet, Jean-Philippe; de Jong, Steven M.

2010-05-01

Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) is the state of the art technology for topographic mapping over a wide variety of spatial and temporal scales. It is also a promising technique for identification and mapping of landslides in a forested mountainous landscape. This technology demonstrates the ability to pass through the gaps between forest foliage and record the terrain height under vegetation cover. To date, most of the images either derived from satellite imagery, aerial-photograph or synthetic aperture radar are not appropriate for visual interpretation of landslide features that are covered by dense vegetation. However, it is a necessity to carefully map the landslides in order to understand its processes. This is essential for landslide hazard and risk assessment. This research demonstrates the capabilities of high resolution ALS data to recognize and identify different types of landslides in mixed forest in Barcelonnette, France and tropical rainforest in Cameron Highlands, Malaysia. ALS measurements over the 100-years old forest in Bois Noir catchment were carried out in 2007 and 2009. Both ALS dataset were captured using a Riegl laser scanner. First and last pulse with density of one point per meter square was derived from 2007 ALS dataset, whereas multiple return (of up to five returns) pulse was derived from July 2009 ALS dataset, which consists of 60 points per meter square over forested terrain. Generally, this catchment is highly affected by shallow landslides which mostly occur beneath dense vegetation. It is located in the dry intra-Alpine zone and represented by the climatic of the South French Alps. In the Cameron Highlands, first and last pulse data was captured in 2004 which covers an area of up to 300 kilometres square. Here, the Optech laser scanner was used under the Malaysian national pilot study which has slightly low point density. With precipitation intensity of up to 3000 mm per year over rugged topography and elevations up to 2800 m a

Airborne platform effects on lasers and warning sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henriksson, Markus; Eisele, Christian; Seiffer, Dirk; Sjöqvist, Lars; Togna, Fabio; Velluet, Marie-Thérèse

2017-10-01

Airborne platform effects on lasers and warning sensors (ALWS) has been a European collaborative research project to investigate the effects of platform-related turbulence on optical countermeasure systems, especially missile approach warning systems (MAWS) and directed infrared countermeasures (DIRCM). Field trials have been carried out to study the turbulence effects around a hovering helicopter and behind a turboprop aircraft with engines running on the ground. In addition different methods for modelling the effects have been investigated. In the helicopter trials significant beam wander, scintillations and beam broadening were experienced by narrow divergence laser beams when passing through the down-wash of the hot engine exhaust gases. The measured effects considerably exceed the effects of atmospheric turbulence. Extraction of turbulence parameters for modelling of DIRCM-relevant scenarios show that in most cases the reduction of jamming power and distortion of jamming waveform can be expected to be small. The reduction of effects of turbulence is mainly related to the larger beam divergence and shorter Rayleigh length of DIRCM lasers compared to the experimental probe beams. Measurements using the turboprop platform confirm that tolerable effects on laser beam properties are found when the laser beam passes through the exhaust 15 m behind the outlet where the exhaust gases are starting to cool down. Modelling efforts have shown that time-resolved computational fluid dynamics (CFD) calculations can be used to study properties of beam propagation in engine exhaust-related turbulence. Because of computational cost and the problem of validating the CFD results the use for system performance simulations is however difficult. The hot exhaust gases emitted from aircraft engines create extreme optical turbulence in a local region. The effects on countermeasure system performance depend both on the system parameters and on the threat characteristics. With present

The reflection of airborne UV laser pulses from the ocean

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoge, F. E.; Krabill, W. B.; Swift, R. N.

1984-01-01

It is experimentally shown here for the first time that the normalized laser backscatter cross-section of the sea surface is a function of elevation or height position on teh ocean wave. All data were taken off-nadir, resulting in incidence angles of about 6.5 deg measured relative to the normal to mean sea level (MSL). In the limited data sets analyzed to date, the normalized backscatter cross-section was found to be higher in wave crest regions and lower in wave troughs for a swell-dominated sea over which the wind speed was 5 m/s. The reverse was found to be the case for a sea that was driven by a 14 m/s wind. These isolated results show that the MSL, as measured by an off-nadir and/or multibeam type satellite laser altimeter, will be found above, at, or below the true MSL, depending on the local sea conditions existing in the footprint of the altimeter. Airborne nadir-pointed laser altimeter data for a wide variety of sea conditions are needed before a final determination can be made of the effect of sea state on the backscatter cross-section as measured by a down-looking satellite laser system.

Airborne laser scanner-assisted estimation of aboveground biomass change in a temperate oak-pine forest

Treesearch

Nicholas S. Skowronski; Kenneth L. Clark; Michael Gallagher; Richard A. Birdsey; John L. Hom

2014-01-01

We estimated aboveground tree biomass and change in aboveground tree biomass using repeated airborne laser scanner (ALS) acquisitions and temporally coincident ground observations of forest biomass, for a relatively undisturbed period (2004-2007; ∇07-04), a contrasting period of disturbance (2007-2009; ∇09-07...

Highly Protable Airborne Multispectral Imaging System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lehnemann, Robert; Mcnamee, Todd

2001-01-01

A portable instrumentation system is described that includes and airborne and a ground-based subsytem. It can acquire multispectral image data over swaths of terrain ranging in width from about 1.5 to 1 km. The system was developed especially for use in coastal environments and is well suited for performing remote sensing and general environmental monitoring. It includes a small,munpilotaed, remotely controlled airplance that carries a forward-looking camera for navigation, three downward-looking monochrome video cameras for imaging terrain in three spectral bands, a video transmitter, and a Global Positioning System (GPS) reciever.

Updating stand-level forest inventories using airborne laser scanning and Landsat time series data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bolton, Douglas K.; White, Joanne C.; Wulder, Michael A.; Coops, Nicholas C.; Hermosilla, Txomin; Yuan, Xiaoping

2018-04-01

Vertical forest structure can be mapped over large areas by combining samples of airborne laser scanning (ALS) data with wall-to-wall spatial data, such as Landsat imagery. Here, we use samples of ALS data and Landsat time-series metrics to produce estimates of top height, basal area, and net stem volume for two timber supply areas near Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada, using an imputation approach. Both single-year and time series metrics were calculated from annual, gap-free Landsat reflectance composites representing 1984-2014. Metrics included long-term means of vegetation indices, as well as measures of the variance and slope of the indices through time. Terrain metrics, generated from a 30 m digital elevation model, were also included as predictors. We found that imputation models improved with the inclusion of Landsat time series metrics when compared to single-year Landsat metrics (relative RMSE decreased from 22.8% to 16.5% for top height, from 32.1% to 23.3% for basal area, and from 45.6% to 34.1% for net stem volume). Landsat metrics that characterized 30-years of stand history resulted in more accurate models (for all three structural attributes) than Landsat metrics that characterized only the most recent 10 or 20 years of stand history. To test model transferability, we compared imputed attributes against ALS-based estimates in nearby forest blocks (>150,000 ha) that were not included in model training or testing. Landsat-imputed attributes correlated strongly to ALS-based estimates in these blocks (R2 = 0.62 and relative RMSE = 13.1% for top height, R2 = 0.75 and relative RMSE = 17.8% for basal area, and R2 = 0.67 and relative RMSE = 26.5% for net stem volume), indicating model transferability. These findings suggest that in areas containing spatially-limited ALS data acquisitions, imputation models, and Landsat time series and terrain metrics can be effectively used to produce wall-to-wall estimates of key inventory attributes, providing an

Airborne megawatt class free-electron laser for defense and security

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Roy Whitney; David Douglas; George Neil

2005-03-01

An airborne megawatt (MW) average power Free-Electron Laser (FEL) is now a possibility. In the process of shrinking the FEL parameters to fit on ship, a surprisingly lightweight and compact design has been achieved. There are multiple motivations for using a FEL for a high-power airborne system for Defense and Security: Diverse mission requirements can be met by a single system. The MW of light can be made available with any time structure for time periods from microseconds to hours, i.e. there is a nearly unlimited magazine. The wavelength of the light can be chosen to be from the farmore » infrared (IR) to the near ultraviolet (UV) thereby best meeting mission requirements. The FEL light can be modulated for detecting the same pattern in the small fraction of light reflected from the target resulting in greatly enhanced targeting control. The entire MW class FEL including all of its subsystems can be carried by large commercial size airplanes or on an airship. Adequate electrical power can be generated on the plane or airship to run the FEL as long as the plane or airship has fuel to fly. The light from the FEL will work well with relay mirror systems. The required R&D to achieve the MW level is well understood. The coupling of the capabilities of an airborne FEL to diverse mission requirements provides unique opportunities.« less

The current status of airborne laser fluorosensing. [of aquatic environments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oneil, R. A.; Hoge, F. E.; Bristow, M. P. F.

1981-01-01

Airborne laser fluorosensors have been used to identify and quantify specific substances in the aquatic environment. It has been shown that the sensor can identify and classify oil films. If the extinction coefficient is known then the thickness of thinner films (less than 20 micrometers) may be calculated. The intensity of the water Raman signal is proportional to the water volume sampled by the sensor and hence an effective attenuation coefficient for the water can be calculated. The same Raman measurement provides the normalization necessary to map chlorophyll and dye concentrations using the intensity of their respective fluorescence signatures.

Airborne remote sensing of forest biomes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sader, Steven A.

1987-01-01

Airborne sensor data of forest biomes obtained using an SAR, a laser profiler, an IR MSS, and a TM simulator are presented and examined. The SAR was utilized to investigate forest canopy structures in Mississippi and Costa Rica; the IR MSS measured forest canopy temperatures in Oregon and Puerto Rico; the TM simulator was employed in a tropical forest in Puerto Rico; and the laser profiler studied forest canopy characteristics in Costa Rica. The advantages and disadvantages of airborne systems are discussed. It is noted that the airborne sensors provide measurements applicable to forest monitoring programs.

Airborne laser systems for atmospheric sounding in the near infrared

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sabatini, Roberto; Richardson, Mark A.; Jia, Huamin; Zammit-Mangion, David

2012-06-01

This paper presents new techniques for atmospheric sounding using Near Infrared (NIR) laser sources, direct detection electro-optics and passive infrared imaging systems. These techniques allow a direct determination of atmospheric extinction and, through the adoption of suitable inversion algorithms, the indirect measurement of some important natural and man-made atmospheric constituents, including Carbon Dioxide (CO2). The proposed techniques are suitable for remote sensing missions performed by using aircraft, satellites, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), parachute/gliding vehicles, Roving Surface Vehicles (RSV), or Permanent Surface Installations (PSI). The various techniques proposed offer relative advantages in different scenarios. All are based on measurements of the laser energy/power incident on target surfaces of known geometric and reflective characteristics, by means of infrared detectors and/or infrared cameras calibrated for radiance. Experimental results are presented relative to ground and flight trials performed with laser systems operating in the near infrared (NIR) at λ = 1064 nm and λ = 1550 nm. This includes ground tests performed with 10 Hz and 20 KHz PRF NIR laser systems in a variety of atmospheric conditions, and flight trials performed with a 10 Hz airborne NIR laser system installed on a TORNADO aircraft, flying up to altitudes of 22,000 ft above ground level. Future activities are planned to validate the atmospheric retrieval algorithms developed for CO2 column density measurements, with emphasis on aircraft related emissions at airports and other high air-traffic density environments.

A new airborne laser-induced fluorescence instrument for in situ detection of formaldehyde throughout the troposphere and lower stratosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cazorla, M.; Wolfe, G. M.; Bailey, S. A.; Swanson, A. K.; Arkinson, H. L.; Hanisco, T. F.

2015-02-01

The NASA In Situ Airborne Formaldehyde (ISAF) instrument is a high-performance laser-based detector for gas-phase formaldehyde (HCHO). ISAF uses rotational-state specific laser excitation at 353 nm for laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection of HCHO. A number of features make ISAF ideal for airborne deployment, including (1) a compact, low-maintenance fiber laser, (2) a single-pass design for stable signal response, (3) a straightforward inlet design, and (4) a stand-alone data acquisition system. A full description of the instrument design is given, along with detailed performance characteristics. The accuracy of reported mixing ratios is ±10% based on calibration against IR and UV absorption of a primary HCHO standard. Precision at 1 Hz is typically better than 20% above 100 pptv, with uncertainty in the signal background contributing most to variability at low mixing ratios. The 1 Hz detection limit for a signal / noise ratio of 2 is 36 pptv for 10 mW of laser power, and the e fold time response at typical sample flow rates is 0.19 s. ISAF has already flown on several field missions and platforms with excellent results.

A new airborne laser-induced fluorescence instrument for in situ detection of Formaldehyde throughout the troposphere and lower stratosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cazorla, M.; Wolfe, G. M.; Bailey, S. A.; Swanson, A. K.; Arkinson, H. L.; Hanisco, T. F.

2014-08-01

The NASA In Situ Airborne Formaldehyde (ISAF) instrument is a high-performance laser-based detector for gas phase formaldehyde (HCHO). ISAF uses rotational-state specific laser excitation at 353 nm for laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection of HCHO. A number of features make ISAF ideal for airborne deployment, including (1) a compact, low-maintenance fiber laser, (2) a single-pass design for stable signal response, (3) a straightforward inlet design, and (4) a standalone data acquisition system. A full description of the instrument design is given, along with detailed performance characteristics. The accuracy of reported mixing ratios is ±10% based on calibration against IR and UV absorption of a primary HCHO standard. Precision at 1 Hz is typically better than 20% above 100 pptv, with uncertainty in the signal background contributing most to variability at low mixing ratios. The 1 Hz detection limit for a signal/noise ratio of 2 is 36 pptv for 10 mW of laser power, and the e-fold time response at typical sample flow rates is 0.19 s. ISAF has already flown on several field missions and platforms with excellent results.

Remote sensing of soil moisture using airborne hyperspectral data

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Institute for Technology Development (ITD) has developed an airborne hyperspectral sensor system that collects electromagnetic reflectance data of the terrain. The system consists of sensors for three different sections of the electromagnetic spectrum; the Ultra-Violet (UV), Visible/Near Infrare...

Light detection and ranging (LIDAR): an emerging tool for multiple resource inventory.

Treesearch

Stephen E. Reutebuch; Hans-Erik Andersen; Robert J. McGaughey

2005-01-01

Airborne laser scanning of forests has been shown to provide accurate terrain models and, at the same time, estimates of multiple resource inventory variables through active sensing of three-dimensional (3D) forest vegetation. Brief overviews of airborne laser scanning technology [often referred to as "light detection and ranging" (LIDAR)] and research...

Research on airborne infrared leakage detection of natural gas pipeline

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Dongjie; Xu, Bin; Xu, Xu; Wang, Hongchao; Yu, Dongliang; Tian, Shengjie

2011-12-01

An airborne laser remote sensing technology is proposed to detect natural gas pipeline leakage in helicopter which carrying a detector, and the detector can detect a high spatial resolution of trace of methane on the ground. The principle of the airborne laser remote sensing system is based on tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS). The system consists of an optical unit containing the laser, camera, helicopter mount, electronic unit with DGPS antenna, a notebook computer and a pilot monitor. And the system is mounted on a helicopter. The principle and the architecture of the airborne laser remote sensing system are presented. Field test experiments are carried out on West-East Natural Gas Pipeline of China, and the results show that airborne detection method is suitable for detecting gas leak of pipeline on plain, desert, hills but unfit for the area with large altitude diversification.

ATLAS: Airborne Tunable Laser Absorption Spectrometer for stratospheric trace gas measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Loewenstein, Max; Podolske, James R.; Strahan, Susan E.

1990-01-01

The ATLAS instrument is an advanced technology diode laser based absorption spectrometer designed specifically for stratospheric tracer studies. This technique was used in the acquisition of N2O tracer data sets on the Airborne Antarctic Ozone Experiment and the Airborne Arctic Stratospheric Expedition. These data sets have proved valuable for comparison with atmospheric models, as well as in assisting in the interpretation of the entire ensemble of chemical and meteorological data acquired on these two field studies. The N2O dynamical tracer data set analysis revealed several ramifications concerning the polar atmosphere: the N2O/NO(y) correlation, which is used as a tool to study denitrification in the polar vertex; the N2O Southern Hemisphere morphology, showing subsidence in the winter polar vortex; and the value of the N2O measurements in the interpretation of ClO, O3, and NO(y) measurements and of the derived dynamical tracer, potential vorticity. Field studies also led to improved characterization of the instrument and to improved accuracy.

A Compact Ti:Sapphire Laser With its Third Harmonic Generation (THG) for an Airborne Ozone Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) Transmitter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, Songsheng; Storm, Mark E.; Marsh, Waverly D.; Petway, Larry B.; Edwards, William C.; Barnes, James C.

2000-01-01

A compact and high-pulse-energy Ti:Sapphire laser with its Third Harmonic Generation (THG) has been developed for an airborne ozone differential absorption lidar (DIAL) to study the distributions and concentrations of the ozone throughout the troposphere. The Ti:Sapphire laser, pumped by a frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser and seeded by a single mode diode laser, is operated either at 867 nm or at 900 nm with a pulse repetition frequency of 20 Hz. High energy laser pulses (more than 110 mJ/pulse) at 867 nm or 900 nm with a desired beam quality have been achieved and utilized to generate its third harmonic at 289nm or 300nm, which are on-line and off-line wavelengths of an airborne ozone DIAL. After being experimentally compared with Beta-Barium Borate (beta - BaB2O4 or BBO) nonlinear crystals, two Lithium Triborate (LBO) crystals (5 x 5 x 20 cu mm) are selected for the Third Harmonic Generation (THG). In this paper, we report the Ti:Sapphire laser at 900 nm and its third harmonic at 300 nm. The desired high ultraviolet (UV) output pulse energy is more than 30 mJ at 300 nm and the energy conversion efficiency from 900 nm to 300 nm is 30%.

An airborne laser fluorosensor for the detection of oil on water

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kim, H. H.; Hickman, G. D.

1975-01-01

An airborne laser fluorosensor for the detection of oil derivatives on water has been tested. The system transmits 337 nm UV radiation at the rate of 100 pulses per second and monitors fluorescent emission at 540 nm. Daylight flight tests were made over the areas of controlled oil spills and additional reconnaissance flights were made over a 50 km stretch of the Delaware River to establish ambient oil baseline in the river. The results show that the device is capable of monitoring and mapping out extremely low level oil on water which cannot be identified by ordinary photographic method.

The probability of laser caused ocular injury to the aircrew of undetected aircraft violating the exclusion zone about the airborne aura LIDAR.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Augustoni, Arnold L.

2006-12-01

The probability of a laser caused ocular injury, to the aircrew of an undetected aircraft entering the exclusion zone about the AURA LIDAR airborne platform with the possible violation of the Laser Hazard Zone boundary, was investigated and quantified for risk analysis and management.

Airborne laser scanning of forest resources: An overview of research in Italy as a commentary case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montaghi, Alessandro; Corona, Piermaria; Dalponte, Michele; Gianelle, Damiano; Chirici, Gherardo; Olsson, Håkan

2013-08-01

This article reviews the recent literature concerning airborne laser scanning for forestry purposes in Italy, and presents the current methodologies used to extract forest characteristics from discrete return ALS (Airborne Laser Scanning) data. Increasing interest in ALS data is currently being shown, especially for remote sensing-based forest inventories in Italy; the driving force for this interest is the possibility of reducing costs and providing more accurate and efficient estimation of forest characteristics. This review covers a period of approximately ten years, from the first application of laser scanning for forestry purposes in 2003 to the present day, and shows that there are numerous ongoing research activities which use these technologies for the assessment of forest attributes (e.g., number of trees, mean tree height, stem volume) and ecological issues (e.g., gap identification, fuel model detection). The basic approaches - such as single tree detection and area-based modeling - have been widely examined and commented in order to explore the trend of methods in these technologies, including their applicability and performance. Finally this paper outlines and comments some of the common problems encountered in operational use of laser scanning in Italy, offering potentially useful guidelines and solutions for other countries with similar conditions, under a rather variable environmental framework comprising Alpine, temperate and Mediterranean forest ecosystems.

Airborne Laser Remote Sensor for Oil Detection and Classification : Engineering Requirements and Technical Considerations Relevant to a Performance Specification

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1975-08-01

This report outlines the engineering requirements for an Airborne Laser Remote Sensor for Oil Detection and Classification System. Detailed engineering requirements are given for the major units of the system. Technical considerations pertinent to a ...

Comparison of Retracking Algorithms Using Airborne Radar and Laser Altimeter Measurements of the Greenland Ice Sheet

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ferraro, Ellen J.; Swift, Calvin T.

1995-01-01

This paper compares four continental ice sheet radar altimeter retracking algorithms using airborne radar and laser altimeter data taken over the Greenland ice sheet in 1991. The refurbished Advanced Application Flight Experiment (AAFE) airborne radar altimeter has a large range window and stores the entire return waveform during flight. Once the return waveforms are retracked, or post-processed to obtain the most accurate altitude measurement possible, they are compared with the high-precision Airborne Oceanographic Lidar (AOL) altimeter measurements. The AAFE waveforms show evidence of varying degrees of both surface and volume scattering from different regions of the Greenland ice sheet. The AOL laser altimeter, however, obtains a return only from the surface of the ice sheet. Retracking altimeter waveforms with a surface scattering model results in a good correlation with the laser measurements in the wet and dry-snow zones, but in the percolation region of the ice sheet, the deviation between the two data sets is large due to the effects of subsurface and volume scattering. The Martin et al model results in a lower bias than the surface scattering model, but still shows an increase in the noise level in the percolation zone. Using an Offset Center of Gravity algorithm to retrack altimeter waveforms results in measurements that are only slightly affected by subsurface and volume scattering and, despite a higher bias, this algorithm works well in all regions of the ice sheet. A cubic spline provides retracked altitudes that agree with AOL measurements over all regions of Greenland. This method is not sensitive to changes in the scattering mechanisms of the ice sheet and it has the lowest noise level and bias of all the retracking methods presented.

Airborne LIDAR point cloud tower inclination judgment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

liang, Chen; zhengjun, Liu; jianguo, Qian

2016-11-01

Inclined transmission line towers for the safe operation of the line caused a great threat, how to effectively, quickly and accurately perform inclined judgment tower of power supply company safety and security of supply has played a key role. In recent years, with the development of unmanned aerial vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles equipped with a laser scanner, GPS, inertial navigation is one of the high-precision 3D Remote Sensing System in the electricity sector more and more. By airborne radar scan point cloud to visually show the whole picture of the three-dimensional spatial information of the power line corridors, such as the line facilities and equipment, terrain and trees. Currently, LIDAR point cloud research in the field has not yet formed an algorithm to determine tower inclination, the paper through the existing power line corridor on the tower base extraction, through their own tower shape characteristic analysis, a vertical stratification the method of combining convex hull algorithm for point cloud tower scarce two cases using two different methods for the tower was Inclined to judge, and the results with high reliability.

Target contrast considerations in millimeter wave radiometry for airborne navigation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mayer, A.

1971-01-01

Target signal requirements for aircraft navigation systems that use radiometric receivers which map thermally emitted power radiated by terrain or power radiated by ground-based beacons are discussed. For selected millimeter wavelength bands, microwaves suffer relatively little degradation by absorption or scattering on passage through the atmosphere, despite extreme weather variations. Interest centers on 8-millimeter waves because of component availability, portability (small size), high image resolution, and all-weather capability at this wavelength. The idea of radiometric airborne navigation is introduced. Elements of radiometry, terrain radiation, and atmospheric transmission characteristics are reviewed. Data pertaining to these elements at 8 mm wavelength are collected. Calculation of radiometric contrasts is discussed for some simple models of terrain targets.

Airborne Lidar Measurements of Surface Topography and Structure in Arctic-Boreal Ecosystems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hofton, M. A.; Blair, J. B.; Rabine, D.; Cornejo, H.; Story, S.

2017-12-01

In June-July 2017, NASA's Land, Vegetation and Ice Sensor (LVIS) Facility was deployed to sites in northern Canada and Alaska as part of NASA's Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE) 2017 airborne campaign. ABoVE is a large-scale, multi-year study of environmental change and its implications for social-ecological systems, and involves multiple airborne sensors flying both field-based and larger scale sampling sites. During the 4 week deployment of LVIS-F, a total of 15 flights were flown over diverse science targets based out of multiple airports in Canada and Alaska. LVIS-F is NASA's high-altitude airborne lidar sensor, collecting a nominal 2km wide swath of data from 10km altitude above the ground. Footprints are continguous both along and across track and for ABoVE operations, were 6m in diameter. Full waveform data are collected for every footprint and georeferenced to provide a true 3 dimensional view of overflown terrain. Along with precise positioning and pointing information, the LVIS laser range and waveform data are processed to provide high-quality measurements of surface structure including ground elevation, canopy height and canopy volume metrics. Information on data coverage and examples of level1b and level2 data products at science target sites will be shown along with initial results for data precision and accuracy. All AboVe LVIS data products will be available to investigators via a NASA DAAC.

Estimating individual tree mid- and understory rank-size distributions from airborne laser scanning in semi-arid forests

Treesearch

Tyson L. Swetnam; Donald A. Falk; Ann M. Lynch; Stephen R. Yool

2014-01-01

Limitations inherent to airborne laser scanning (ALS) technology and the complex sorting and packing relationships of forests complicate accurate remote sensing of mid- and understory trees, especially in denser forest stands. Self-similarities in rank-sized individual tree distributions (ITD), e.g. bole diameter or height, are a well-understood property of natural,...

Accuracy in estimation of timber assortments and stem distribution - A comparison of airborne and terrestrial laser scanning techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kankare, Ville; Vauhkonen, Jari; Tanhuanpää, Topi; Holopainen, Markus; Vastaranta, Mikko; Joensuu, Marianna; Krooks, Anssi; Hyyppä, Juha; Hyyppä, Hannu; Alho, Petteri; Viitala, Risto

2014-11-01

Detailed information about timber assortments and diameter distributions is required in forest management. Forest owners can make better decisions concerning the timing of timber sales and forest companies can utilize more detailed information to optimize their wood supply chain from forest to factory. The objective here was to compare the accuracies of high-density laser scanning techniques for the estimation of tree-level diameter distribution and timber assortments. We also introduce a method that utilizes a combination of airborne and terrestrial laser scanning in timber assortment estimation. The study was conducted in Evo, Finland. Harvester measurements were used as a reference for 144 trees within a single clear-cut stand. The results showed that accurate tree-level timber assortments and diameter distributions can be obtained, using terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) or a combination of TLS and airborne laser scanning (ALS). Saw log volumes were estimated with higher accuracy than pulpwood volumes. The saw log volumes were estimated with relative root-mean-squared errors of 17.5% and 16.8% with TLS and a combination of TLS and ALS, respectively. The respective accuracies for pulpwood were 60.1% and 59.3%. The differences in the bucking method used also caused some large errors. In addition, tree quality factors highly affected the bucking accuracy, especially with pulpwood volume.

Airborne incidents : an econometric analysis of severity, December 19, 2014 : Final report

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-12-19

Airborne loss of separation incidents occur when an aircraft breaches the defined separation limit (vertical and/or horizontal) with another aircraft or terrain imposed by Air Traffic Control. Identifying conditions that lead to more severe loss of s...

Western Rainier Seismic Zone Airborne Laser Swath Mapping

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harding, David J.; Haugerud, Ralph A.; Johnson, Samuel Y.; Scott, Kevin M.; Weaver, Craig S.; Martinez, Diana M.; Zeigler, John C.; Latypov, Damir

2003-01-01

Airborne laser swath mapping (ALSM) of the Puget Lowland conducted by TerraPoint LLC for the Purget Sound Lidar Concortium (PSLC), has been successful in revealing Holocene fault scarps and lendsliders hidden beneath the dense, temperate rain forest cover and in quantifying shoreline terrace uplift. Expanding the PSLC efforts, NASA-USGS collaboration is now focusing on topographic mapping of seismogenic zones adjacent to volcanois in the western Cascades range in order to assess the presence of active faulting and tectonic deformation, better define the extend of lahars and understand their flow processes, and characterize landslide occurrence. Mapping of the western Rainier zone (WRZ) was conducted by TerraPoint in late 2002, after leaf fall and before snow accumulation. The WRZ is a NNW-trending, approx. 30 km-long zone of seismicity west of Mount Rainier National Park. The Puget Lowland ALSM methods were modified to accommodate challenges posed by the steep, high relief terrian. The laser data, acquired with a density of approx. 2 pulses /sq m, was filtered to identify returns from the ground from which a bare Earth digital elevation model (DEM) was produced with a grid size of 1.8 m. The RMS elevation accuracy of the DEM in flat, unvegetated areas is approx. 10cm based on consistency between overlapping flight swaths and comparisons to ground control points. The resulting DEM substantially improves upon Shuttle Radar Topography Mission and USGS photogrammetric mapping. For example, the DEM defines the size and spatial distribution of flood erratics left by the Electron lahar and of megaclasts within the Round Pass lahar, important for characterizing the lahar hydraulics. A previously unknown lateral levee on the Round Pass lahar is also revealed. In addition, to illustrating geomorfic feature within the WRZ, future plans for laser mapping of the Saint Helens and Darrington seismic zones will be described.

Simulation of multistatic and backscattering cross sections for airborne radar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biggs, Albert W.

1986-07-01

In order to determine susceptibilities of airborne radar to electronic countermeasures and electronic counter-countermeasures simulations of multistatic and backscattering cross sections were developed as digital modules in the form of algorithms. Cross section algorithms are described for prolate (cigar shape) and oblate (disk shape) spheroids. Backscattering cross section algorithms are also described for different categories of terrain. Backscattering cross section computer programs were written for terrain categorized as vegetation, sea ice, glacial ice, geological (rocks, sand, hills, etc.), oceans, man-made structures, and water bodies. PROGRAM SIGTERRA is a file for backscattering cross section modules of terrain (TERRA) such as vegetation (AGCROP), oceans (OCEAN), Arctic sea ice (SEAICE), glacial snow (GLASNO), geological structures (GEOL), man-made structures (MAMMAD), or water bodies (WATER). AGCROP describes agricultural crops, trees or forests, prairies or grassland, and shrubs or bush cover. OCEAN has the SLAR or SAR looking downwind, upwind, and crosswind at the ocean surface. SEAICE looks at winter ice and old or polar ice. GLASNO is divided into a glacial ice and snow or snowfields. MANMAD includes buildings, houses, roads, railroad tracks, airfields and hangars, telephone and power lines, barges, trucks, trains, and automobiles. WATER has lakes, rivers, canals, and swamps. PROGRAM SIGAIR is a similar file for airborne targets such as prolate and oblate spheroids.

The Utility and Validity of Kinematic GPS Positioning for the Geosar Airborne Terrain Mapping Radar System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Freedman, Adam; Hensley, Scott; Chapin, Elaine; Kroger, Peter; Hussain, Mushtaq; Allred, Bruce

1999-01-01

GeoSAR is an airborne, interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (IFSAR) system for terrain mapping, currently under development by a consortium including NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Calgis, Inc., a California mapping sciences company, and the California Department of Conservation (CaIDOC), with funding provided by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Topographic Engineering Center (TEC) and the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). IFSAR data processing requires high-accuracy platform position and attitude knowledge. On 9 GeoSAR, these are provided by one or two Honeywell Embedded GPS Inertial Navigation Units (EGI) and an Ashtech Z12 GPS receiver. The EGIs provide real-time high-accuracy attitude and moderate-accuracy position data, while the Ashtech data, post-processed differentially with data from a nearby ground station using Ashtech PNAV software, provide high-accuracy differential GPS positions. These data are optimally combined using a Kalman filter within the GeoSAR motion measurement software, and the resultant position and orientation information are used to process the dual frequency (X-band and P-band) radar data to generate high-accuracy, high -resolution terrain imagery and digital elevation models (DEMs). GeoSAR requirements specify sub-meter level planimetric and vertical accuracies for the resultant DEMS. To achieve this, platform positioning errors well below one meter are needed. The goal of GeoSAR is to obtain 25 cm or better 3-D positions from the GPS systems on board the aircraft. By imaging a set of known point target corner-cube reflectors, the GeoSAR system can be calibrated. This calibration process yields the true position of the aircraft with an uncertainty of 20- 50 cm. This process thus allows an independent assessment of the accuracy of our GPS-based positioning systems. We will present an overview of the GeoSAR motion measurement system, focusing on the use of GPS and the blending of position data from the

Co-registration of Laser Altimeter Tracks with Digital Terrain Models and Applications in Planetary Science

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glaeser, P.; Haase, I.; Oberst, J.; Neumann, G. A.

2013-01-01

We have derived algorithms and techniques to precisely co-register laser altimeter profiles with gridded Digital Terrain Models (DTMs), typically derived from stereo images. The algorithm consists of an initial grid search followed by a least-squares matching and yields the translation parameters at sub-pixel level needed to align the DTM and the laser profiles in 3D space. This software tool was primarily developed and tested for co-registration of laser profiles from the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) with DTMs derived from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) stereo images. Data sets can be co-registered with positional accuracy between 0.13 m and several meters depending on the pixel resolution and amount of laser shots, where rough surfaces typically result in more accurate co-registrations. Residual heights of the data sets are as small as 0.18 m. The software can be used to identify instrument misalignment, orbit errors, pointing jitter, or problems associated with reference frames being used. Also, assessments of DTM effective resolutions can be obtained. From the correct position between the two data sets, comparisons of surface morphology and roughness can be made at laser footprint- or DTM pixel-level. The precise co-registration allows us to carry out joint analysis of the data sets and ultimately to derive merged high-quality data products. Examples of matching other planetary data sets, like LOLA with LRO Wide Angle Camera (WAC) DTMs or Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) with stereo models from the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) as well as Mercury Laser Altimeter (MLA) with Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS) are shown to demonstrate the broad science applications of the software tool.

DC-8 Airborne Laboratory in flight over Palmdale, CA

NASA Image and Video Library

1998-02-20

The DC-8 Airborne Laboratory in a left banking turn above the airport at Palmdale, California. The right wing is silhouetted against the blue sky, while the left wing contrasts with the desert terrain. The former airliner is a "dash-72" model and has a range of 5,400 miles. The craft can stay airborne for 12 hours and has an operational speed range between 300 and 500 knots. The research flights are made at between 500 and 41,000 feet. The aircraft can carry up to 30,000 lbs of research/science payload equipment installed in 15 mission-definable spaces.

Tension zones of deep-seated rockslides revealed by thermal anomalies and airborne laser scan data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baroň, Ivo; Bečkovský, David; Gajdošík, Juraj; Opálka, Filip; Plan, Lukas; Winkler, Gerhard

2015-04-01

Open cracks, tension fractures and crevice caves are important diagnostic features of gravitationally deformed slopes. When the cracks on the upper part of the slope open to the ground surface, they transfer relatively warm and buoyant air from the underground in cold seasons and thus could be detected by the infrared thermography (IRT) as warmer anomalies. Here we present two IRT surveys of deep-seated rockslides in Austria and the Czech Republic. We used thermal imaging cameras Flir and Optris, manipulated manually from the ground surface and also from unmanned aerial vehicle and piloted ultralight-plane platforms. The surveys were conducted during cold days of winter 2014/2015 and early in the morning to avoid the negative effect of direct sunshine. The first study site is the Bad Fischau rockslide in the southern part of the Vienna Basin (Austria). It was firstly identified by the morphostructural analysis of 1-m digital terrain model from the airborne laser scan data. The rockslide is superimposed on, and closely related to the active marginal faults of the Vienna basin, which is a pull apart structure. There is the 80-m-deep Eisenstein Show Cave situated in the southern lateral margin of the rockslide. The cave was originally considered to be purely of hydrothermal (hypogene) karstification; however its specific morphology and position within the detachment zone of the rockslide suggests its relation to gravitational slope-failure. The IRT survey revealed the Eisenstein Cave at the ground surface and also several other open cracks and possible cleft caves along the margins, headscarp, and also within the body of the rockslide. The second surveyed site was the Kněhyně rockslide in the flysch belt of the Outer Western Carpathians in the eastern Czech Republic. This deep-seated translational rockslide formed about eight known pseudokarst crevice caves, which reach up to 57 m in depth. The IRT survey recognized several warm anomalies indicating very deep

Airborne laser study quantifies El Niño-induced coastal change

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sallenger, Asbury H.; Krabill, William; Brock, John H.; Swift, Robert; Jansen, Mark; Manizade, Serdar; Richmond, Bruce; Hampton, Monty; Eslinger, David

1999-01-01

Winter storms during the 1997–1998 El Niño caused extensive changes to the beaches and cliffs of the west coast of the United States, a NASA-NOAA-USGS investigation using a scanning airborne laser has found. For example, near Pacifica in central California, the cliff eroded locally as much as 10–13 m landward during the El Niño winter, at least 40 times the long term average erosion rate. However, only several hundred meters away the cliff was stable. This variability in cliff response may be related to differences in local beach changes where an accreting beach protected part of the cliff and an eroding beach exposed another part to attack by waves.

Airborne detection of oceanic turbidity cell structure using depth-resolved laser-induced water Raman backscatter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoge, F. E.; Swift, R. N.

1983-01-01

Airborne laser-induced, depth-resolved water Raman backscatter is useful in the detection and mapping of water optical transmission variations. This test, together with other field experiments, has identified the need for additional field experiments to resolve the degree of the contribution to the depth-resolved, Raman-backscattered signal waveform that is due to (1) sea surface height or elevation probability density; (2) off-nadir laser beam angle relative to the mean sea surface; and (3) the Gelbstoff fluorescence background, and the analytical techniques required to remove it. When converted to along-track profiles, the waveforms obtained reveal cells of a decreased Raman backscatter superimposed on an overall trend of monotonically decreasing water column optical transmission.

Airborne Polarimetric, Two-Color Laser Altimeter Measurements of Lake Ice Cover: A Pathfinder for NASA's ICESat-2 Spaceflight Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harding, David; Dabney, Philip; Valett, Susan; Yu, Anthony; Vasilyev, Aleksey; Kelly, April

2011-01-01

The ICESat-2 mission will continue NASA's spaceflight laser altimeter measurements of ice sheets, sea ice and vegetation using a new measurement approach: micropulse, single photon ranging at 532 nm. Differential penetration of green laser energy into snow, ice and water could introduce errors in sea ice freeboard determination used for estimation of ice thickness. Laser pulse scattering from these surface types, and resulting range biasing due to pulse broadening, is assessed using SIMPL airborne data acquired over icecovered Lake Erie. SIMPL acquires polarimetric lidar measurements at 1064 and 532 nm using the micropulse, single photon ranging measurement approach.

Short- and long-term memory effects in intensified array detectors - Influence on airborne laser fluorosensor measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bristow, Michael P.; Edmonds, Curtis M.; Bundy, Donald H.; Turner, Rudolpha M.

1989-02-01

Phosphorescence and thermoluminescence memory effects in the phosphors of image intensifiers are investigated, with application to the performance improvement of intensified optical multichannel analyzers. Algorithms have been developed which can be used to remove these effects from airborne measurements of laser-induced fluorescence spectra of aquatic and terrestrial targets. The present method can be adapted to situations involving different gating routines, repetition rates, and diode group sizes.

Study on analysis from sources of error for Airborne LIDAR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, H. C.; Yan, Q.; Liu, Z. J.; Zuo, Z. Q.; Xu, Q. Q.; Li, F. F.; Song, C.

2016-11-01

With the advancement of Aerial Photogrammetry, it appears that to obtain geo-spatial information of high spatial and temporal resolution provides a new technical means for Airborne LIDAR measurement techniques, with unique advantages and broad application prospects. Airborne LIDAR is increasingly becoming a new kind of space for earth observation technology, which is mounted by launching platform for aviation, accepting laser pulses to get high-precision, high-density three-dimensional coordinate point cloud data and intensity information. In this paper, we briefly demonstrates Airborne laser radar systems, and that some errors about Airborne LIDAR data sources are analyzed in detail, so the corresponding methods is put forwarded to avoid or eliminate it. Taking into account the practical application of engineering, some recommendations were developed for these designs, which has crucial theoretical and practical significance in Airborne LIDAR data processing fields.

The potential of high resolution airborne laser scanning for deriving geometric properties of single trees

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morsdorf, F.; Meier, E.; Koetz, B.; Nüesch, D.; Itten, K.; Allgöwer, B.

2003-04-01

The potential of airborne laserscanning for mapping forest stands has been intensively evaluated in the past few years. Algorithms deriving structural forest parameters in a stand-wise manner from laser data have been successfully implemented by a number of researchers. However, with very high point density laser (>20 points/m^2) data we pursue the approach of deriving these parameters on a single-tree basis. We explore the potential of delineating single trees from laser scanner raw data (x,y,z- triples) and validate this approach with a dataset of more than 2000 georeferenced trees, including tree height and crown diameter, gathered on a long term forest monitoring site by the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL). The accuracy of the laser scanner is evaluated trough 6 reference targets, being 3x3 m^2 in size and horizontally plain, for validating both the horizontal and vertical accuracy of the laser scanner by matching of triangular irregular networks (TINs). Single trees are segmented by a clustering analysis in all three coordinate dimensions and their geometric properties can then be derived directly from the tree cluster.

Development of a wavelength stabilized seed laser system for an airborne water vapour lidar experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwarzer, H.; Börner, A.; Fix, A.; Günther, B.; Hübers, H.-W.; Raugust, M.; Schrandt, F.; Wirth, M.

2007-09-01

At the German Aerospace Center an airborne multi-wavelength differential absorption LIDAR for the measurement of atmospheric water vapour is currently under development. This instrument will enable the retrieval of the complete humidity profile from the surface up to the lowermost stratosphere with high vertical and horizontal resolution at a systematic error below 5%. The LIDAR will work in the wavelength region around 935 nm at three different water vapour absorption lines and one reference wavelength. A major sub-system of this instrument is a highly frequency stabilized seed laser system for the optical parametrical oscillators which generate the narrowband high energy light pulses. The development of the seed laser system includes the control software, the electronic control unit and the opto-mechanical layout. The seed lasers are Peltier-cooled distributed feedback laser diodes with bandwidths of about 30 MHz, each one operating for 200 μs before switching to the next one. The required frequency stability is +/- 30 MHz ≅ +/- 10 -4 nm under the rough environmental conditions aboard an aircraft. It is achieved by locking the laser wavelength to a water vapour absorption line. The paper describes the opto-mechanical layout of the seed laser system, the stabilization procedure and the results obtained with this equipment.

Delineation of estuarine fronts in the German Bight using airborne laser-induced water Raman backscatter and fluorescence of water column constituents

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoge, F. E.; Swift, R. N.

1982-01-01

The acquisition and application of airborne laser induced emission spectra from German Bight water during the 1979 MARSEN experiment is detailed for the synoptic location of estuarine fronts. The NASA Airborne Oceanographic Lidar (AOL) was operated in the fluorosensing mode. A nitrogen laser transmitter at 337.1 nm was used to stimulate the water column to obtain Gelbstoff or organic material fluorescence spectra together with water Raman backscatter. Maps showing the location and relative strength of estuarine fronts are presented. The distribution of the fronts indicates that mixing within the German Bight takes place across a relatively large area. Reasonable agreement between the patterns observed by the AOL and published results are obtained. The limitations and constraints of this technique are indicated and improvements to the AOL fluorosensor are discussed with respect to future ocean mapping applications.

Probabilistic terrain models from waveform airborne LiDAR: AutoProbaDTM project results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jalobeanu, A.; Goncalves, G. R.

2012-12-01

The main objective of the AutoProbaDTM project was to develop new methods for automated probabilistic topographic map production using the latest LiDAR scanners. It included algorithmic development, implementation and validation over a 200 km2 test area in continental Portugal, representing roughly 100 GB of raw data and half a billion waveforms. We aimed to generate digital terrain models automatically, including ground topography as well as uncertainty maps, using Bayesian inference for model estimation and error propagation, and approaches based on image processing. Here we are presenting the results of the completed project (methodological developments and processing results from the test dataset). In June 2011, the test data were acquired in central Portugal, over an area of geomorphological and ecological interest, using a Riegl LMS-Q680i sensor. We managed to survey 70% of the test area at a satisfactory sampling rate, the angular spacing matching the laser beam divergence and the ground spacing nearly equal to the footprint (almost 4 pts/m2 for a 50cm footprint at 1500 m AGL). This is crucial for a correct processing as aliasing artifacts are significantly reduced. A reverse engineering had to be done as the data were delivered in a proprietary binary format, so we were able to read the waveforms and the essential parameters. A robust waveform processing method has been implemented and tested, georeferencing and geometric computations have been coded. Fast gridding and interpolation techniques have been developed. Validation is nearly completed, as well as geometric calibration, IMU error correction, full error propagation and large-scale DEM reconstruction. A probabilistic processing software package has been implemented and code optimization is in progress. This package includes new boresight calibration procedures, robust peak extraction modules, DEM gridding and interpolation methods, and means to visualize the produced uncertain surfaces (topography

Remote Sensing of Wind Fields and Aerosol Distribution with Airborne Scanning Doppler Lidar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rothermel, Jeffry; Cutten, Dean R.; Johnson, Steven C.; Jazembski, Maurice; Arnold, James E. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The coherent Doppler laser radar (lidar), when operated from an airborne platform, is a unique tool for the study of atmospheric and surface processes and features. This is especially true for scientific objectives requiring measurements in optically-clear air, where other remote sensing technologies such as Doppler radar are typically at a disadvantage. The atmospheric lidar remote sensing groups of several US institutions, led by Marshall Space Flight Center, have developed an airborne coherent Doppler lidar capable of mapping the wind field and aerosol structure in three dimensions. The instrument consists of an eye-safe approx. 1 Joule/pulse lidar transceiver, telescope, scanner, inertial measurement unit, and flight computer system to orchestrate all subsystem functions and tasks. The scanner is capable of directing the expanded lidar beam in a variety of ways, in order to extract vertically-resolved wind fields. Horizontal resolution is approx. 1 km; vertical resolution is even finer. Winds are obtained by measuring backscattered, Doppler-shifted laser radiation from naturally-occurring aerosol particles (of order 1 micron diameter). Measurement coverage depends on aerosol spatial distribution and composition. Velocity accuracy has been verified to be approx. 1 meter per second. A variety of applications have been demonstrated during the three flight campaigns conducted during 1995-1998. Examples will be shown during the presentation. In 1995, boundary layer winds over the ocean were mapped with unprecedented resolution. In 1996, unique measurements were made of. flow over the complex terrain of the Aleutian Islands; interaction of the marine boundary layer jet with the California coastal mountain range; a weak dry line in Texas - New Mexico; the angular dependence of sea surface scattering; and in-flight radiometric calibration using the surface of White Sands National Monument. In 1998, the first measurements of eyewall and boundary layer winds within a

DspaceOgreTerrain 3D Terrain Visualization Tool

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Myint, Steven; Jain, Abhinandan; Pomerantz, Marc I.

2012-01-01

DspaceOgreTerrain is an extension to the DspaceOgre 3D visualization tool that supports real-time visualization of various terrain types, including digital elevation maps, planets, and meshes. DspaceOgreTerrain supports creating 3D representations of terrains and placing them in a scene graph. The 3D representations allow for a continuous level of detail, GPU-based rendering, and overlaying graphics like wheel tracks and shadows. It supports reading data from the SimScape terrain- modeling library. DspaceOgreTerrain solves the problem of displaying the results of simulations that involve very large terrains. In the past, it has been used to visualize simulations of vehicle traverses on Lunar and Martian terrains. These terrains were made up of billions of vertices and would not have been renderable in real-time without using a continuous level of detail rendering technique.

Footprint Map Partitioning Using Airborne Laser Scanning Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiong, B.; Oude Elberink, S.; Vosselman, G.

2016-06-01

Nowadays many cities and countries are creating their 3D building models for a better daily management and smarter decision making. The newly created 3D models are required to be consistent with existing 2D footprint maps. Thereby the 2D maps are usually combined with height data for the task of 3D reconstruction. Many buildings are often composed by parts that are discontinuous over height. Building parts can be reconstructed independently and combined into a complete building. Therefore, most of the state-of-the-art work on 3D building reconstruction first decomposes a footprint map into parts. However, those works usually change the footprint maps for easier partitioning and cannot detect building parts that are fully inside the footprint polygon. In order to solve those problems, we introduce two methodologies, one more dependent on height data, and the other one more dependent on footprints. We also experimentally evaluate the two methodologies and compare their advantages and disadvantages. The experiments use Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) data and two vector maps, one with 1:10,000 scale and another one with 1:500 scale.

Laser Altimeter for Flight Simulator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Webster, L. D.

1986-01-01

Height of flight-simulator probe above model of terrain measured by automatic laser triangulation system. Airplane simulated by probe that moves over model of terrain. Altitude of airplane scaled from height of probe above model. Height measured by triangulation of laser beam aimed at intersection of model surface with plumb line of probe.

Active suppression of acoustically induced jitter for the airborne laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glaese, Roger M.; Anderson, Eric H.; Janzen, Paul C.

2000-07-01

The Airborne Laser (ABL) system has extremely tight jitter requirements. Acoustic disturbances, such as those caused by the pressure recovery system of the high power laser, are a significant jitter source. Several technologies may be appropriate for reducing the acoustically induced jitter. The first choice for mitigation will be passive approaches, such as acoustic blankets. There is, however, some uncertainty whether these approaches will provide sufficient attenuation and there is concern about the weight of these approaches. A testbed that captured the fundamental physics of the ABL acoustically induced optical jitter problem was developed. This testbed consists of a flexure-mounted mirror exposed to an acoustic field that is generated outside a beam tube and then propagates within the tube. Both feedback and adaptive feedforward control topologies were implemented on the testbed using either of two actuators (a fast steering mirror and a secondary acoustic speaker located near the precision mirror), and a variety of sensors (microphones measuring the acoustic disturbance, accelerometers and microphones mounted on the precision optic, and an optical position sensing detector). This paper summarizes the results from these control topologies for reducing the acoustically induced jitter with some control topologies achieving in excess of 40 dB jitter reduction at a single frequency. This work was performed under an SBIR Phase I funded by the Air Force Research Laboratory Space Vehicles Directorate.

Location of Sites Within 'Cryptic Terrain'

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2007-01-01

A regional landscape near Mars' south pole is called 'cryptic terrain' because it once defied explanation, but new observations bolster and refine interpretations of how springtime outbursts of carbon-dioxide gas there sculpt intricate patterns and paint seasonal splotches. This map indicates locations of three sites that have been examined within the area of cryptic terrain, informally designated 'Manhattan,' 'Giza' and 'Ithaca.'

The underlying map offers context of brightness measurements from the Thermal Emission Spectrometer instrument draped over a shaded relief map based on data from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter instrument. Cool colors are areas with a low albedo (dark) and warm colors are areas which have high albedo (bright). Both of those instruments flew on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor orbiter.

Airborne laser ranging system for monitoring regional crustal deformation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Degnan, J. J.

1981-01-01

Alternate approaches for making the atmospheric correction without benefit of a ground-based meteorological network are discussed. These include (1) a two-color channel that determines the atmospheric correction by measuring the time delay induced by dispersion between pulses at two optical frequencies; (2) single-color range measurements supported by an onboard temperature sounder, pressure altimeter readings, and surface measurements by a few existing meteorological facilities; and (3) inclusion of the quadratic polynomial coefficients as variables to be solved for along with target coordinates in the reduction of the single-color range data. It is anticipated that the initial Airborne Laser Ranging System (ALRS) experiments will be carried out in Southern California in a region bounded by Santa Barbara on the norht and the Mexican border on the south. The target area will be bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and will extend eastward for approximately 400 km. The unique ability of the ALRS to provide a geodetic 'snapshot' of such a large area will make it a valuable geophysical tool.

Identification of karst sinkholes in a forested karst landscape using airborne laser scanning data and water flow analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hofierka, Jaroslav; Gallay, Michal; Bandura, Peter; Šašak, Ján

2018-05-01

Karst sinkholes (dolines) play an important role in a karst landscape by controlling infiltration of surficial water, air flow or spatial distribution of solar energy. These landforms also present a limiting factor for human activities in agriculture or construction. Therefore, mapping such geomorphological forms is vital for appropriate landscape management and planning. There are several mapping techniques available; however, their applicability can be reduced in densely forested areas with poor accessibility and visibility of the landforms. In such conditions, airborne laser scanning (ALS) provides means for efficient and accurate mapping of both land and landscape canopy surfaces. Taking the benefits of ALS into account, we present an innovative method for identification and evaluation of karst sinkholes based on numerical water flow modelling. The suggested method was compared to traditional techniques for sinkhole mapping which use topographic maps and digital terrain modelling. The approach based on simulation of a rainfall event very closely matched the reference datasets derived by manual inspection of the ALS digital elevation model and field surveys. However, our process-based approach provides advantage of assessing the magnitude how sinkholes influence concentration of overland water flow during extreme rainfall events. This was performed by calculating the volume of water accumulated in sinkholes during the simulated rainfall. In this way, the influence of particular sinkholes on underground geomorphological systems can be assessed. The method was demonstrated in a case study of Slovak Karst in the West Carpathians where extreme rainfalls or snow-thaw events occur annually. We identified three spatially contiguous groups of sinkholes with a different effect on overland flow concentration. These results are discussed in relation to the known underground hydrological systems.

Airborne Laser Infrared Absorption Spectrometer (ALIAS-II) for in situ Atmospheric Measurements of N(sub 2)0, CH(sub 4), CO, HCl, and NO(sub 2) from Balloon or RPA Platforms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scott, D.; Herman, R.; Webster, C.; May, R.; Flesch, G.; Moyer, E.

1998-01-01

The Airborne Laser Infrared Absorption Spectrometer II (ALIAS-II) is a lightweight, high-resolution (0.0003 cm-1), scanning, mid-infrared absorption spectrometer based on cooled (80 K) lead-salt tunable diode laser sources.

Spatio Temporal Detection and Virtual Mapping of Landslide Using High-Resolution Airborne Laser Altimetry (lidar) in Densely Vegetated Areas of Tropics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bibi, T.; Azahari Razak, K.; Rahman, A. Abdul; Latif, A.

2017-10-01

Landslides are an inescapable natural disaster, resulting in massive social, environmental and economic impacts all over the world. The tropical, mountainous landscape in generally all over Malaysia especially in eastern peninsula (Borneo) is highly susceptible to landslides because of heavy rainfall and tectonic disturbances. The purpose of the Landslide hazard mapping is to identify the hazardous regions for the execution of mitigation plans which can reduce the loss of life and property from future landslide incidences. Currently, the Malaysian research bodies e.g. academic institutions and government agencies are trying to develop a landslide hazard and risk database for susceptible areas to backing the prevention, mitigation, and evacuation plan. However, there is a lack of devotion towards landslide inventory mapping as an elementary input of landslide susceptibility, hazard and risk mapping. The developing techniques based on remote sensing technologies (satellite, terrestrial and airborne) are promising techniques to accelerate the production of landslide maps, shrinking the time and resources essential for their compilation and orderly updates. The aim of the study is to provide a better perception regarding the use of virtual mapping of landslides with the help of LiDAR technology. The focus of the study is spatio temporal detection and virtual mapping of landslide inventory via visualization and interpretation of very high-resolution data (VHR) in forested terrain of Mesilau river, Kundasang. However, to cope with the challenges of virtual inventory mapping on in forested terrain high resolution LiDAR derivatives are used. This study specifies that the airborne LiDAR technology can be an effective tool for mapping landslide inventories in a complex climatic and geological conditions, and a quick way of mapping regional hazards in the tropics.

Airborne lidar experiments at the Savannah River Plant

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krabill, William B.; Swift, Robert N.

1985-01-01

The results of remote sensing experiments at the Department of Energy (DOE) Savannah River Nuclear Facility utilizing the NASA Airborne Oceanographic Lidar (AOL) are presented. The flights were conducted in support of the numerous environmental monitoring requirements associated with the operation of the facility and for the purpose of furthering research and development of airborne lidar technology. Areas of application include airborne laser topographic mapping, hydrologic studies using fluorescent tracer dye, timber volume estimation, baseline characterization of wetlands, and aquatic chlorophyll and photopigment measurements. Conclusions relative to the usability of airborne lidar technology for the DOE for each of these remote sensing applications are discussed.

Self-Supervised Learning of Terrain Traversability from Proprioceptive Sensors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bajracharya, Max; Howard, Andrew B.; Matthies, Larry H.

2009-01-01

Robust and reliable autonomous navigation in unstructured, off-road terrain is a critical element in making unmanned ground vehicles a reality. Existing approaches tend to rely on evaluating the traversability of terrain based on fixed parameters obtained via testing in specific environments. This results in a system that handles the terrain well that it trained in, but is unable to process terrain outside its test parameters. An adaptive system does not take the place of training, but supplements it. Whereas training imprints certain environments, an adaptive system would imprint terrain elements and the interactions amongst them, and allow the vehicle to build a map of local elements using proprioceptive sensors. Such sensors can include velocity, wheel slippage, bumper hits, and accelerometers. Data obtained by the sensors can be compared to observations from ranging sensors such as cameras and LADAR (laser detection and ranging) in order to adapt to any kind of terrain. In this way, it could sample its surroundings not only to create a map of clear space, but also of what kind of space it is and its composition. By having a set of building blocks consisting of terrain features, a vehicle can adapt to terrain that it has never seen before, and thus be robust to a changing environment. New observations could be added to its library, enabling it to infer terrain types that it wasn't trained on. This would be very useful in alien environments, where many of the physical features are known, but some are not. For example, a seemingly flat, hard plain could actually be soft sand, and the vehicle would sense the sand and avoid it automatically.

Nepal and Papua Airborne Gravity Surveys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olesen, A. V.; Forsberg, R.; Kasenda, F.; Einarsson, I.; Manandhar, N.

2011-12-01

Airborne gravimetry offers a fast and economic way to cover vast areas and it allows access to otherwise difficult accessible areas like mountains, jungles and the near coastal zone. It has the potential to deliver high resolution and bias free data that may bridge the spectral gap between global satellite gravity models and the high resolution gravity information embedded in digital terrain models. DTU Space has for more than a decade done airborne gravity surveys in many parts of the world. Most surveys were done with a LaCoste & Romberg S-meter updated for airborne use. This instrument has proven to deliver near bias free data when properly processed. A Chekan AM gravimeter was recently added to the airborne gravity mapping system and will potentially enhance the spatial resolution and the robustness of the system. This paper will focus on results from two recent surveys over Nepal, flown in December 2010, and over Papua (eastern Indonesia), flown in May and June 2011. Both surveys were flown with the new double gravimeter setup and initial assessment of system performance indicates improved spatial resolution compared to the single gravimeter system. Comparison to EGM08 and to the most recent GOCE models highlights the impact of the new airborne gravity data in both cases. A newly computed geoid model for Nepal based on the airborne data allows for a more precise definition of the height of Mt. Everest in a global height system. This geoid model suggests that the height of Mt. Everest should be increased by approximately 1 meter. The paper will also briefly discuss system setup and will highlight a few essential processing steps that ensure that bias problems are minimized and spatial resolution enhanced.

Using Airborne LIDAR Data to Determine Old vs. Young Cottonwood Trees in the Riparian Corridor of the San Pedro River

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farid, A.; Goodrich, D.; Sartori, M.; Sorooshian, S.

2003-12-01

Quantification of vegetation patterns and properties is needed to determine their role in the landscape and to develop management plans to conserve natural resources. Vegetation patterns can be mapped from the ground, or by using aerial photography or satellite imagery. However, quantifying the physical properties of vegetation patterns with ground-based or remote sensing technology is difficult, time consuming, and often costly. Digital data from an airborne lidar (light detecting and ranging) instrument offers an alternative method for quantifying vegetation properties and patterns. Using lidar, a study was conducted in the San Pedro National Riparian Conservation Area in an attempt to differentiate young and old Cottonwood trees in southeastern Arizona as young and old cottonwoods have significantly different water use per unit area of canopy. The lidar data was acquired in June 2003, using Optech's ALTM (Airborne Laser Terrain Mapper), during flyovers conducted at an altitude of 750 m. It has been demonstrated that the height of old and young cottonwood canopies can be measured by using lidar. Canopy heights measured with the lidar show a good degree of correlation with ground-based measurements. Methodologically, the first step required is to differentiate old from young cottonwood canopies by the differences in canopy height obtained from lidar data. In addition to vegetation heights, spatial patterns of crown area, canopy cover, and intensity of return laser pulse are measured for both old and young cottonwood trees with the lidar data. The second stage of this study demonstrates that these other parameters of old and young cottonwood trees, when extrapolated from lidar, are significantly different. This study indicates the potential of airborne lidar data to distinguish between different ages of cottonwood forest canopy for large areas quickly and quantitatively.

Laser altimetry simulator. Version 3.0: User's guide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abshire, James B.; Mcgarry, Jan F.; Pacini, Linda K.; Blair, J. Bryan; Elman, Gregory C.

1994-01-01

A numerical simulator of a pulsed, direct detection laser altimeter has been developed to investigate the performance of space-based laser altimeters operating over surfaces with various height profiles. The simulator calculates the laser's optical intensity waveform as it propagates to and is reflected from the terrain surface and is collected by the receiver telescope. It also calculates the signal and noise waveforms output from the receiver's optical detector and waveform digitizer. Both avalanche photodiode and photomultiplier detectors may be selected. Parameters of the detected signal, including energy, the 50 percent rise-time point, the mean timing point, and the centroid, can be collected into histograms and statistics calculated after a number of laser firings. The laser altimeter can be selected to be fixed over the terrain at any altitude. Alternatively, it can move between laser shots to simulate the terrain profile measured with the laser altimeter.

Compact Highly Sensitive Multi-species Airborne Mid-IR Spectrometer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Richter, Dirk; Weibring, P.; Walega, J.

2015-02-01

We report on the development and airborne field deployment of a mid-IR laser based spectrometer. The instrument was configured for the simultaneous in-situ detection of formaldehyde (CH2O) and ethane (C2H6). Numerous mechanical, optical, electronic, and software improvements over a previous instrument design resulted in reliable highly sensitive airborne operation with long stability times yielding 90% airborne measurement coverage during the recent air quality study over the Colorado front range, FRAPPÉ 2014. Airborne detection sensitivities of ~ 15 pptv (C2H6) and ~40 pptv (CH2O) were generally obtained for 1 s of averaging for simultaneous detection.

Airborne Laser Scanning - based vegetation classification in grasslands: a feasibility study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zlinszky, András; Vári, Ágnes; Deák, Balázs; Mücke, Werner; Székely, Balázs

2013-04-01

Airborne Laser Scanning is traditionally used for topography mapping, exploiting its ability to map terrain elevation under vegetation cover. Parallel to this, the application of ALS for vegetation classification and mapping of ecological variables is rapidly emerging. Point clouds surveyed by ALS provide accurate representations of vegetation structure and are therefore considered suitable for mapping vegetation classes as long as their vertical structure is characteristic. For this reason, most ALS-based vegetation mapping studies have been carried out in forests, with some rare applications for shrublands or tall grass vegetation such as reeds. The use of remote-sensing derived vegetation maps is widespread in ecological research and is also gaining importance in practical conservation. There is an increasing demand for reliable, high-resolution datasets covering large protected areas. ALS can provide both the coverage and the high resolution, and can prove to be an economical solution due to the potential for automatic processing and the wide range of uses that allows spreading costs. Grasslands have a high importance in nature conservation as due to the drastical land use changes (arable lands, afforestation, fragmentation by linear structures) in the last centuries the extent of these habitats have been considerably reduced. Among the habitat types protected by the Habitat Directive of the Natura 2000 system, several grassland habitat types (e.g. hay meadows, dry grasslands harbouring rare Orchid species) have special priority for conservation. For preserving these habitat types application of a proper management - including mowing or grazing - has a crucial role. Therefore not only the mapping of the locations of habitats but the way of management is needed for representing the natural processes. The objective of this study was to test the applicability of airborne laser scanning for ecological vegetation mapping in and around grasslands. The study site is

Airborne Carbon Dioxide Laser Absorption Spectrometer for IPDA Measurements of Tropospheric CO2: Recent Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spiers, Gary D.; Menzies, Robert T.

2008-01-01

The National Research Council's decadal survey on Earth Science and Applications from Space[1] recommended the Active Sensing of CO2 Emissions over Nights, Days, and Seasons (ASCENDS) mission for launch in 2013-2016 as a logical follow-on to the Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) which is scheduled for launch in late 2008 [2]. The use of a laser absorption measurement technique provides the required ability to make day and night measurements of CO2 over all latitudes and seasons. As a demonstrator for an approach to meeting the instrument needs for the ASCENDS mission we have developed the airborne Carbon Dioxide Laser Absorption Spectrometer (CO2LAS) which uses the Integrated Path Differential Absorption (IPDA) Spectrometer [3] technique operating in the 2 micron wavelength region.. During 2006 a short engineering checkout flight of the CO2LAS was conducted and the results presented previously [4]. Several short flight campaigns were conducted during 2007 and we report results from these campaigns.

The Slope Imaging Multi-polarization Photon-counting Lidar: an Advanced Technology Airborne Laser Altimeter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dabney, P.; Harding, D. J.; Huss, T.; Valett, S.; Yu, A. W.; Zheng, Y.

2009-12-01

The Slope Imaging Multi-polarization Photon-counting Lidar (SIMPL) is an airborne laser altimeter developed through the NASA Earth Science Technology Office Instrument Incubator Program with a focus on cryopshere remote sensing. The SIMPL instrument incorporates a variety of advanced technologies in order to demonstrate measurement approaches of potential benefit for improved airborne laser swath mapping and spaceflight laser altimeter missions. SIMPL incorporates beam splitting, single-photon ranging and polarimetry technologies at green and near-infrared wavelengths in order to achieve simultaneous sampling of surface elevation, slope, roughness and scattering properties, the latter used to differentiate surface types. The transmitter is a 1 nsec pulse width, 11 kHz, 1064 nm microchip laser, frequency doubled to 532 nm and split into four plane-polarized beams using birefringent calcite crystal in order to maintain co-alignment of the two colors. The 16 channel receiver splits the received energy for each beam into the two colors and each color is split into energy parallel and perpendicular to the transmit polarization plane thereby proving a measure of backscatter depolarization. The depolarization ratio is sensitive to the proportions of specular reflection and surface and volume scattering, and is a function of wavelength. The ratio can differentiate, for example, water, young translucent ice, older granular ice and snow. The solar background count rate is controlled by spatial filtering using a pinhole array and by spectral filtering using temperature-controlled narrow bandwidth filters. The receiver is fiber coupled to 16 Single Photon Counting Modules (SPCMs). To avoid range biases due to the long dead time of these detectors the probability of detection per laser fire on each channel is controlled to be below 30%, using mechanical irises and flight altitude. Event timers with 0.1 nsec resolution in combination the narrow transmit pulse yields single

Conceptual design of an airborne laser Doppler velocimeter system for studying wind fields associated with severe local storms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thomson, J. A. L.; Davies, A. R.; Sulzmann, K. G. P.

1976-01-01

An airborne laser Doppler velocimeter was evaluated for diagnostics of the wind field associated with an isolated severe thunderstorm. Two scanning configurations were identified, one a long-range (out to 10-20 km) roughly horizontal plane mode intended to allow probing of the velocity field around the storm at the higher altitudes (4-10 km). The other is a shorter range (out to 1-3 km) mode in which a vertical or horizontal plane is scanned for velocity (and possibly turbulence), and is intended for diagnostics of the lower altitude region below the storm and in the out-flow region. It was concluded that aircraft flight velocities are high enough and severe storm lifetimes are long enough that a single airborne Doppler system, operating at a range of less than about 20 km, can view the storm area from two or more different aspects before the storm characteristics change appreciably.

Creation of High Resolution Terrain Models of Barringer Meteorite Crater (Meteor Crater) Using Photogrammetry and Terrestrial Laser Scanning Methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, Richard B.; Navard, Andrew R.; Holland, Donald E.; McKellip, Rodney D.; Brannon, David P.

2010-01-01

Barringer Meteorite Crater or Meteor Crater, AZ, has been a site of high interest for lunar and Mars analog crater and terrain studies since the early days of the Apollo-Saturn program. It continues to be a site of exceptional interest to lunar, Mars, and other planetary crater and impact analog studies because of its relatively young age (est. 50 thousand years) and well-preserved structure. High resolution (2 meter to 1 decimeter) digital terrain models of Meteor Crater in whole or in part were created at NASA Stennis Space Center to support several lunar surface analog modeling activities using photogrammetric and ground based laser scanning techniques. The dataset created by this activity provides new and highly accurate 3D models of the inside slope of the crater as well as the downslope rock distribution of the western ejecta field. The data are presented to the science community for possible use in furthering studies of Meteor Crater and impact craters in general as well as its current near term lunar exploration use in providing a beneficial test model for lunar surface analog modeling and surface operation studies.

Mapping Ross Ice Shelf with ROSETTA-Ice airborne laser altimetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Becker, M. K.; Fricker, H. A.; Padman, L.; Bell, R. E.; Siegfried, M. R.; Dieck, C. C. M.

2017-12-01

The Ross Ocean and ice Shelf Environment and Tectonic setting Through Aerogeophysical surveys and modeling (ROSETTA-Ice) project combines airborne glaciological, geological, and oceanographic observations to enhance our understanding of the history and dynamics of the large ( 500,000 square km) Ross Ice Shelf (RIS). Here, we focus on the Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) data collected in 2015 and 2016. This data set represents a significant advance in resolution: Whereas the last attempt to systematically map RIS (the surface-based RIGGS program in the 1970s) was at 55 km grid spacing, the ROSETTA-Ice grid has 10-20 km line spacing and much higher along-track resolution. We discuss two different strategies for processing the raw LiDAR data: one that requires proprietary software (Riegl's RiPROCESS package), and one that employs open-source programs and libraries. With the processed elevation data, we are able to resolve fine-scale ice-shelf features such as the "rampart-moat" ice-front morphology, which has previously been observed on and modeled for icebergs. This feature is also visible in the ROSETTA-Ice shallow-ice radar data; comparing the laser data with radargrams provides insight into the processes leading to their formation. Near-surface firn state and total firn air content can also be investigated through combined analysis of laser altimetry and radar data. By performing similar analyses with data from the radar altimeter aboard CryoSat-2, we demonstrate the utility of the ROSETTA-Ice LiDAR data set in satellite validation efforts. The incorporation of the LiDAR data from the third and final field season (December 2017) will allow us to construct a DEM and an ice thickness map of RIS for the austral summers of 2015-2017. These products will be used to validate and extend observations of height changes from satellite radar and laser altimetry, as well as to update regional models of ocean circulation and ice dynamics.

State-of-the-Art: DTM Generation Using Airborne LIDAR Data

PubMed Central

Chen, Ziyue; Gao, Bingbo; Devereux, Bernard

2017-01-01

Digital terrain model (DTM) generation is the fundamental application of airborne Lidar data. In past decades, a large body of studies has been conducted to present and experiment a variety of DTM generation methods. Although great progress has been made, DTM generation, especially DTM generation in specific terrain situations, remains challenging. This research introduces the general principles of DTM generation and reviews diverse mainstream DTM generation methods. In accordance with the filtering strategy, these methods are classified into six categories: surface-based adjustment; morphology-based filtering, triangulated irregular network (TIN)-based refinement, segmentation and classification, statistical analysis and multi-scale comparison. Typical methods for each category are briefly introduced and the merits and limitations of each category are discussed accordingly. Despite different categories of filtering strategies, these DTM generation methods present similar difficulties when implemented in sharply changing terrain, areas with dense non-ground features and complicated landscapes. This paper suggests that the fusion of multi-sources and integration of different methods can be effective ways for improving the performance of DTM generation. PMID:28098810

Classification of Dual-Wavelength Airborne Laser Scanning Point Cloud Based on the Radiometric Properties of the Objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pilarska, M.

2018-05-01

Airborne laser scanning (ALS) is a well-known and willingly used technology. One of the advantages of this technology is primarily its fast and accurate data registration. In recent years ALS is continuously developed. One of the latest achievements is multispectral ALS, which consists in obtaining simultaneously the data in more than one laser wavelength. In this article the results of the dual-wavelength ALS data classification are presented. The data were acquired with RIEGL VQ-1560i sensor, which is equipped with two laser scanners operating in different wavelengths: 532 nm and 1064 nm. Two classification approaches are presented in the article: classification, which is based on geometric relationships between points and classification, which mostly relies on the radiometric properties of registered objects. The overall accuracy of the geometric classification was 86 %, whereas for the radiometric classification it was 81 %. As a result, it can be assumed that the radiometric features which are provided by the multispectral ALS have potential to be successfully used in ALS point cloud classification.

Radar and infrared remote sensing of terrain, water resources, arctic sea ice, and agriculture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Biggs, A. W.

1983-01-01

Radar range measurements, basic waveforms of radar systems, and radar displays are initially described. These are followed by backscatter from several types of terrain and vegetation as a function of frequency and grazing angle. Analytical models for this backscatter include the facet models of radar return, with range-angle, velocity-range, velocity-angle, range, velocity, and angular only discriminations. Several side-looking airborne radar geometries are presented. Radar images of Arctic sea ice, fresh water lake ice, cloud-covered terrain, and related areas are presented to identify applications of radar imagery. Volume scatter models are applied to radar imagery from alpine snowfields. Short pulse ice thickness radar for subsurface probes is discussed in fresh-water ice and sea ice detection. Infrared scanners, including multispectral, are described. Diffusion of cold water into a river, Arctic sea ice, power plant discharges, volcanic heat, and related areas are presented in thermal imagery. Multispectral radar and infrared imagery are discussed, with comparisons of photographic, infrared, and radar imagery of the same terrain or subjects.

Nd:YLF laser for airborne/spaceborne laser ranging

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dallas, Joseph L.; Selker, Mark D.

1993-01-01

In order to meet the need for light weight, long lifetime, efficient, short pulse lasers, a diode-pumped, Nd:YLF oscillator and regenerative amplifier is being developed. The anticipated output is 20 mJ per 10 picosecond pulse, running at a repetition rate of 40 Hz. The fundamental wavelength is at 1047 nm. The oscillator is pumped by a single laser diode bar and mode locked using an electro-optic, intra-cavity phase modulator. The output from the oscillator is injected as a seed into the regenerative amplifier. The regenerative amplifier laser crystal is optically pumped by two 60W quasi-cw laser diode bars. Each diode is collimated using a custom designed micro-lens bar. The injected 10 ps pulse from the oscillator is kept circulating within the regenerative amplifier until this nanojoule level seed pulse is amplified to 2-3 millijoules. At this point the pulse is ejected and sent on to a more standard single pass amplifier where the energy is boosted to 20 mJ. The footprint of the entire laser (oscillator-regenerative amplifier-amplifier) will fit on a 3 by 4 ft. optical pallet.

First aircraft experiment results with the wide-angle airborne laser ranging system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bock, Olivier; Thom, Christian; Kasser, Michel

1999-12-01

The first aircraft experiment with the Wide-Angle Airborne Laser Ranging System has been conducted in May 1998 over an air base in France equipped with a network of 64 cub-corner retroreflectors. The ranging system was operated from the Avion de Recherche Atmospherique et de Teledetection of CNES/IGN/INSU. Data have been collected during two 4-hour flights. The paper describes the data processing methods and presents the first experimental results. The precision is of 2 cm on the difference of vertical coordinates from two sets of 3 X 103 distance measurements, which is consistent with simulations and a posteriori covariance. The precision is mainly limited by the smallness of the number of efficient measurements remaining after a drastic data sorting for outliers. Higher precision is expected for future experiments after some instrumental improvements (achieving higher link budget) and measurement of aircraft attitude during the flight.

Shape-from-shading using Landsat 8 and airborne laser altimetry over ice sheets: toward new regional DEMs of Greenland and Antarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moussavi, M. S.; Scambos, T.; Haran, T. M.; Klinger, M. J.; Abdalati, W.

2015-12-01

We investigate the capability of Landsat 8's Operational Land Imager (OLI) instrument to quantify subtle ice sheet topography of Greenland and Antarctica. We use photoclinometry, or 'shape-from-shading', a method of deriving surface topography from local variations in image brightness due to varying surface slope. Photoclinomeetry is applicable over ice sheet areas with highly uniform albedo such as regions covered by recent snowfall. OLI imagery is available from both ascending and descending passes near the summer solstice period for both ice sheets. This provides two views of the surface features from two distinct solar azimuth illumination directions. Airborne laser altimetry data from the Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM) instrument (flying on the Operation Ice Bridge program) are used to quantitatively convert the image brightness variations of surface undulations to surface slope. To validate the new DEM products, we use additional laser altimetry profiles collected over independent sites from Ice Bridge and ICESat, and high-resolution WorldView-2 DEMs. The photoclinometry-derived DEM products will be useful for studying surface elevation changes, enhancing bedrock elevation maps through inversion of surface topography, and inferring local variations in snow accumulation rates.

Fusing Laser Reflectance and Image Data for Terrain Classification for Small Autonomous Robots

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-12-01

limit us to low power, lightweight sensors , and a maximum range of approximately 5 meters. Contrast these robot characteristics to typical terrain...classifi- cation work which uses large autonomous ground vehicles with sensors mounted high above the ground. Terrain classification for small autonomous...into predefined classes [10], [11]. However, wheeled vehicles offer the ability to use non-traditional sensors such as vibration sensors [12] and

Advances in High Energy Solid-State 2-micron Laser Transmitter Development for Ground and Airborne Wind and CO2 Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singh, Upendra N.; Yu, Jirong; Petros, Mulugeta; Chen, Songsheng; Kavaya, Michael J.; Trieu, Bo; Bai, Yingxin; Petzar, Paul; Modlin, Edward A.; Koch, Grady;

Solid-State 2-Micron Laser Transmitter Advancement for Wind and Carbon Dioxide Measurements From Ground, Airborne, and Space-Based Lidar Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singh, Upendra N.; Kavaya, Michael J.; Koch, Grady; Yu, Jirong; Ismail, Syed

2008-01-01

NASA Langley Research Center has been developing 2-micron lidar technologies over a decade for wind measurements, utilizing coherent Doppler wind lidar technique and carbon dioxide measurements, utilizing Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) technique. Significant advancements have been made towards developing state-of-the-art technologies towards laser transmitters, detectors, and receiver systems. These efforts have led to the development of solid-state lasers with high pulse energy, tunablility, wavelength-stability, and double-pulsed operation. This paper will present a review of these technological developments along with examples of high resolution wind and high precision CO2 DIAL measurements in the atmosphere. Plans for the development of compact high power lasers for applications in airborne and future space platforms for wind and regional to global scale measurement of atmospheric CO2 will also be discussed.

A new method of building footprints detection using airborne laser scanning data and multispectral image

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Yiping; Jiang, Ting; Gao, Shengli; Wang, Xin

2010-10-01

It presents a new approach for detecting building footprints in a combination of registered aerial image with multispectral bands and airborne laser scanning data synchronously obtained by Leica-Geosystems ALS40 and Applanix DACS-301 on the same platform. A two-step method for building detection was presented consisting of selecting 'building' candidate points and then classifying candidate points. A digital surface model(DSM) derived from last pulse laser scanning data was first filtered and the laser points were classified into classes 'ground' and 'building or tree' based on mathematic morphological filter. Then, 'ground' points were resample into digital elevation model(DEM), and a Normalized DSM(nDSM) was generated from DEM and DSM. The candidate points were selected from 'building or tree' points by height value and area threshold in nDSM. The candidate points were further classified into building points and tree points by using the support vector machines(SVM) classification method. Two classification tests were carried out using features only from laser scanning data and associated features from two input data sources. The features included height, height finite difference, RGB bands value, and so on. The RGB value of points was acquired by matching laser scanning data and image using collinear equation. The features of training points were presented as input data for SVM classification method, and cross validation was used to select best classification parameters. The determinant function could be constructed by the classification parameters and the class of candidate points was determined by determinant function. The result showed that associated features from two input data sources were superior to features only from laser scanning data. The accuracy of more than 90% was achieved for buildings in first kind of features.

Vorticity and turbulence observations during a wildland fire on sloped terrain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Contezac, J.; Clements, C. B.; Hall, D.; Seto, D.; Davis, B.

2013-12-01

Fire-atmosphere interactions represent an atmospheric boundary-layer regime typically associated with complex circulations that interact with the fire front. In mountainous terrain, these interactions are compounded by terrain-driven circulations that often lead to extreme fire behavior. To better understand the role of complex terrain on fire behavior, a set of field experiments was conducted in June 2012 in the Coast Range of central California. The experiments were conducted on steep valley sidewalls to allow fires to spread upslope. Instrumentation used to measure fire-atmosphere interactions included three micrometeorological towers arranged along the slope and equipped with sonic anemometers, heat flux radiometers, and fine-wire thermocouples. In addition, a scanning Doppler lidar was used to measured winds within and above the valley, and airborne video imagery was collected to monitor fire behavior characteristics. The experimental site was located on the leeside of a ridge where terrain-induced flow and opposing mesoscale winds aloft interacted to create a zone of high wind shear. During the burn, the interaction between the fire and atmosphere caused the generation of several fire whirls that develop as a result of several environmental conditions including shear-generated vorticity and fire front geometry. Airborne video imagery indicated that upon ignition, the plume tilted in the opposite direction from the fire movement suggesting that higher horizontal momentum from aloft was brought to the surface, resulting in much slower fire spread rates due to opposing winds. However, after the fire front had passed the lowest tower located at the base of the slope, a shift in wind speed and direction caused a fire whirl to develop near an L-shaped kink in the fire front. Preliminary results indicate that at this time, winds at the bottom of the slope began to rotate with horizontal vorticity values of -0.2 s^-1. Increased heat flux values at this time indicated

Feasibility study for airborne fluorescence/reflectivity lidar bathymetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steinvall, Ove; Kautsky, Hans; Tulldahl, Michael; Wollner, Erika

2012-06-01

There is a demand from the authorities to have good maps of the coastal environment for their exploitation and preservation of the coastal areas. The goal for environmental mapping and monitoring is to differentiate between vegetation and non-vegetated bottoms and, if possible, to differentiate between species. Airborne lidar bathymetry is an interesting method for mapping shallow underwater habitats. In general, the maximum depth range for airborne laser exceeds the possible depth range for passive sensors. Today, operational lidar systems are able to capture the bottom (or vegetation) topography as well as estimations of the bottom reflectivity using e.g. reflected bottom pulse power. In this paper we study the possibilities and advantages for environmental mapping, if laser sensing would be further developed from single wavelength depth sounding systems to include multiple emission wavelengths and fluorescence receiver channels. Our results show that an airborne fluorescence lidar has several interesting features which might be useful in mapping underwater habitats. An example is the laser induced fluorescence giving rise to the emission spectrum which could be used for classification together with the elastic lidar signal. In the first part of our study, vegetation and substrate samples were collected and their spectral reflectance and fluorescence were subsequently measured in laboratory. A laser wavelength of 532 nm was used for excitation of the samples. The choice of 532 nm as excitation wavelength is motivated by the fact that this wavelength is commonly used in bathymetric laser scanners and that the excitation wavelengths are limited to the visual region as e.g. ultraviolet radiation is highly attenuated in water. The second part of our work consisted of theoretical performance calculations for a potential real system, and comparison of separability between species and substrate signatures using selected wavelength regions for fluorescence sensing.

Development of an Airborne Micropulse Water Vapor DIAL

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nehrir, A. R.; Ismail, S.

2012-12-01

Water vapor plays a key role in many atmospheric processes affecting both weather and climate. Airborne measurements of tropospheric water vapor profiles have been a longstanding observational need to not only the active remote sensing community but also to the meteorological, weather forecasting, and climate/radiation science communities. Microscale measurements of tropospheric water vapor are important for enhancing near term meteorological forecasting capabilities while mesoscale and synopticscale measurements can lead to an enhanced understanding of the complex coupled feedback mechanisms between water vapor, temperature, aerosols, and clouds. To realize tropospheric measurements of water vapor profiles over the microscale-synopticscale areas of meteorological interest, a compact and cost effective airborne micropulse differential absorption lidar (DIAL) is being investigated using newly emerging semiconductor based laser technology. Ground based micropulse DIAL (MPD) measurements of tropospheric water vapor and aerosol profiles up to 6 km and 15 km, respectively, have been previously demonstrated using an all semiconductor based laser transmitter. The DIAL transmitter utilizes a master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) configuration where two semiconductor seed lasers are used to seed a single pass traveling wave tapered semiconductor optical amplifier (TSOA), producing up to 7μJ pulse energies over a 1 μs pulse duration at a 10 kHz pulse repetition frequency (PRF). Intercomparisons between the ground based instrument measurements and radiosonde profiles demonstrating the MPD performance under varying atmospheric conditions will be presented. Work is currently ongoing to expand upon the ground based MPD concept and to develop a compact and cost effective system capable of deployment on a mid-low altitude aircraft such as the NASA Langley B200 King Air. Initial lab experiments show that a two-three fold increase in the laser energy compared to the ground

Flight tests of a range-resolved airborne dial with two min-tea CO2 lasers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Itabe, T.; Ishizu, M.; Aruga, T.; Igarashi, T.; Asai, K.

1986-01-01

It is important to measure regional distributions of ozone concentrations in a short time for understanding a mechanism of photo-chemical smog development. An airborne Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) system with two low-power mini-TEA CO2 lasers was developed for measuring three-dimensional distributions of ozone in the lower troposphere. The CO2 DIAL is a nadir-looking system and is designed to measure ozone profiles between ground and airplane by using atmospheric aerosols as a distributed radar target. First flight test with a single laser were conducted in February 1985 over the Tokyo area. The system was operated at an altitude of 5000 ft. Results of the first flight tests show that the height profiles of the received power in the boundary layer were different between over land and ocean. The received power has to be inverted to an expression of a single optical parameter to see real aerosol distributions. Inversion of the lidar signal to the aerosol extinction was performed by using Klett's solution.

High Resolution Airborne Laser Scanning and Hyperspectral Imaging with a Small Uav Platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gallay, Michal; Eck, Christoph; Zgraggen, Carlo; Kaňuk, Ján; Dvorný, Eduard

2016-06-01

The capabilities of unmanned airborne systems (UAS) have become diverse with the recent development of lightweight remote sensing instruments. In this paper, we demonstrate our custom integration of the state-of-the-art technologies within an unmanned aerial platform capable of high-resolution and high-accuracy laser scanning, hyperspectral imaging, and photographic imaging. The technological solution comprises the latest development of a completely autonomous, unmanned helicopter by Aeroscout, the Scout B1-100 UAV helicopter. The helicopter is powered by a gasoline two-stroke engine and it allows for integrating 18 kg of a customized payload unit. The whole system is modular providing flexibility of payload options, which comprises the main advantage of the UAS. The UAS integrates two kinds of payloads which can be altered. Both payloads integrate a GPS/IMU with a dual GPS antenna configuration provided by OXTS for accurate navigation and position measurements during the data acquisition. The first payload comprises a VUX-1 laser scanner by RIEGL and a Sony A6000 E-Mount photo camera. The second payload for hyperspectral scanning integrates a push-broom imager AISA KESTREL 10 by SPECIM. The UAS was designed for research of various aspects of landscape dynamics (landslides, erosion, flooding, or phenology) in high spectral and spatial resolution.

Airborne laser-guided imaging spectroscopy to map forest trait diversity and guide conservation.

PubMed

Asner, G P; Martin, R E; Knapp, D E; Tupayachi, R; Anderson, C B; Sinca, F; Vaughn, N R; Llactayo, W

2017-01-27

Functional biogeography may bridge a gap between field-based biodiversity information and satellite-based Earth system studies, thereby supporting conservation plans to protect more species and their contributions to ecosystem functioning. We used airborne laser-guided imaging spectroscopy with environmental modeling to derive large-scale, multivariate forest canopy functional trait maps of the Peruvian Andes-to-Amazon biodiversity hotspot. Seven mapped canopy traits revealed functional variation in a geospatial pattern explained by geology, topography, hydrology, and climate. Clustering of canopy traits yielded a map of forest beta functional diversity for land-use analysis. Up to 53% of each mapped, functionally distinct forest presents an opportunity for new conservation action. Mapping functional diversity advances our understanding of the biosphere to conserve more biodiversity in the face of land use and climate change. Copyright © 2017, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Integrating Airborne and Terrestrial Laser Scanning data to monitor active landsliding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Székely, B.; Molnár, G.; Roncat, A.; Lehner, H.; Gaisecker, Th.; Drexel, P.

2009-04-01

Active slope processes often endanger various built-up objects and, as a consequence, sometimes human lives as well. Data acquision on the status and evolution of such slopes, especially those that had already affected by landsliding, therefore is a primary target for engineering geomorphic research. The method of laser scanning provides an appropriate data collection technique with the requested accuracy. Data from repeated Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) campaigns are suitable to be analysed for the slow, incipient movements of the slope. The problem of this surveying technique is that repetition time is strongly dependent on the financial resources of the monitoring project, and often the requested recurrence of flight campaigns cannot be achieved. A possible solution to densify the data acquisition in time is the application of Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) and intergration of its data with ALS data sets. TLS has the advantage of flexibility and shorter observation distances compared to ALS. This technique needs special considerations and tedious processing since the geometric setting of the data acquision considerably differ in TLS and ALS. Furthermore, obstacles in the landscape may partly hamper the data acqusition which rarely the case in ALS. Our case study area is a several-decade-long active landsliding in Doren (Federal State Vorarlberg, Austria) that as it develops, it is about to endangers houses of the locality. The site is especially suitable for the project, because multi-temporal data sets (from ALS flight campaigns in 2003, 2006 and 2007, respectively) of this area are available. The data integration is carried out in the form of production of point clouds (sensed from various points of the valley sides) and we compared the results with the results of the previous ALS campaigns. With the planned repetition of the TLS measurements new and detailed insights can be achieved concerning the evolution of the incipient and on-going slow motions. This

Defining and Verifying Research Grade Airborne Laser Swath Mapping (ALSM) Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carter, W. E.; Shrestha, R. L.; Slatton, C. C.

2004-12-01

The first and primary goal of the National Science Foundation (NSF) supported Center for Airborne Laser Mapping (NCALM), operated jointly by the University of Florida and the University of California, Berkeley, is to make "research grade" ALSM data widely available at affordable cost to the national scientific community. Cost aside, researchers need to know what NCALM considers research grade data and how the quality of the data is verified, to be able to determine the likelihood that the data they receive will meet their project specific requirements. Given the current state of the technology it is reasonable to expect a well planned and executed survey to produce surface elevations with uncertainties less than 10 centimeters and horizontal uncertainties of a few decimeters. Various components of the total error are generally associated with the aircraft trajectory, aircraft orientation, or laser vectors. Aircraft trajectory error is dependent largely on the Global Positioning System (GPS) observations, aircraft orientation on Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) observations, and laser vectors on the scanning and ranging instrumentation. In addition to the issue of the precision or accuracy of the coordinates of the surface points, consideration must also be given to the point-to-point spacing and voids in the coverage. The major sources of error produce distinct artifacts in the data set. For example, aircraft trajectory errors tend to change slowly as the satellite constellation geometry varies, producing slopes within swaths and offsets between swaths. Roll, pitch and yaw biases in the IMU observations tend to persist through whole flights, and created distinctive artifacts in the swath overlap areas. Errors in the zero-point and scale of the laser scanner cause the edges of swaths to turn up or down. Range walk errors cause offsets between bright and dark surfaces, causing paint stripes to float above the dark surfaces of roads. The three keys to producing

All-Fiber Airborne Coherent Doppler Lidar to Measure Wind Profiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Jiqiao; Zhu, Xiaopeng; Diao, Weifeng; Zhang, Xin; Liu, Yuan; Bi, Decang; Jiang, Liyuan; Shi, Wei; Zhu, Xiaolei; Chen, Weibiao

2016-06-01

An all-fiber airborne pulsed coherent Doppler lidar (CDL) prototype at 1.54μm is developed to measure wind profiles in the lower troposphere layer. The all-fiber single frequency pulsed laser is operated with pulse energy of 300μJ, pulse width of 400ns and pulse repetition rate of 10kHz. To the best of our knowledge, it is the highest pulse energy of all-fiber eye-safe single frequency laser that is used in airborne coherent wind lidar. The telescope optical diameter of monostatic lidar is 100 mm. Velocity-Azimuth-Display (VAD) scanning is implemented with 20 degrees elevation angle in 8 different azimuths. Real-time signal processing board is developed to acquire and process the heterodyne mixing signal with 10000 pulses spectra accumulated every second. Wind profiles are obtained every 20 seconds. Several experiments are implemented to evaluate the performance of the lidar. We have carried out airborne wind lidar experiments successfully, and the wind profiles are compared with aerological theodolite and ground based wind lidar. Wind speed standard error of less than 0.4m/s is shown between airborne wind lidar and balloon aerological theodolite.

Airborne discrimination between ice and water - Application to the laser measurement of chlorophyll-in-water in a marginal ice zone

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoge, Frank E.; Wright, C. Wayne; Swift, Robert N.; Yungel, James K.

1989-01-01

The concurrent active-passive measurement capabilities of the NASA Airborne Oceanographic Lidar have been used to (1) discriminate between ice and water in a large ice field within the Greenland Sea and (2) achieve the detection and measurement of chlorophyll-in-water by laser-induced and water-Raman-normalized pigment fluorescence. Passive upwelled radiances from sea ice are significantly stronger than those from the neighboring water, even when the optical receiver field-of-view is only partially filled with ice. Thus, weaker passive upwelled radiances, together with concurrently acquired laser-induced spectra, can rather confidently be assigned to the intervening water column. The laser-induced spectrum can then be processed using previously established methods to measure the chlorophyll-in-water concentration. Significant phytoplankton patchiness and elevated chlorophyll concentrations were found within the waters of the melting ice compared to ice-free regions just outside the ice field.

Airborne & Ground-based measurements of atmospheric CO2 using the 1.57-μm laser absorption spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakaizawa, D.; Kawakami, S.; Nakajima, M.; Tanaka, T.; Miyamoto, Y.; Morino, I.; Uchino, O.; Asai, K.

2009-12-01

Greenhouse gases observing satellite (GOSAT) started the measurement of global CO2 abundances to reveal its continental inventory using two passive remote sensors. The goal that the sensor needs to be done is to achieve an 1% relative accuracy in order to reduce uncertainties of CO2 budget. Nevertheless, in the future global CO2 monitoring, more accurate measurement of global tropospheric CO2 abundances with the monthly regional scale are required to improve the knowledge of CO2 exchanges among the land, ocean, and atmosphere. In order to fulfill demands, a laser remote sensor, such as DIAL or laser absorption spectrometer (LAS), is a potential candidate of future space-based missions. Nowadays, those technologies are required to demonstrate an accuracy of the few-ppm level through airborne & ground-based measurements. We developed the prototype of the 1.57um LAS for a step of the next missions and perform it at the ground-based and airborne platform to show the properly validated performance in the framework of GOSAT validation. Our CO2 LAS is consisted of all optical fiber circuits & compact receiving /transmitting optics to achieve the portable, flexible and rigid system. The optical sources of on- and off-line are distributed feedback lasers, which are tuned at the strong and weak position of the R12 line in the (30012<-00001) absorption band. Their fiber coupled outputs are sinusoidal amplitude modulated by each EO devices with kHz rate and combined and amplified using an erbium doped fiber amplifier. Scattered signals from the hard target are collected by the 11cm receiving telescope and detected and stored into the laptop computer. After that, we evaluated the atmospheric CO2 density using the meteorological parameters and ratio between the on- and off-line signals. The resultant of the ground-based measurement of 3km optical length indicated that the statistical error of the path averaged atmospheric CO2 density is less than 2.8ppm with 25 minutes averaging

Local Topography Effect on Plant Area Index Profile Calculation from Small Footprint Airborne Laser Scanning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, J.; Wang, T.; Skidmore, A. K.; Heurich, M.

2016-12-01

The plant area index (PAI) profile is a quantitative description of how plants (including leaves and woody materials) are distributed vertically, as a function of height. PAI profiles can be used for many applications including biomass estimation, radiative transfer modelling, fire fuel modelling and wildlife habitat assessment. With airborne laser scanning (ALS), forest structure underneath the canopy surface can be detected. PAI profiles can be calculated through estimates of the vertically resolved gap fraction from ALS data. In this process, a gridding or aggregation step is often involved. Most current research neglects local topographic change, and utilizes a height normalization algorithm to achieve a local or relative height, implying a flat local terrain assumption inside the grid or aggregation area. However, in mountainous forest, this assumption is often not valid. Therefore, in this research, the local topographic effect on the PAI profile calculation was studied. Small footprint discrete multi-return ALS data was acquired over the Bavarian Forest National Park under leaf-off and leaf-on conditions. Ground truth data, including tree height, canopy cover, DBH as well as digital hemispherical photos, were collected in 30 plots. These plots covered a wide range of forest structure, plant species, local topography condition and understory coverage. PAI profiles were calculated both with and without height normalization. The difference between height normalized and non-normalized profiles were evaluated with the coefficient of variation of root mean squared difference (CV-RMSD). The derived metric PAI values from PAI profiles were also evaluated with ground truth PAI from the hemispherical photos. Results showed that change in local topography had significant effects on the PAI profile. The CV-RMSD between PAI profile results calculated with or without height normalization ranged from 24.5% to 163.9%. Height normalization (neglecting topography change) can

Environmental radioactivity in the UK: the airborne geophysical view of dose rate estimates.

PubMed

Beamish, David

2014-12-01

This study considers UK airborne gamma-ray data obtained through a series of high spatial resolution, low altitude surveys over the past decade. The ground concentrations of the naturally occurring radionuclides Potassium, Thorium and Uranium are converted to air absorbed dose rates and these are used to assess terrestrial exposure levels from both natural and technologically enhanced sources. The high resolution airborne information is also assessed alongside existing knowledge from soil sampling and ground-based measurements of exposure levels. The surveys have sampled an extensive number of the UK lithological bedrock formations and the statistical information provides examples of low dose rate lithologies (the formations that characterise much of southern England) to the highest sustained values associated with granitic terrains. The maximum dose rates (e.g. >300 nGy h(-1)) encountered across the sampled granitic terrains are found to vary by a factor of 2. Excluding granitic terrains, the most spatially extensive dose rates (>50 nGy h(-1)) are found in association with the Mercia Mudstone Group (Triassic argillaceous mudstones) of eastern England. Geological associations between high dose rate and high radon values are also noted. Recent studies of the datasets have revealed the extent of source rock (i.e. bedrock) flux attenuation by soil moisture in conjunction with the density and porosity of the temperate latitude soils found in the UK. The presence or absence of soil cover (and associated presence or absence of attenuation) appears to account for a range of localised variations in the exposure levels encountered. The hypothesis is supported by a study of an extensive combined data set of dose rates obtained from soil sampling and by airborne geophysical survey. With no attenuation factors applied, except those intrinsic to the airborne estimates, a bias to high values of between 10 and 15 nGy h(-1) is observed in the soil data. A wide range of

A landscape-scale wildland fire study using coupled weather-wildland fire model and airborne remote sensing

Treesearch

J.L. Coen; Philip Riggan

2011-01-01

We examine the Esperanza fire, a Santa Ana-driven wildland fire that occurred in complex terrain in spatially heterogeneous chaparral fuels, using airborne remote sensing imagery from the FireMapper thermal-imaging radiometer and a coupled weather-wildland fire model. The radiometer data maps fire intensity and is used to evaluate the error in the extent of the...

Airborne measurements of CO2 column concentrations made with a pulsed IPDA lidar using a multiple-wavelength-locked laser and HgCdTe APD detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abshire, James B.; Ramanathan, Anand K.; Riris, Haris; Allan, Graham R.; Sun, Xiaoli; Hasselbrack, William E.; Mao, Jianping; Wu, Stewart; Chen, Jeffrey; Numata, Kenji; Kawa, Stephan R.; Yang, Mei Ying Melissa; DiGangi, Joshua

2018-04-01

Here we report on measurements made with an improved CO2 Sounder lidar during the ASCENDS 2014 and 2016 airborne campaigns. The changes made to the 2011 version of the lidar included incorporating a rapidly wavelength-tunable, step-locked seed laser in the transmitter, using a much more sensitive HgCdTe APD detector and using an analog digitizer with faster readout time in the receiver. We also improved the lidar's calibration approach and the XCO2 retrieval algorithm. The 2014 and 2016 flights were made over several types of topographic surfaces from 3 to 12 km aircraft altitudes in the continental US. The results are compared to the XCO2 values computed from an airborne in situ sensor during spiral-down maneuvers. The 2014 results show significantly better performance and include measurement of horizontal gradients in XCO2 made over the Midwestern US that agree with chemistry transport models. The results from the 2016 airborne lidar retrievals show precisions of ˜ 0.7 parts per million (ppm) with 1 s averaging over desert surfaces, which is an improvement of about 8 times compared to similar measurements made in 2011. Measurements in 2016 were also made over fresh snow surfaces that have lower surface reflectance at the laser wavelengths. The results from both campaigns showed that the mean values of XCO2 retrieved from the lidar consistently agreed with those based on the in situ sensor to within 1 ppm. The improved precision and accuracy demonstrated in the 2014 and 2016 flights should benefit future airborne science campaigns and advance the technique's readiness for a space-based instrument.

Airborne hyperspectral and LiDAR data integration for weed detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tamás, János; Lehoczky, Éva; Fehér, János; Fórián, Tünde; Nagy, Attila; Bozsik, Éva; Gálya, Bernadett; Riczu, Péter

2014-05-01

Agriculture uses 70% of global available fresh water. However, ca. 50-70% of water used by cultivated plants, the rest of water transpirated by the weeds. Thus, to define the distribution of weeds is very important in precision agriculture and horticulture as well. To survey weeds on larger fields by traditional methods is often time consuming. Remote sensing instruments are useful to detect weeds in larger area. In our investigation a 3D airborne laser scanner (RIEGL LMS-Q680i) was used in agricultural field near Sopron to scouting weeds. Beside the airborne LiDAR, hyperspectral imaging system (AISA DUAL) and air photos helped to investigate weed coverage. The LiDAR survey was carried out at early April, 2012, before sprouting of cultivated plants. Thus, there could be detected emerging of weeds and direction of cultivation. However airborne LiDAR system was ideal to detect weeds, identification of weeds at species level was infeasible. Higher point density LiDAR - Terrestrial laser scanning - systems are appropriate to distinguish weed species. Based on the results, laser scanner is an effective tool to scouting of weeds. Appropriate weed detection and mapping systems could contribute to elaborate water and herbicide saving management technique. This publication was supported by the OTKA project K 105789.

Holographic Airborne Rotating Lidar Instrument Experiment (HARLIE)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schwemmer, Geary K.

1998-01-01

Scanning holographic lidar receivers are currently in use in two operational lidar systems, PHASERS (Prototype Holographic Atmospheric Scanner for Environmental Remote Sensing) and now HARLIE (Holographic Airborne Rotating Lidar Instrument Experiment). These systems are based on volume phase holograms made in dichromated gelatin (DCG) sandwiched between 2 layers of high quality float glass. They have demonstrated the practical application of this technology to compact scanning lidar systems at 532 and 1064 nm wavelengths, the ability to withstand moderately high laser power and energy loading, sufficient optical quality for most direct detection systems, overall efficiencies rivaling conventional receivers, and the stability to last several years under typical lidar system environments. Their size and weight are approximately half of similar performing scanning systems using reflective optics. The cost of holographic systems will eventually be lower than the reflective optical systems depending on their degree of commercialization. There are a number of applications that require or can greatly benefit from a scanning capability. Several of these are airborne systems, which either use focal plane scanning, as in the Laser Vegetation Imaging System or use primary aperture scanning, as in the Airborne Oceanographic Lidar or the Large Aperture Scanning Airborne Lidar. The latter class requires a large clear aperture opening or window in the aircraft. This type of system can greatly benefit from the use of scanning transmission holograms of the HARLIE type because the clear aperture required is only about 25% larger than the collecting aperture as opposed to 200-300% larger for scan angles of 45 degrees off nadir.

Development of an Airborne Triple-Pulse 2-Micron Integrated Path Differential Absorption Lidar (IPDA) for Simultaneous Airborne Column Measurements of Carbon Dioxide and Water Vapor in the Atmosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singh, Upendra N.; Petros, Mulugeta; Refaat, Tamer F.; Yu, Jirong; Antill, Charles W.; Remus, Ruben

2016-01-01

This presentation will provide status and details of an airborne 2-micron triple-pulse integrated path differential absorption (IPDA) lidar being developed at NASA Langley Research Center with support from NASA ESTO Instrument Incubator Program. The development of this active optical remote sensing IPDA instrument is targeted for measuring both atmospheric carbon dioxide and water vapor in the atmosphere from an airborne platform. This presentation will focus on the advancement of the 2-micron triple-pulse IPDA lidar development. Updates on the state-of-the-art triple-pulse laser transmitter will be presented including the status of seed laser locking, wavelength control, receiver and detector upgrades, laser packaging and lidar integration. Future plan for IPDA lidar system for ground integration, testing and flight validation will also be presented.

New geoid of Greenland - a case study of terrain and ice effects, GOCE and local sea level data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Forsberg, R.; Jensen, T.

2014-12-01

Making an accurate geoid model of Greenland has always been a challenge due to the ice sheet and glaciers, and the rough topography and deep fjords in the ice free parts. Terrestrial gravity coverage has for the same reasons been relatively sparse, with an older NRL high-level airborne survey of the interior being the only gravity field data over the interior, and terrain and ice thickness models being insufficient both in terms of resolution and accuracy. This data situation has in the later years changed substantially, first of all due to GOCE, but also due to new DTU-Space and NASA IceBridge airborne gravity, ice thickness data from IceBridge and European airborne measurements, and new terrain models from ASTER, SPOT-5 and digital photogrammetry. In the paper we use all available data to make a new geoid of Greenland and surrounding ocean regions, using remove-restore techniques for ice and topography, spherical FFT techniques and downward continuation by least squares collocation. The impact of GOCE and the new terrestrial data yielded a much improved geoid. Due to the lack of of levelling data connecting scattered towns, the new geoid is validated by local sea level and dynamic ocean topography data, and specially collected GPS-tide gauge profile data along fjords. The comparisons show significant improvements over EGM08 and older geoid models, and also highlight the problems of global sea level models, especially in sea ice covered regions, and the definition of a new consistent vertical datum of Greenland.

Airborne Measurements of Formaldehyde Employing a Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectrometer During TRACE-P

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fried, Alan; Drummond, James

2003-01-01

This final report summarizes the progress achieved over the entire 3-year proposal period including two extensions spanning 1 year. These activities include: 1) Preparation for and participation in the NASA 2001 TRACE-P campaign using our airborne tunable diode laser system to acquire measurements of formaldehyde (CH2O); 2) Comprehensive data analysis and data submittal to the NASA archive; 3) Follow up data interpretation working with NASA modelers to place our ambient CH2O measurements into a broader photochemical context; 4) Publication of numerous JGR papers using this data; 5) Extensive follow up laboratory tests on the selectivity and efficiency of our CH20 scrubbing system; and 6) An extensive follow up effort to assess and study the mechanical stability of our entire optical system, particularly the multipass absorption cell, with aircraft changes in cabin pressure.

Integrated Change Detection and Classification in Urban Areas Based on Airborne Laser Scanning Point Clouds.

PubMed

Tran, Thi Huong Giang; Ressl, Camillo; Pfeifer, Norbert

2018-02-03

This paper suggests a new approach for change detection (CD) in 3D point clouds. It combines classification and CD in one step using machine learning. The point cloud data of both epochs are merged for computing features of four types: features describing the point distribution, a feature relating to relative terrain elevation, features specific for the multi-target capability of laser scanning, and features combining the point clouds of both epochs to identify the change. All these features are merged in the points and then training samples are acquired to create the model for supervised classification, which is then applied to the whole study area. The final results reach an overall accuracy of over 90% for both epochs of eight classes: lost tree, new tree, lost building, new building, changed ground, unchanged building, unchanged tree, and unchanged ground.

Estimation of terracing characteristics from airborne laser scanning data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kokalj, Žiga

2015-04-01

Agricultural terraces are a fundamental morphological form of the Slovenian landscape. They are present in all of its diverse geographical regions, from Mediterranean and Dinaric hills and plateaus, Alpine mountains and plains, to Pannonian hills. New systematic research based on mapping aerial orthophotos and historical maps revealed previously unrecorded distribution and extent of terracing. However, the extensive overgrowing of the Slovenian countryside in the past century, when forest cover has grown from 40% to more than 60%, hid many of the terraces under a thick forest canopy. This is especially true for the higher and more remote areas where unfavourable natural conditions have coupled with depopulation processes. In such conditions, the only reasonable technique to observe cultural terraces and other remains of past human activities over large areas is airborne laser scanning. With the country-wide airborne lidar data becoming available, many new possibilities for discovery as well as quantitative analyses are becoming available. We explored manual and semiautomatic approaches to obtain terracing characteristics around representative villages of diverse landscape types. Individual terraces can be described with several attributes, such as riser slope gradient, riser height, tread area, length and width, ratio of length and width, altitude, location of the terrace in the thermal band, distance to the settlement, number and type of trees, distance between trees, and number of vineyard rows. Such characteristics can be derived manually, which can be painstakingly slow, but with relative precisions reaching the order of centimetres and decimetres, or semiautomatically, which is much faster, but with worse precision levels, mainly due to various outliers and errors in processing. The success of attribute derivation is highly dependent on raw lidar data acquisition parameters and processing. Manual interpretation has a distinct advantage of the possibility to

Proceedings of the Fourth Laser Hydrography Symposium at Defence Research Centre and Royal Australian Navy Hydrographic Office

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Penny, M. F.; Phillips, D. M.

1981-03-01

At this Symposium, research on laser hydrography and related development programs currently in progress in the United States of America, Canada, and Australia, were reported. The depth sounding systems described include the US Airborne Oceanographic Lidar and Hydrographic Airborne Laser Sounder, the Canadian Profiling Lidar Bathymeter, and the Australian Laser Airborne Depth Sounder. Other papers presented research on blue-green lasers, theoretical modelling, position fixing, and data processing.

Terrain types and local-scale stratigraphy of grooved terrain on ganymede

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Murchie, Scott L.; Head, James W.; Helfenstein, Paul; Plescia, Jeffrey B.

1986-01-01

Grooved terrain is subdivided on the basis of pervasive morphology into: (1) groove lanes - elongate parallel groove bands, (2) grooved polygons - polygonal domains of parallel grooves, (3) reticulate terrain - polygonal domains of orthogonal grooves, and (4) complex grooved terrain - polygons with several complexly cross-cutting groove sets. Detailed geologic mapping of select areas, employing previously established conventions for determining relative age relations, reveals a general three-stage sequence of grooved terrain emplacement: first, dissection of the lithosphere by throughgoing grooves, and pervasive deformation of intervening blocks; second, extensive flooding and continued deformation of the intervening blocks; third, repeated superposition of groove lanes concentrated at sites of initial throughgoing grooves. This sequence is corroborated by crater-density measurements. Dominant orientations of groove sets are parallel to relict zones of weakness that probably were reactivated during grooved terrain formation. Groove lane morphology and development consistent with that predicted for passive rifts suggests a major role of global expansion in grooved terrain formation.

Multiple-Primitives Hierarchical Classification of Airborne Laser Scanning Data in Urban Areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ni, H.; Lin, X. G.; Zhang, J. X.

2017-09-01

A hierarchical classification method for Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) data of urban areas is proposed in this paper. This method is composed of three stages among which three types of primitives are utilized, i.e., smooth surface, rough surface, and individual point. In the first stage, the input ALS data is divided into smooth surfaces and rough surfaces by employing a step-wise point cloud segmentation method. In the second stage, classification based on smooth surfaces and rough surfaces is performed. Points in the smooth surfaces are first classified into ground and buildings based on semantic rules. Next, features of rough surfaces are extracted. Then, points in rough surfaces are classified into vegetation and vehicles based on the derived features and Random Forests (RF). In the third stage, point-based features are extracted for the ground points, and then, an individual point classification procedure is performed to classify the ground points into bare land, artificial ground and greenbelt. Moreover, the shortages of the existing studies are analyzed, and experiments show that the proposed method overcomes these shortages and handles more types of objects.

Algorithms used in the Airborne Lidar Processing System (ALPS)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nagle, David B.; Wright, C. Wayne

2016-05-23

The Airborne Lidar Processing System (ALPS) analyzes Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL) data—digitized laser-return waveforms, position, and attitude data—to derive point clouds of target surfaces. A full-waveform airborne lidar system, the EAARL seamlessly and simultaneously collects mixed environment data, including submerged, sub-aerial bare earth, and vegetation-covered topographies.ALPS uses three waveform target-detection algorithms to determine target positions within a given waveform: centroid analysis, leading edge detection, and bottom detection using water-column backscatter modeling. The centroid analysis algorithm detects opaque hard surfaces. The leading edge algorithm detects topography beneath vegetation and shallow, submerged topography. The bottom detection algorithm uses water-column backscatter modeling for deeper submerged topography in turbid water.The report describes slant range calculations and explains how ALPS uses laser range and orientation measurements to project measurement points into the Universal Transverse Mercator coordinate system. Parameters used for coordinate transformations in ALPS are described, as are Interactive Data Language-based methods for gridding EAARL point cloud data to derive digital elevation models. Noise reduction in point clouds through use of a random consensus filter is explained, and detailed pseudocode, mathematical equations, and Yorick source code accompany the report.

Assessing the influence of flight parameters, interferometric processing, slope and canopy density on the accuracy of X-band IFSAR-derived forest canopy height models.

Treesearch

H.-E. Andersen; R.J. McGaughey; S.E. Reutebuch

2008-01-01

High resolution, active remote sensing technologies, such as interferometric synthetic aperture radar (IFSAR) and airborne laser scanning (LIDAR) have the capability to provide forest managers with direct measurements of 3-dimensional forest canopy surface structure. Although LIDAR systems can provide highly accurate measurements of canopy and terrain surfaces, high-...

Positional Accuracy of Airborne Integrated Global Positioning and Inertial Navigation Systems for Mapping in Glen Canyon, Arizona

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sanchez, Richard D.; Hothem, Larry D.

2002-01-01

High-resolution airborne and satellite image sensor systems integrated with onboard data collection based on the Global Positioning System (GPS) and inertial navigation systems (INS) may offer a quick and cost-effective way to gather accurate topographic map information without ground control or aerial triangulation. The Applanix Corporation?s Position and Orientation Solutions for Direct Georeferencing of aerial photography was used in this project to examine the positional accuracy of integrated GPS/INS for terrain mapping in Glen Canyon, Arizona. The research application in this study yielded important information on the usefulness and limits of airborne integrated GPS/INS data-capture systems for mapping.

Comparative performance between compressed and uncompressed airborne imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phan, Chung; Rupp, Ronald; Agarwal, Sanjeev; Trang, Anh; Nair, Sumesh

2008-04-01

The US Army's RDECOM CERDEC Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVESD), Countermine Division is evaluating the compressibility of airborne multi-spectral imagery for mine and minefield detection application. Of particular interest is to assess the highest image data compression rate that can be afforded without the loss of image quality for war fighters in the loop and performance of near real time mine detection algorithm. The JPEG-2000 compression standard is used to perform data compression. Both lossless and lossy compressions are considered. A multi-spectral anomaly detector such as RX (Reed & Xiaoli), which is widely used as a core algorithm baseline in airborne mine and minefield detection on different mine types, minefields, and terrains to identify potential individual targets, is used to compare the mine detection performance. This paper presents the compression scheme and compares detection performance results between compressed and uncompressed imagery for various level of compressions. The compression efficiency is evaluated and its dependence upon different backgrounds and other factors are documented and presented using multi-spectral data.

Development Considerations for the ICESat-2 ATL18 Terrain and Canopy Global Gridded Product

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pitts, K. L.; Neuenschwander, A. L.

2016-12-01

The ICESat-2 mission, expected to launch in late 2017 or early 2018, will provide estimates of terrain and canopy heights along the satellite ground track which will provide a significant benefit to society through a variety of applications ranging from improved global digital terrain models to mapping the distribution of above ground vegetation structure. Shortly after launch of ICESat-2, the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) mission will be placed on the International Space Station (ISS) and will also derive terrain and canopy heights using laser altimetry for latitudes covered by the ISS. NASA's GEDI mission is designed to capture forest structure in densely covered regions over a period of 12-18 months. This study will present the factors required to produce a global gridded product that fuses information from both ICESat-2 and GEDI. The gridded values from ICESat-2 will be calculated from the along-track geodetic measurements of the terrain and relative canopy heights (ATL08), but considerations must be made on how best to combine ICESat-2 terrain and canopy height estimates with GEDI terrain and canopy height estimates. In particular, factors such as phenology, spatial and temporal resolution, surface interpolation methods, and error propagation are presented.

Contamination and UV lasers: lessons learned

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daly, John G.

2015-09-01

Laser induced damage to optical elements has been a subject of significant research, development, and improvement, since the first lasers were built over the last 50 years. Better materials, with less absorption, impurities, and defects are available, as well as surface coatings with higher laser damage resistance. However, the presence of contamination (particles, surface deposition films, or airborne) can reduce the threshold for damage by several orders of magnitude. A brief review of the anticipated laser energy levels for damage free operation is presented as a lead into the problems associated with contamination for ultraviolet (UV) laser systems. As UV lasers become more common in applications especially in areas such as lithography, these problems have limited reliability and added to costs. This has been characterized as Airborne Molecular Contamination (AMC) in many published reports. Normal engineering guidelines such as screening materials within the optical compartment for low outgassing levels is the first step. The use of the NASA outgassing database (or similar test methods) with low Total Mass Loss (TML) and Condensed Collected Volatiles Collected Mass (CVCM) is a good baseline. Energetic UV photons are capable of chemical bond scission and interaction with surface contaminant or airborne materials results in deposition of obscuring film laser footprints that continue to degrade laser system performance. Laser systems with average powers less than 5 mW have been shown to exhibit aggressive degradation. Lessons learned over the past 15 years with UV laser contamination and steps to reduce risk will be presented.

Airborne lidar wind detection at 2 μm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Targ, Russell; Hawley, James G.; Steakley, Bruce C.; Ames, Lawrence L.; Robinson, Paul A.

1995-06-01

NASA and the FAA have expressed interest in laser radar's capabilities to detect wind profiles at altitude. A number of programs have been addressing the technical feasibility and utility of laser radar atmospheric backscatter data to determine wind profiles and wind hazards for aircraft guidance and navigation. In addition, the U.S. Air Force is investigating the use of airborne lidar to achieve precision air drop capability, and to increase the accuracy of the AC- 130 gunship and the B-52 bomber by measuring the wind field from the aircraft to the ground. There are emerging capabilities of airborne laser radar to measure wind velocities and detect turbulence and other atmospheric disturbances out in front of an aircraft in real time. The measurement of these parameters can significantly increase fuel efficiency, flight safety, airframe lifetime, and terminal area capacity for new and existing aircraft. This is achieved through wind velocity detection, turbulence avoidance, active control utilization to alleviate gust loading, and detection of wingtip wake vortices produced by landing aircraft. This paper presents the first flight test results of an all solid-state 2-micrometers laser radar system measuring the wind field profile 1 to 2 km in front of an aircraft in real time. We find 0.7-m/s wind measurement accuracy for the system which is configured in a rugged, light weight, high- performance ARINC package.

Combining airborne laser scanning and Landsat data for statistical modeling of soil carbon and tree biomass in Tanzanian Miombo woodlands.

PubMed

Egberth, Mikael; Nyberg, Gert; Næsset, Erik; Gobakken, Terje; Mauya, Ernest; Malimbwi, Rogers; Katani, Josiah; Chamuya, Nurudin; Bulenga, George; Olsson, Håkan

2017-12-01

Soil carbon and biomass depletion can be used to identify and quantify degraded soils, and by using remote sensing, there is potential to map soil conditions over large areas. Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager satellite data and airborne laser scanning data were evaluated separately and in combination for modeling soil organic carbon, above ground tree biomass and below ground tree biomass. The test site is situated in the Liwale district in southeastern Tanzania and is dominated by Miombo woodlands. Tree data from 15 m radius field-surveyed plots and samples of soil carbon down to a depth of 30 cm were used as reference data for tree biomass and soil carbon estimations. Cross-validated plot level error (RMSE) for predicting soil organic carbon was 28% using only Landsat 8, 26% using laser only, and 23% for the combination of the two. The plot level error for above ground tree biomass was 66% when using only Landsat 8, 50% for laser and 49% for the combination of Landsat 8 and laser data. Results for below ground tree biomass were similar to above ground biomass. Additionally it was found that an early dry season satellite image was preferable for modelling biomass while images from later in the dry season were better for modelling soil carbon. The results show that laser data is superior to Landsat 8 when predicting both soil carbon and biomass above and below ground in landscapes dominated by Miombo woodlands. Furthermore, the combination of laser data and Landsat data were marginally better than using laser data only.

Object-based analysis of multispectral airborne laser scanner data for land cover classification and map updating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matikainen, Leena; Karila, Kirsi; Hyyppä, Juha; Litkey, Paula; Puttonen, Eetu; Ahokas, Eero

2017-06-01

During the last 20 years, airborne laser scanning (ALS), often combined with passive multispectral information from aerial images, has shown its high feasibility for automated mapping processes. The main benefits have been achieved in the mapping of elevated objects such as buildings and trees. Recently, the first multispectral airborne laser scanners have been launched, and active multispectral information is for the first time available for 3D ALS point clouds from a single sensor. This article discusses the potential of this new technology in map updating, especially in automated object-based land cover classification and change detection in a suburban area. For our study, Optech Titan multispectral ALS data over a suburban area in Finland were acquired. Results from an object-based random forests analysis suggest that the multispectral ALS data are very useful for land cover classification, considering both elevated classes and ground-level classes. The overall accuracy of the land cover classification results with six classes was 96% compared with validation points. The classes under study included building, tree, asphalt, gravel, rocky area and low vegetation. Compared to classification of single-channel data, the main improvements were achieved for ground-level classes. According to feature importance analyses, multispectral intensity features based on several channels were more useful than those based on one channel. Automatic change detection for buildings and roads was also demonstrated by utilising the new multispectral ALS data in combination with old map vectors. In change detection of buildings, an old digital surface model (DSM) based on single-channel ALS data was also used. Overall, our analyses suggest that the new data have high potential for further increasing the automation level in mapping. Unlike passive aerial imaging commonly used in mapping, the multispectral ALS technology is independent of external illumination conditions, and there are

Single tree biomass modelling using airborne laser scanning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kankare, Ville; Räty, Minna; Yu, Xiaowei; Holopainen, Markus; Vastaranta, Mikko; Kantola, Tuula; Hyyppä, Juha; Hyyppä, Hannu; Alho, Petteri; Viitala, Risto

2013-11-01

Accurate forest biomass mapping methods would provide the means for e.g. detecting bioenergy potential, biofuel and forest-bound carbon. The demand for practical biomass mapping methods at all forest levels is growing worldwide, and viable options are being developed. Airborne laser scanning (ALS) is a promising forest biomass mapping technique, due to its capability of measuring the three-dimensional forest vegetation structure. The objective of the study was to develop new methods for tree-level biomass estimation using metrics derived from ALS point clouds and to compare the results with field references collected using destructive sampling and with existing biomass models. The study area was located in Evo, southern Finland. ALS data was collected in 2009 with pulse density equalling approximately 10 pulses/m2. Linear models were developed for the following tree biomass components: total, stem wood, living branch and total canopy biomass. ALS-derived geometric and statistical point metrics were used as explanatory variables when creating the models. The total and stem biomass root mean square error per cents equalled 26.3% and 28.4% for Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), and 36.8% and 27.6% for Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst.), respectively. The results showed that higher estimation accuracy for all biomass components can be achieved with models created in this study compared to existing allometric biomass models when ALS-derived height and diameter were used as input parameters. Best results were achieved when adding field-measured diameter and height as inputs in the existing biomass models. The only exceptions to this were the canopy and living branch biomass estimations for spruce. The achieved results are encouraging for the use of ALS-derived metrics in biomass mapping and for further development of the models.

Terrain Park Injuries

PubMed Central

Moffat, Craig; McIntosh, Scott; Bringhurst, Jade; Danenhauer, Karen; Gilmore, Nathan; Hopkins, Christy L.

2009-01-01

Background: This study examined demographics, injury pattern, and hospital outcome in patients injured in winter resort terrain parks. Methods: The study included patients ≥12 years of age who presented to a regional trauma center with an acute injury sustained at a winter resort. Emergency department (ED) research assistants collected patient injury and helmet use information using a prospectively designed questionnaire. ED and hospital data were obtained from trauma registry and hospital records. Results: Seventy-two patients were injured in a terrain park, and 263 patients were injured on non-terrain park slopes. Patients injured in terrain parks were more likely to be male [68/72 (94%) vs. 176/263 (67%), p<0.0001], younger in age [23 ± 7 vs. 36 ± 17, p<0.0001], live locally [47/72 (65%) vs. 124/263 (47%), p=0.006], use a snowboard [50/72 (69%) vs. 91/263 (35%), p<0.0001], hold a season pass [46/66 (70%) vs. 98/253 (39%), p<0.0001], and sustain an upper extremity injury [29/72 (40%) vs. 52/263 (20%), p<0.001] when compared to patients injured on non-terrain park slopes. There were no differences between the groups in terms of EMS transport to hospital, helmet use, admission rate, hospital length of stay, and patients requiring specialty consultation in the ED. Conclusions: Patients injured in terrain parks represent a unique demographic within winter resort patrons. Injury severity appears to be similar to those patients injured on non-terrain park slopes. PMID:20046245

Progress in coherent laser radar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vaughan, J. M.

1986-01-01

Considerable progress with coherent laser radar has been made over the last few years, most notably perhaps in the available range of high performance devices and components and the confidence with which systems may now be taken into the field for prolonged periods of operation. Some of this increasing maturity was evident at the 3rd Topical Meeting on Coherent Laser Radar: Technology and Applications. Topics included in discussions were: mesoscale wind fields, nocturnal valley drainage and clear air down bursts; airborne Doppler lidar studies and comparison of ground and airborne wind measurement; wind measurement over the sea for comparison with satellite borne microwave sensors; transport of wake vortices at airfield; coherent DIAL methods; a newly assembled Nd-YAG coherent lidar system; backscatter profiles in the atmosphere and wavelength dependence over the 9 to 11 micrometer region; beam propagation; rock and soil classification with an airborne 4-laser system; technology of a global wind profiling system; target calibration; ranging and imaging with coherent pulsed and CW system; signal fluctuations and speckle. Some of these activities are briefly reviewed.

Water Raman normalization of airborne laser fluorosensor measurements - A computer model study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Poole, L. R.; Esaias, W. E.

1982-01-01

The technique for normalizing airborne lidar measurements of chlorophyll fluoresence by the water Raman scattering signal is investigated for laser-excitation wavelengths of 480 and 532 nm using a semianalytic Monte Carlo methodology (SALMON). The signal-integration depth for chlorophyll fluorescence Z(90,F), is found to be insensitive to excitation wavelength and ranges from a maximum of 4.5 m in clearest waters to less than 1 m at a chlorophyll concentration of 20 microgram/liter. For excitation at 532 nm, the signal-integration depth for Raman scattering, Z(90,R), is comparable to Z(90,F). For excitation at 480 nm, Z(90,R) is four times as large as Z(90,F) in clearest waters but nearly equivalent at chlorophyll concentrations greater than 2-3 microgram/liter. Absolute signal levels are stronger with excitation at 480 nm than with excitation at 532 nm, but this advantage must be weighed against potential ambiguities resulting from different integration depths for the fluorescence and Raman scattering signals in clearer waters. To the precision of the simulations, Raman normalization produces effectively linear response to chlorophyll concentration for both excitation wavelengths.

Comparison of Continuous-Wave CO2 Lidar Calibration by use of Earth-Surface Targets in Laboratory and Airborne Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jarzembski, Maurice A.; Srivastava, Vandana

1998-01-01

Backscatter of several Earth surfaces was characterized in the laboratory as a function of incidence angle with a focused continuous-wave 9.1 micro meter CO2 Doppler lidar for use as possible calibration targets. Some targets showed negligible angular dependence, while others showed a slight increase with decreasing angle. The Earth-surface signal measured over the complex Californian terrain during a 1995 NASA airborne mission compared well with laboratory data. Distributions of the Earth's surface signal shows that the lidar efficiency can be estimated with a fair degree of accuracy, preferably with uniform Earth-surface targets during flight for airborne or space-based lidar.

A framework for automatic feature extraction from airborne light detection and ranging data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Jianhua

Recent advances in airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) technology allow rapid and inexpensive measurements of topography over large areas. Airborne LIDAR systems usually return a 3-dimensional cloud of point measurements from reflective objects scanned by the laser beneath the flight path. This technology is becoming a primary method for extracting information of different kinds of geometrical objects, such as high-resolution digital terrain models (DTMs), buildings and trees, etc. In the past decade, LIDAR gets more and more interest from researchers in the field of remote sensing and GIS. Compared to the traditional data sources, such as aerial photography and satellite images, LIDAR measurements are not influenced by sun shadow and relief displacement. However, voluminous data pose a new challenge for automated extraction the geometrical information from LIDAR measurements because many raster image processing techniques cannot be directly applied to irregularly spaced LIDAR points. In this dissertation, a framework is proposed to filter out information about different kinds of geometrical objects, such as terrain and buildings from LIDAR automatically. They are essential to numerous applications such as flood modeling, landslide prediction and hurricane animation. The framework consists of several intuitive algorithms. Firstly, a progressive morphological filter was developed to detect non-ground LIDAR measurements. By gradually increasing the window size and elevation difference threshold of the filter, the measurements of vehicles, vegetation, and buildings are removed, while ground data are preserved. Then, building measurements are identified from no-ground measurements using a region growing algorithm based on the plane-fitting technique. Raw footprints for segmented building measurements are derived by connecting boundary points and are further simplified and adjusted by several proposed operations to remove noise, which is caused by irregularly

Perception for rugged terrain

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kweon, In SO; Hebert, Martial; Kanade, Takeo

1989-01-01

A three-dimensional perception system for building a geometrical description of rugged terrain environments from range image data is presented with reference to the exploration of the rugged terrain of Mars. An intermediate representation consisting of an elevation map that includes an explicit representation of uncertainty and labeling of the occluded regions is proposed. The locus method used to convert range image to an elevation map is introduced, along with an uncertainty model based on this algorithm. Both the elevation map and the locus method are the basis of a terrain matching algorithm which does not assume any correspondences between range images. The two-stage algorithm consists of a feature-based matching algorithm to compute an initial transform and an iconic terrain matching algorithm to merge multiple range images into a uniform representation. Terrain modeling results on real range images of rugged terrain are presented. The algorithms considered are a fundamental part of the perception system for the Ambler, a legged locomotor.

Airborne LiDAR : a new source of traffic flow data.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2005-10-01

LiDAR (or airborne laser scanning) systems became a dominant player in high-precision spatial data acquisition : to efficiently create DEM/DSM in the late 90's. With increasing point density, new systems are now able to : support object extraction, s...

Airborne LiDAR : a new source of traffic flow data.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2005-10-01

LiDAR (or airborne laser scanning) systems became a dominant player in high-precision spatial data acquisition : to efficiently create DEM/DSM in the late 90s. With increasing point density, new systems are now able to : support object extraction, ...

Aerosol-fluorescence spectrum analyzer: real-time measurement of emission spectra of airborne biological particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hill, Steven C.; Pinnick, Ronald G.; Nachman, Paul; Chen, Gang; Chang, Richard K.; Mayo, Michael W.; Fernandez, Gilbert L.

1995-10-01

We have assembled an aerosol-fluorescence spectrum analyzer (AFS), which can measure the fluorescence spectra and elastic scattering of airborne particles as they flow through a laser beam. The aerosols traverse a scattering cell where they are illuminated with intense (50 kW/cm 2) light inside the cavity of an argon-ion laser operating at 488 nm. This AFS can obtain fluorescence spectra of individual dye-doped polystyrene microspheres as small as 0.5 mu m in diameter. The spectra obtained from microspheres doped with pink and green-yellow dyes are clearly different. We have also detected the fluorescence spectra of airborne particles (although not single particles) made from various

Using Satellite and Airborne LiDAR to Model Woodpecker Habitat Occupancy at the Landscape Scale

PubMed Central

Vierling, Lee A.; Vierling, Kerri T.; Adam, Patrick; Hudak, Andrew T.

2013-01-01

Incorporating vertical vegetation structure into models of animal distributions can improve understanding of the patterns and processes governing habitat selection. LiDAR can provide such structural information, but these data are typically collected via aircraft and thus are limited in spatial extent. Our objective was to explore the utility of satellite-based LiDAR data from the Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) relative to airborne-based LiDAR to model the north Idaho breeding distribution of a forest-dependent ecosystem engineer, the Red-naped sapsucker (Sphyrapicus nuchalis). GLAS data occurred within ca. 64 m diameter ellipses spaced a minimum of 172 m apart, and all occupancy analyses were confined to this grain scale. Using a hierarchical approach, we modeled Red-naped sapsucker occupancy as a function of LiDAR metrics derived from both platforms. Occupancy models based on satellite data were weak, possibly because the data within the GLAS ellipse did not fully represent habitat characteristics important for this species. The most important structural variables influencing Red-naped Sapsucker breeding site selection based on airborne LiDAR data included foliage height diversity, the distance between major strata in the canopy vertical profile, and the vegetation density near the ground. These characteristics are consistent with the diversity of foraging activities exhibited by this species. To our knowledge, this study represents the first to examine the utility of satellite-based LiDAR to model animal distributions. The large area of each GLAS ellipse and the non-contiguous nature of GLAS data may pose significant challenges for wildlife distribution modeling; nevertheless these data can provide useful information on ecosystem vertical structure, particularly in areas of gentle terrain. Additional work is thus warranted to utilize LiDAR datasets collected from both airborne and past and future satellite platforms (e.g. GLAS, and the planned IceSAT2

Coherent Doppler Laser Radar: Technology Development and Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kavaya, Michael J.; Arnold, James E. (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center has been investigating, developing, and applying coherent Doppler laser radar technology for over 30 years. These efforts have included the first wind measurement in 1967, the first airborne flights in 1972, the first airborne wind field mapping in 1981, and the first measurement of hurricane eyewall winds in 1998. A parallel effort at MSFC since 1982 has been the study, modeling and technology development for a space-based global wind measurement system. These endeavors to date have resulted in compact, robust, eyesafe lidars at 2 micron wavelength based on solid-state laser technology; in a factor of 6 volume reduction in near diffraction limited, space-qualifiable telescopes; in sophisticated airborne scanners with full platform motion subtraction; in local oscillator lasers capable of rapid tuning of 25 GHz for removal of relative laser radar to target velocities over a 25 km/s range; in performance prediction theory and simulations that have been validated experimentally; and in extensive field campaign experience. We have also begun efforts to dramatically improve the fundamental photon efficiency of the laser radar, to demonstrate advanced lower mass laser radar telescopes and scanners; to develop laser and laser radar system alignment maintenance technologies; and to greatly improve the electrical efficiency, cooling technique, and robustness of the pulsed laser. This coherent Doppler laser radar technology is suitable for high resolution, high accuracy wind mapping; for aerosol and cloud measurement; for Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) measurements of atmospheric and trace gases; for hard target range and velocity measurement; and for hard target vibration spectra measurement. It is also suitable for a number of aircraft operations applications such as clear air turbulence (CAT) detection; dangerous wind shear (microburst) detection; airspeed, angle of attack, and sideslip measurement; and fuel savings through

Scale dependency of forest functional diversity assessed using imaging spectroscopy and airborne laser scanning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schneider, F. D.; Morsdorf, F.; Schmid, B.; Petchey, O. L.; Hueni, A.; Schimel, D.; Schaepman, M. E.

2016-12-01

Forest functional traits offer a mechanistic link between ecological processes and community structure and assembly rules. However, measuring functional traits of forests in a continuous and consistent way is particularly difficult due to the complexity of in-situ measurements and geo-referencing. New imaging spectroscopy measurements overcome these limitations allowing to map physiological traits on broad spatial scales. We mapped leaf chlorophyll, carotenoids and leaf water content over 900 ha of temperate mixed forest (Fig. 1a). The selected traits are functionally important because they are indicating the photosynthetic potential of trees, leaf longevity and protection, as well as tree water and drought stress. Spatially continuous measurements on the scale of individual tree crowns allowed to assess functional diversity patterns on a range of ecological extents. We used indexes of functional richness, divergence and evenness to map different aspects of diversity. Fig. 1b shows an example of physiological richness at an extent of 240 m radius. We compared physiological to morphological diversity patterns, derived based on plant area index, canopy height and foliage height diversity. Our results show that patterns of physiological and morphological diversity generally agree, independently measured by airborne imaging spectroscopy and airborne laser scanning, respectively. The occurrence of disturbance areas and mixtures of broadleaf and needle trees were the main drivers of the observed diversity patterns. Spatial patterns at varying extents and richness-area relationships indicated that environmental filtering is the predominant community assembly process. Our results demonstrate the potential for mapping physiological and morphological diversity in a temperate mixed forest between and within species on scales relevant to study community assembly and structure from space and test the corresponding measurement schemes.

Classification of vegetation in an open landscape using full-waveform airborne laser scanner data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alexander, Cici; Deák, Balázs; Kania, Adam; Mücke, Werner; Heilmeier, Hermann

2015-09-01

Airborne laser scanning (ALS) is increasingly being used for the mapping of vegetation, although the focus so far has been on woody vegetation, and ALS data have only rarely been used for the classification of grassland vegetation. In this study, we classified the vegetation of an open alkali landscape, characterized by two Natura 2000 habitat types: Pannonic salt steppes and salt marshes and Pannonic loess steppic grasslands. We generated 18 variables from an ALS dataset collected in the growing (leaf-on) season. Elevation is a key factor determining the patterns of vegetation types in the landscape, and hence 3 additional variables were based on a digital terrain model (DTM) generated from an ALS dataset collected in the dormant (leaf-off) season. We classified the vegetation into 24 classes based on these 21 variables, at a pixel size of 1 m. Two groups of variables with and without the DTM-based variables were used in a Random Forest classifier, to estimate the influence of elevation, on the accuracy of the classification. The resulting classes at Level 4, based on associations, were aggregated at three levels - Level 3 (11 classes), Level 2 (8 classes) and Level 1 (5 classes) - based on species pool, site conditions and structure, and the accuracies were assessed. The classes were also aggregated based on Natura 2000 habitat types to assess the accuracy of the classification, and its usefulness for the monitoring of habitat quality. The vegetation could be classified into dry grasslands, wetlands, weeds, woody species and man-made features, at Level 1, with an accuracy of 0.79 (Cohen's kappa coefficient, κ). The accuracies at Levels 2-4 and the classification based on the Natura 2000 habitat types were κ: 0.76, 0.61, 0.51 and 0.69, respectively. Levels 1 and 2 provide suitable information for nature conservationists and land managers, while Levels 3 and 4 are especially useful for ecologists, geologists and soil scientists as they provide high resolution

Characteristics of an airborne demonstrator for MERLIN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amediek, A.; Büdenbender, C.; Ehret, G.; Fix, A.; Kiemle, C.; Quatrevalet, M.; Wirth, M.; Dieter, H.; Löhring, J.; Klein, V.

2012-12-01

After three years development time, first test measurements on DLR's (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt) CO2 and CH4 airborne Lidar have started. It is an integrated path differential absorption (IPDA) lidar for the simultaneous measurement of CO2 and CH4 columns, designed for operation onboard the new German research aircraft HALO. In the framework of the project "CHARM-F", funded by the German ministry of education and research, the lidar was developed in collaboration with Fraunhofer Institut für Lasertechnik and Kayser-Threde. Due to the special features of the aircraft, such as the maximum flight altitude of 15 km and its long range, as well as the special design of the lidar, the system is particularly suitable to be an airborne demonstrator for the French-German MERLIN project, a spaceborne IPDA lidar sounder for methane. The layout of the receiver optics allows a large field of view, i.e. a large laser footprint on ground is possible, comparable to the size obtained by a spaceborne system. So, important features that come along with ground reflectivity issues, such as albedo variations on different spatial scales, can be taken into account in the same way and can be investigated in detail. Furthermore, two detector types are used, PIN photodiodes and APDs, each with specially adapted telescopes, to compare their respective properties. The basic design of the transmitter is identical to the one envisaged for MERLIN. Also important subsystems of the presented lidar, like wavelengths stabilization and output power monitoring, can serve as demonstrators for the satellite system. The main features of the airborne system are: Two almost identical laser systems for CH4 and CO2. Nd:YAG lasers serve as the pump sources for optical parametric oscillators (OPO), injection seeded by laser diodes, to generate the desired online and offline wavelengths in single mode operation. The online wavelength is tuned to an absorption line of the measured trace gas, the

Sidelooking laser altimeter for a flight simulator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Webster, L. D. (Inventor)

1983-01-01

An improved laser altimeter for a flight simulator which allows measurement of the height of the simulator probe above the terrain directly below the probe tip is described. A laser beam is directed from the probe at an angle theta to the horizontal to produce a beam spot on the terrain. The angle theta that the laser beam makes with the horizontal is varied so as to bring the beam spot into coincidence with a plumb line coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the probe. A television altimeter camera observes the beam spot and has a raster line aligned with the plumb line. Spot detector circuit coupled to the output of the TV camera monitors the position of the beam spot relative to the plumb line.

Observation of wind field over heterogeneous terrain by the French-German airborne Doppler lidar WIND

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dabas, A.; Werner, C.; Delville, P.; Reitebuch, O.; Drobinski, P.; Cousin, F.

2003-04-01

In summer 2001, the French-German airborne Doppler lidar WIND participated to field campaign ESCOMPTE. ESCOMPTE was carried out in the region of Marseille along the Mediterranean coast of France. It was dedicated to the observation of heavy pollution events in this industrialized, densely populated region of nearly 4 million inhabitants. The aim was to gather a data base as comprehensive as possible on several pollution events and use them to check the ability of several regional forecast models to predict such events. The specific mission devoted to WIND was the characterization at mesoscale of the wind field and the topography of the planetary boundary layer. Both are complex around Marseille due the heterogeneity of the surface with a transition sea/land to the south, the fore-Alps to the North, the Rhône valley to the North-West etc... Seven, 3-hr flights were carried out and gave excellent results. In 2002, first comparisons were made with mesoscale models. They will be shown during the presentation. They are good examples of the usefulness of airborne Doppler lidar for validating and improving atmospheric model simulations.

Photon-Counting Laser Altimeters: Aircraft Demonstration and Future Application to Globally Contiguous Spaceborne Topographic Mapping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Degnan, J. J.

2002-05-01

We have recently demonstrated a scanning, photon-counting, laser altimeter, which is capable of daylight operations from aircraft cruise altitudes. The instrument measures the times-of-flight of individual photons to deduce the distances between the instrument reference and points on the underlying terrain from which the arriving photons were reflected. By imaging the terrain onto a highly pixellated detector followed by a multi-channel timing receiver, one can make multiple spatially-resolved measurements to the surface within a single laser pulse. The horizontal spatial resolution is limited by the optical projection of a single pixel onto the surface. In short, a 3D image of the terrain within the laser ground spot is obtained on each laser fire, assuming at least one signal photon is recorded by each pixel.. In test flights, a prototype airborne system has successfully recorded few kHz rate, single photon returns from clouds, soils, man-made objects, vegetation, and water surfaces at mid-day under conditions of maximum solar illumination. The system has also demonstrated a capability to resolve volumetrically distributed targets, such as tree canopies, and has performed wave height measurements and shallow water bathymetry over the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean. The signal photons were reliably extracted from the solar noise background using an optimized Post-Detection Poisson Filter. The passively Q-switched microchip Nd:YAG laser transmitter measures only 2.25 mm in length and is pumped by a single 1.2 Watt laser diode. The output is frequency-doubled to take advantage of higher detector counting efficiencies and narrower spectral filters available at 532 nm. The transmitter produces a few microjoules of green energy in a subnanosecond pulse at several kilohertz rates. The illuminated ground area is imaged by a 14 cm diameter, diffraction-limited, off-axis telescope onto a segmented anode photomultiplier with up to 16 pixels (4 x4). Each anode segment is

Revised method for forest canopy height estimation from Geoscience Laser Altimeter System waveforms.

Treesearch

Michael A. Lefskya; Michael Keller; Yong Panga; Plinio B. de Camargod; Maria O. Hunter

2007-01-01

The vertical extent of waveforms collected by the Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (onboard ICESat - the Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite) increases as a function of terrain slope and footprint size (the area on the ground that is illuminated by the laser). Over sloped terrain, returns from both canopy and ground surfaces can occur at the same elevation. As a...

Application of airborne laser scanner measurements of ocean roughness to the calibration and validation of a satellite bistatic radar experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parrin, J.; Garrison, J. L.

2006-12-01

A high-resolution airborne laser scanner, from the National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping (NCALM) was used to profile the ocean surface in an attempt to experimentally measure the ocean height spectrum down to wavelengths as small as a few centimetres. In October of 2005, three data collections were scheduled, during overpasses of the UK-DMC satellite, off the coast of Virginia. UK-DMC carries an experimental bistatic radar receiver, which uses Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals as illumination sources. Most models for reflected GNSS signals relate the shape of the signal correlation waveforms to the ocean roughness, parameterized as a probability distribution (PDF) of surface slopes. This statistical description of the ocean surface must first be filtered to wavelengths greater than some fraction of the GNSS wavelength of 19 cm. Past experimental campaigns have used more common in-situ measurements, such as wind speed, for comparison with GNSS waveforms. These types of measurements will require the assumption of some empirical model for the ocean height spectrum, allowing the computation of the filtered slope statistics. Proposed applications of reflected GNSS signals include the correction of ocean roughness effects in passive microwave radiometry. To evaluate the feasibility of GNSS reflections for this measurement, it is important to make a more direct measurement of the ocean surface slope statistics, without the assumption of a spectrum model. In these experiments, a direct measurement of this spectrum was attempted, using the NCALM system. The laser scanner was operated on a low altitude (500 m) aircraft, at the highest sample rate (33KHz), generating ocean height measurements with an along-track separation of a few millimetres. The laser illuminates a spot on the ocean surface that is smaller than 10 cm, however, limiting the smallest resolvable wavelength to something on that order. Laser data were collected along multiple flight lines

A Comparison between Airborne and Mountaintop Cloud Microphysics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

David, R.; Lowenthal, D. H.; Hallar, A. G.; McCubbin, I.; Avallone, L. M.; Mace, G. G.; Wang, Z.

2014-12-01

Complex terrain has a large impact on cloud dynamics and microphysics. Several studies have examined the microphysical details of orographically-enhanced clouds from either an aircraft or from a mountain top location. However, further research is needed to characterize the relationships between mountain top and airborne microphysical properties. During the winter of 2011, an airborne study, the Colorado Airborne Mixed-Phase Cloud Study (CAMPS), and a ground-based field campaign, the Storm Peak Lab (SPL) Cloud Property Validation Experiment (StormVEx) were conducted in the Park Range of the Colorado Rockies. The CAMPS study utilized the University of Wyoming King Air (UWKA) to provide airborne cloud microphysical and meteorological data on 29 flights totaling 98 flight hours over the Park Range from December 15, 2010 to February 28, 2011. The UWKA was equipped with instruments that measured both cloud droplet and ice crystal size distributions, liquid water content, total water content (vapor, liquid, and ice), and 3-dimensional wind speed and direction. The Wyoming Cloud Radar and Lidar were also deployed during the campaign. These measurements are used to characterize cloud structure upwind and above the Park Range. StormVEx measured cloud droplet, ice crystal, and aerosol size distributions at SPL, located on the west summit of Mt. Werner at 3220m MSL. The observations from SPL are used to determine mountain top cloud microphysical properties at elevations lower than the UWKA was able to sample in-situ. Comparisons showed that cloud microphysics aloft and at the surface were consistent with respect to snow growth processes while small crystal concentrations were routinely higher at the surface, suggesting ice nucleation near cloud base. The effects of aerosol concentrations and upwind stability on mountain top and downwind microphysics are considered.

Prospects of the ICESat-2 Laser Altimetry Mission for Savanna Ecosystem Structural Studies Based on Airborne Simulation Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gwenzi, David; Lefsky, Michael A.; Suchdeo, Vijay P.; Harding, David J.

2016-01-01

The next planned spaceborne lidar mission is the Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite 2 (ICESat-2), which will use the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS) sensor, a photon counting technique. To pre-validate the capability of this mission for studying three dimensional vegetation structure in savannas, we assessed the potential of the measurement approach to estimate canopy height in an oak savanna landscape. We used data from the Multiple Altimeter Beam Experimental Lidar (MABEL), an airborne photon counting lidar sensor developed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. ATLAS-like data was generated using the MATLAS simulator, which adjusts MABEL data's detected number of signal and noise photons to that expected from the ATLAS instrument. Transects flown over the Tejon ranch conservancy in Kern County, California, USA were used for this work. For each transect we chose to use data from the near infrared channel that had the highest number of photons. We segmented each transect into 50 m, 25 m and 14 m long blocks and aggregated the photons in each block into a histogram based on their elevation values. We then used an automated algorithm to identify cut off points where the cumulative density of photons from the highest elevation indicates the presence of the canopy top and likewise where such cumulative density from the lowest elevation indicates the mean terrain elevation. MABEL derived height metrics were moderately correlated to discrete return lidar (DRL) derived height metrics r(sub 2) and RMSE values ranging from 0.60 to 0.73 and 2.9 m to 4.4 m respectively) but MATLAS simulation resulted in more modest correlations with DRL indices r(sub 2) ranging from 0.5 to 0.64 and RMSE from 3.6 m to 4.6 m). Simulations also indicated that the expected number of signal photons from ATLAS will be substantially lower, a situation that reduces canopy height estimation precision especially in areas of low density vegetation cover. On the basis of the

Airborne multidimensional integrated remote sensing system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Weiming; Wang, Jianyu; Shu, Rong; He, Zhiping; Ma, Yanhua

2006-12-01

In this paper, we present a kind of airborne multidimensional integrated remote sensing system that consists of an imaging spectrometer, a three-line scanner, a laser ranger, a position & orientation subsystem and a stabilizer PAV30. The imaging spectrometer is composed of two sets of identical push-broom high spectral imager with a field of view of 22°, which provides a field of view of 42°. The spectral range of the imaging spectrometer is from 420nm to 900nm, and its spectral resolution is 5nm. The three-line scanner is composed of two pieces of panchromatic CCD and a RGB CCD with 20° stereo angle and 10cm GSD(Ground Sample Distance) with 1000m flying height. The laser ranger can provide height data of three points every other four scanning lines of the spectral imager and those three points are calibrated to match the corresponding pixels of the spectral imager. The post-processing attitude accuracy of POS/AV 510 used as the position & orientation subsystem, which is the aerial special exterior parameters measuring product of Canadian Applanix Corporation, is 0.005° combined with base station data. The airborne multidimensional integrated remote sensing system was implemented successfully, performed the first flying experiment on April, 2005, and obtained satisfying data.

Information measures for terrain visualization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonaventura, Xavier; Sima, Aleksandra A.; Feixas, Miquel; Buckley, Simon J.; Sbert, Mateu; Howell, John A.

2017-02-01

Many quantitative and qualitative studies in geoscience research are based on digital elevation models (DEMs) and 3D surfaces to aid understanding of natural and anthropogenically-influenced topography. As well as their quantitative uses, the visual representation of DEMs can add valuable information for identifying and interpreting topographic features. However, choice of viewpoints and rendering styles may not always be intuitive, especially when terrain data are augmented with digital image texture. In this paper, an information-theoretic framework for object understanding is applied to terrain visualization and terrain view selection. From a visibility channel between a set of viewpoints and the component polygons of a 3D terrain model, we obtain three polygonal information measures. These measures are used to visualize the information associated with each polygon of the terrain model. In order to enhance the perception of the terrain's shape, we explore the effect of combining the calculated information measures with the supplementary digital image texture. From polygonal information, we also introduce a method to select a set of representative views of the terrain model. Finally, we evaluate the behaviour of the proposed techniques using example datasets. A publicly available framework for both the visualization and the view selection of a terrain has been created in order to provide the possibility to analyse any terrain model.

Geodetic Imaging Lidar: Applications for high-accuracy, large area mapping with NASA's upcoming high-altitude waveform-based airborne laser altimetry Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blair, J. B.; Rabine, D.; Hofton, M. A.; Citrin, E.; Luthcke, S. B.; Misakonis, A.; Wake, S.

2015-12-01

Full waveform laser altimetry has demonstrated its ability to capture highly-accurate surface topography and vertical structure (e.g. vegetation height and structure) even in the most challenging conditions. NASA's high-altitude airborne laser altimeter, LVIS (the Land Vegetation, and Ice Sensor) has produced high-accuracy surface maps over a wide variety of science targets for the last 2 decades. Recently NASA has funded the transition of LVIS into a full-time NASA airborne Facility instrument to increase the amount and quality of the data and to decrease the end-user costs, to expand the utilization and application of this unique sensor capability. Based heavily on the existing LVIS sensor design, the Facility LVIS instrument includes numerous improvements for reliability, resolution, real-time performance monitoring and science products, decreased operational costs, and improved data turnaround time and consistency. The development of this Facility instrument is proceeding well and it is scheduled to begin operations testing in mid-2016. A comprehensive description of the LVIS Facility capability will be presented along with several mission scenarios and science applications examples. The sensor improvements included increased spatial resolution (footprints as small as 5 m), increased range precision (sub-cm single shot range precision), expanded dynamic range, improved detector sensitivity, operational autonomy, real-time flight line tracking, and overall increased reliability and sensor calibration stability. The science customer mission planning and data product interface will be discussed. Science applications of the LVIS Facility include: cryosphere, territorial ecology carbon cycle, hydrology, solid earth and natural hazards, and biodiversity.

Forest structure analysis combining laser scanning with digital airborne photogrammetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lissak, Candide; Onda, Yuichi; Kato, Hiroaki

2017-04-01

The interest of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) for vegetation structure analysis has been demonstrated in several research context. Indeed, airborne or ground Lidar surveys can provide detailed three-dimensional data of the forest structure from understorey forest to the canopy. To characterize at different timescale the vegetation components in dense cedar forests we can combine several sources point clouds from Lidar survey and photogrammetry data. For our study, Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS-Leica ScanStation C10 processed with Cyclone software) have been lead in three forest areas (≈ 200m2 each zone) mainly composed of japanese cedar (Japonica cryptomeria), in the region of Fukushima (Japan). The study areas are characterized by various vegetation densities. For the 3 areas, Terrestrial laser scanning has been performed from several location points and several heights. Various floors shootings (ground, 4m, 6m and 18m high) were able with the use of a several meters high tower implanted to study the canopy evolution following the Fukushima Daiishi nuclear power plant accident. The combination of all scanners provides a very dense 3D point cloud of ground and canopy structure (average 300 000 000 points). For the Tochigi forest area, a first test of a low-cost Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) photogrammetry has been lead and calibrated by ground GPS measurements to determine the coordinates of points. TLS combined to UAV photogrammetry make it possible to obtain information on vertical and horizontal structure of the Tochigi forest. This combination of technologies will allow the forest structure mapping, morphometry analysis and the assessment of biomass volume evolution from multi-temporal point clouds. In our research, we used a low-cost UAV 3 Advanced (200 m2 cover, 1300 pictures...). Data processing were performed using PotoScan Pro software to obtain a very dense point clouds to combine to TLS data set. This low-cost UAV photogrammetry data has been

Geological terrain models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaupp, V. H.; Macdonald, H. C.; Waite, W. P.

1981-01-01

The initial phase of a program to determine the best interpretation strategy and sensor configuration for a radar remote sensing system for geologic applications is discussed. In this phase, terrain modeling and radar image simulation were used to perform parametric sensitivity studies. A relatively simple computer-generated terrain model is presented, and the data base, backscatter file, and transfer function for digital image simulation are described. Sets of images are presented that simulate the results obtained with an X-band radar from an altitude of 800 km and at three different terrain-illumination angles. The simulations include power maps, slant-range images, ground-range images, and ground-range images with statistical noise incorporated. It is concluded that digital image simulation and computer modeling provide cost-effective methods for evaluating terrain variations and sensor parameter changes, for predicting results, and for defining optimum sensor parameters.

Sampling in rugged terrain

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dawson, D.K.; Ralph, C. John; Scott, J. Michael

1981-01-01

Work in rugged terrain poses some unique problems that should be considered before research is initiated. Besides the obvious physical difficulties of crossing uneven terrain, topography can influence the bird species? composition of a forest and the observer's ability to detect birds and estimate distances. Census results can also be affected by the slower rate of travel on rugged terrain. Density figures may be higher than results obtained from censuses in similar habitat on level terrain because of the greater likelihood of double-recording of individuals and of recording species that sing infrequently. In selecting a census technique, the researcher should weigh the efficiency and applicability of a technique for the objectives of his study in light of the added difficulties posed by rugged terrain. The variable circular-plot method is probably the most effective technique for estimating bird numbers. Bird counts and distance estimates are facilitated because the observer is stationary, and calculations of species? densities take into account differences in effective area covered amongst stations due to variability in terrain or vegetation structure. Institution of precautions that minimize the risk of injury to field personnel can often enhance the observer?s ability to detect birds.

Absolute, pressure-dependent validation of a calibration-free, airborne laser hygrometer transfer standard (SEALDH-II) from 5 to 1200 ppmv using a metrological humidity generator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buchholz, Bernhard; Ebert, Volker

2018-01-01

Highly accurate water vapor measurements are indispensable for understanding a variety of scientific questions as well as industrial processes. While in metrology water vapor concentrations can be defined, generated, and measured with relative uncertainties in the single percentage range, field-deployable airborne instruments deviate even under quasistatic laboratory conditions up to 10-20 %. The novel SEALDH-II hygrometer, a calibration-free, tuneable diode laser spectrometer, bridges this gap by implementing a new holistic concept to achieve higher accuracy levels in the field. We present in this paper the absolute validation of SEALDH-II at a traceable humidity generator during 23 days of permanent operation at 15 different H2O mole fraction levels between 5 and 1200 ppmv. At each mole fraction level, we studied the pressure dependence at six different gas pressures between 65 and 950 hPa. Further, we describe the setup for this metrological validation, the challenges to overcome when assessing water vapor measurements on a high accuracy level, and the comparison results. With this validation, SEALDH-II is the first airborne, metrologically validated humidity transfer standard which links several scientific airborne and laboratory measurement campaigns to the international metrological water vapor scale.

Portable Laser Spectrometer for Airborne and Ground-Based Remote Sensing of Geological CO2 Emissions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Queisser, Manuel; Burton, Mike; Allan, Graham R.; Chiarugi, Antonio

2017-01-01

A 24 kilogram, suitcase-sized, CW (Continuous Wave) Laser Remote Sensing Spectrometer (LARSS) with an approximately 2-kilometer range has been developed. It has demonstrated its flexibility in measuring both atmospheric CO2 from an airborne platform and terrestrial emission of CO2 from a remote mud volcano, Bledug Kuwu, Indonesia, from a ground-based sight. This system scans the CO2 absorption line with 20 discrete wavelengths, as opposed to the typical two-wavelength online-offline instrument. This multi-wavelength approach offers an effective quality control, bias control, and confidence estimate of measured CO2 concentrations via spectral fitting. The simplicity, ruggedness, and flexibility in the design allow for easy transportation and use on different platforms with a quick setup in some of the most challenging climatic conditions. While more refinement is needed, the results represent a stepping stone towards widespread use of active one-sided gas remote sensing in the earth sciences.

Differently Aged Terrain

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-07-09

NASA Cassini spacecraft examines old and new terrain on Saturn fascinating Enceladus, a moon where jets of water ice particles and vapor spew from the south pole. Newly created terrain is at the bottom, in the center and on the left of this view.

Laser Doppler velocimeter aerial spray measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zalay, A. D.; Eberle, W. R.; Howle, R. E.; Shrider, K. R.

1978-01-01

An experimental research program for measuring the location, spatial extent, and relative concentration of airborne spray clouds generated by agricultural aircraft is described. The measurements were conducted with a ground-based laser Doppler velocimeter. The remote sensing instrumentation, experimental tests, and the results of the flight tests are discussed. The cross section of the aerial spray cloud and the observed location, extent, and relative concentration of the airborne particulates are presented. It is feasible to use a mobile laser Doppler velocimeter to track and monitor the transport and dispersion of aerial spray generated by an agricultural aircraft.

Complete Scene Recovery and Terrain Classification in Textured Terrain Meshes

PubMed Central

Song, Wei; Cho, Kyungeun; Um, Kyhyun; Won, Chee Sun; Sim, Sungdae

2012-01-01

Terrain classification allows a mobile robot to create an annotated map of its local environment from the three-dimensional (3D) and two-dimensional (2D) datasets collected by its array of sensors, including a GPS receiver, gyroscope, video camera, and range sensor. However, parts of objects that are outside the measurement range of the range sensor will not be detected. To overcome this problem, this paper describes an edge estimation method for complete scene recovery and complete terrain reconstruction. Here, the Gibbs-Markov random field is used to segment the ground from 2D videos and 3D point clouds. Further, a masking method is proposed to classify buildings and trees in a terrain mesh. PMID:23112653

Analysis and Testing of a LIDAR-Based Approach to Terrain Relative Navigation for Precise Lunar Landing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Andrew E.; Ivanov, Tonislav I.

2011-01-01

To increase safety and land near pre-deployed resources, future NASA missions to the moon will require precision landing. A LIDAR-based terrain relative navigation (TRN) approach can achieve precision landing under any lighting conditions. This paper presents results from processing flash lidar and laser altimeter field test data that show LIDAR TRN can obtain position estimates less than 90m while automatically detecting and eliminating incorrect measurements using internal metrics on terrain relief and data correlation. Sensitivity studies show that the algorithm has no degradation in matching performance with initial position uncertainties up to 1.6 km

A Lagrangian particle model to predict the airborne spread of foot-and-mouth disease virus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mayer, D.; Reiczigel, J.; Rubel, F.

Airborne spread of bioaerosols in the boundary layer over a complex terrain is simulated using a Lagrangian particle model, and applied to modelling the airborne spread of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) virus. Two case studies are made with study domains located in a hilly region in the northwest of the Styrian capital Graz, the second largest town in Austria. Mountainous terrain as well as inhomogeneous and time varying meteorological conditions prevent from application of so far used Gaussian dispersion models, while the proposed model can handle these realistically. In the model, trajectories of several thousands of particles are computed and the distribution of virus concentration near the ground is calculated. This allows to assess risk of infection areas with respect to animal species of interest, such as cattle, swine or sheep. Meteorological input data like wind field and other variables necessary to compute turbulence were taken from the new pre-operational version of the non-hydrostatic numerical weather prediction model LMK ( Lokal-Modell-Kürzestfrist) running at the German weather service DWD ( Deutscher Wetterdienst). The LMK model provides meteorological parameters with a spatial resolution of about 2.8 km. To account for the spatial resolution of 400 m used by the Lagrangian particle model, the initial wind field is interpolated upon the finer grid by a mass consistent interpolation method. Case studies depict a significant influence of local wind systems on the spread of virus. Higher virus concentrations at the upwind side of the hills and marginal concentrations in the lee are well observable, as well as canalization effects by valleys. The study demonstrates that the Lagrangian particle model is an appropriate tool for risk assessment of airborne spread of virus by taking into account the realistic orographic and meteorological conditions.

Lidar Measurements of Aerosol and Ozone Distributions During the 1992 Airborne Arctic Stratospheric Expedition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Browell, E. V.; Butler, C. F.; Fenn, M. A.; Grant, W. B.; Carter, A. F.

1992-01-01

The LaRC airborne lidar system was operated from the ARC DC-8 aircraft during the 1992 Airborne Arctic Stratospheric Expedition (ASEE-2) to investigate the distribution of stratospheric aerosols and O3 across the Arctic vortex from Jan. to Mar. 1992. Monthly flights were made across the Arctic vortex from Anchorage, Alaska, to Stavanger, Norway, and then back to Bangor, Maine, and additional round-trip flights north into the vortex were made each month from either Stavanger or Bangor depending on the location of the vortex that month. The airborne lidar system uses the differential absorption lidar (DIAL) technique at laser wavelengths of 301.5 and 310.8 nm to measure O3 profiles above the DC-8 over the 12-25 km altitude range. Lidar measurements of aerosol backscatter and depolarization profiles over the 12-30 km altitude range are made simultaneously with the O3 measurements using infrared (IR) and visible (VIS) laser wavelengths of 603 and 1064 nm, respectively. The measurements of Pinatubo aerosols, polar stratospheric clouds, and O3 made with the airborne DIAL system during the AASE-2 expedition and to chemical and dynamical process that contribute to O3 depletion in the wintertime Arctic stratosphere.

Airborne LiDAR : a new source of traffic flow data : executive summary.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2005-10-01

LiDAR (or airborne laser scanning) systems became a : dominant player in high-precision spatial data : acquisition in the late 90s. This new technology : quickly established itself as the main source of surface : information in commercial mapping,...

Airborne Lidar Measurements of Atmospheric Pressure Made Using the Oxygen A-Band

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Riris, Haris; Rodriquez, Michael; Allan, Graham R.; Hasselbrack, William E.; Stephen, Mark A.; Abshire, James B.

2011-01-01

We report on airborne measurements of atmospheric pressure using a fiber-laser based lidar operating in the oxygen A-band near 765 nm and the integrated path differential absorption measurement technique. Our lidar uses fiber optic technology and non-linear optics to generate tunable laser radiation at 765 nm, which overlaps an absorption line pair in the Oxygen A-band. We use a pulsed time resolved technique, which rapidly steps the laser wavelength across the absorption line pair, a 20 cm telescope and photon counting detector to measure Oxygen concentrations.

Vertical structure and microphysical characteristics of precipitation on the high terrain and lee side of the Olympic Mountains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zagrodnik, J. P.; McMurdie, L. A.; Houze, R.

2017-12-01

As mid-latitude cyclones pass over coastal mountain ranges, the processes producing their clouds and precipitation are modified when they encounter complex terrain, leading to a maximum in precipitation fallout on the windward slopes and a minimum on the lee side. The precipitation that does reach the high terrain and lee side of a mountain range can be theoretically determined by a complex interaction between the dynamics of air lifting over the terrain, the thermodynamics of moist air, and the microphysical time required to grow particles large enough to fall out. To date, there have been few observational studies that have focused on the nonlinear microphysical processes contributing to the variability of precipitation that is received on the lee side slopes of a mountain range such as the Olympic Mountains. The 2015-16 Olympic Mountains Experiment (OLYMPEX) collected unprecedented observations on the high terrain and lee side of the Olympic Mountains including frequent soundings on Vancouver Island, dual-polarization Doppler radar, multi-frequency airborne radar, and ground-based particle size and crystal habit observations at the higher elevation Hurricane Ridge site. We utilize these observations to examine the evolution of the vertical structure and microphysical precipitation characteristics over the high terrain and leeside within the context of large-scale dynamic and thermodynamic conditions that evolve during the passage of cold season mid-latitude cyclones. The primary goal is to determine the degree to which the observed variability in lee side precipitation amount and microphysical properties are controlled by variations in temperature, flow speed and direction, shear, and stability associated with characteristic synoptic storm sectors and frontal passages.

Expression of terrain and surface geology in high-resolution helicopter-borne gravity gradient (AGG) data: examples from Great Sand Dunes National Park, Rio Grande Rift, Colorado

USGS Publications Warehouse

Drenth, Benjamin J.

2013-01-01

Airborne gravity gradient (AGG) data are rapidly becoming standard components of geophysical mapping programs, due to their advantages in cost, access, and resolution advantages over measurements of the gravity field on the ground. Unlike conventional techniques that measure the gravity field, AGG methods measure derivatives of the gravity field. This means that effects of terrain and near-surface geology are amplified in AGG data, and that proper terrain corrections are critically important for AGG data processing. However, terrain corrections require reasonable estimates of density for the rocks and sediments that make up the terrain. A recommended philosophical approach is to use the terrain and surface geology, with their strong expression in AGG data, to the interpreter’s advantage. An example of such an approach is presented here for an area with very difficult ground access and little ground gravity data. Nettleton-style profiling is used with AGG data to estimate the densities of the sand dunefield and adjacent Precambrian rocks from the area of Great Sand Dunes National Park in southern Colorado. Processing of the AGG data using the density estimate for the dunefield allows buried structures, including a hypothesized buried basement bench, to be mapped beneath the sand dunes.

Characterization of airborne bacteria at an underground subway station.

PubMed

Dybwad, Marius; Granum, Per Einar; Bruheim, Per; Blatny, Janet Martha

2012-03-01

The reliable detection of airborne biological threat agents depends on several factors, including the performance criteria of the detector and its operational environment. One step in improving the detector's performance is to increase our knowledge of the biological aerosol background in potential operational environments. Subway stations are enclosed public environments, which may be regarded as potential targets for incidents involving biological threat agents. In this study, the airborne bacterial community at a subway station in Norway was characterized (concentration level, diversity, and virulence- and survival-associated properties). In addition, a SASS 3100 high-volume air sampler and a matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry-based isolate screening procedure was used for these studies. The daytime level of airborne bacteria at the station was higher than the nighttime and outdoor levels, and the relative bacterial spore number was higher in outdoor air than at the station. The bacterial content, particle concentration, and size distribution were stable within each environment throughout the study (May to September 2010). The majority of the airborne bacteria belonged to the genera Bacillus, Micrococcus, and Staphylococcus, but a total of 37 different genera were identified in the air. These results suggest that anthropogenic sources are major contributors to airborne bacteria at subway stations and that such airborne communities could harbor virulence- and survival-associated properties of potential relevance for biological detection and surveillance, as well as for public health. Our findings also contribute to the development of realistic testing and evaluation schemes for biological detection/surveillance systems by providing information that can be used to mimic real-life operational airborne environments in controlled aerosol test chambers.

Characterization of Airborne Bacteria at an Underground Subway Station

PubMed Central

Dybwad, Marius; Granum, Per Einar; Bruheim, Per

2012-01-01

The reliable detection of airborne biological threat agents depends on several factors, including the performance criteria of the detector and its operational environment. One step in improving the detector's performance is to increase our knowledge of the biological aerosol background in potential operational environments. Subway stations are enclosed public environments, which may be regarded as potential targets for incidents involving biological threat agents. In this study, the airborne bacterial community at a subway station in Norway was characterized (concentration level, diversity, and virulence- and survival-associated properties). In addition, a SASS 3100 high-volume air sampler and a matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight mass spectrometry-based isolate screening procedure was used for these studies. The daytime level of airborne bacteria at the station was higher than the nighttime and outdoor levels, and the relative bacterial spore number was higher in outdoor air than at the station. The bacterial content, particle concentration, and size distribution were stable within each environment throughout the study (May to September 2010). The majority of the airborne bacteria belonged to the genera Bacillus, Micrococcus, and Staphylococcus, but a total of 37 different genera were identified in the air. These results suggest that anthropogenic sources are major contributors to airborne bacteria at subway stations and that such airborne communities could harbor virulence- and survival-associated properties of potential relevance for biological detection and surveillance, as well as for public health. Our findings also contribute to the development of realistic testing and evaluation schemes for biological detection/surveillance systems by providing information that can be used to mimic real-life operational airborne environments in controlled aerosol test chambers. PMID:22247150

Automated Mounting Bias Calibration for Airborne LIDAR System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, J.; Jiang, W.; Jiang, S.

2012-07-01

Mounting bias is the major error source of Airborne LIDAR system. In this paper, an automated calibration method for estimating LIDAR system mounting parameters is introduced. LIDAR direct geo-referencing model is used to calculate systematic errors. Due to LIDAR footprints discretely sampled, the real corresponding laser points are hardly existence among different strips. The traditional corresponding point methodology does not seem to apply to LIDAR strip registration. We proposed a Virtual Corresponding Point Model to resolve the corresponding problem among discrete laser points. Each VCPM contains a corresponding point and three real laser footprints. Two rules are defined to calculate tie point coordinate from real laser footprints. The Scale Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT) is used to extract corresponding points in LIDAR strips, and the automatic flow of LIDAR system calibration based on VCPM is detailed described. The practical examples illustrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed calibration method.

Airborne and Ground-Based Measurements Using a High-Performance Raman Lidar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whiteman, David N.; Rush, Kurt; Rabenhorst, Scott; Welch, Wayne; Cadirola, Martin; McIntire, Gerry; Russo, Felicita; Adam, Mariana; Venable, Demetrius; Connell, Rasheen;

Latest Advancement In Airborne Relative Gravity Instrumentation.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brady, N.

2011-12-01

Airborne gravity surveying has been performed with widely varying degrees of success since early experimentation with the Lacoste and Romberg dynamic meter in the 1950s. There are a number of different survey systems currently in operation including relative gravity meters and gradiometers. Airborne gravity is ideally suited to rapid, wide coverage surveying and is not significantly more expensive in more remote and inhospitable terrain which makes airborne measurements one of the few viable options available for cost effective exploration. As improved instrumentation has become available, scientific applications have also been able to take advantage for use in determining sub surface geologic structures, for example under ice sheets in Antarctica, and more recently direct measurement of the geoid to improve the vertical datum in the United States. In 2004, Lacoste and Romberg (now Micro-g Lacoste) decided to build on their success with the newly developed AirSea II dynamic meter and use that system as the basis for a dedicated airborne gravity instrument. Advances in electronics, timing and positioning technology created the opportunity to refine both the hardware and software, and to develop a truly turnkey system that would work well for users with little or no airborne gravity experience as well as those with more extensive experience. The resulting Turnkey Airborne Gravity System (TAGS) was successfully introduced in 2007 and has since been flown in applications from oil, gas and mineral exploration surveys to regional gravity mapping and geoid mapping. The system has been mounted in a variety of airborne platforms including depending on the application of interest. The development experience with the TAGS enabled Micro-g Lacoste to embark on a new project in 2010 to completely redesign the mechanical and electronic components of the system rather than continuing incremental upgrades. Building on the capabilities of the original TAGS, the objectives for the

Comparing helicopter-borne profiling radar with airborne laser scanner data for forest structure estimation.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piermattei, Livia; Hollaus, Markus; Pfeifer, Norbert; Chen, Yuwei; Karjalainen, Mika; Hakala, Teemu; Hyyppä, Juha; Wagner, Wolfgang

2017-04-01

Forests are complex ecosystems that show substantial variation with respect to climate, management regime, stand history, disturbance, and needs of local communities. The dynamic processes of growth and disturbance are reflected in the structural components of forests that include the canopy vertical structure and geometry (e.g. size, height, and form), tree position and species diversity. Current remote-sensing systems to measure forest structural attributes include passive optical sensors and active sensors. The technological capabilities of active remote sensing like the ability to penetrate the vegetation and provide information about its vertical structure has promoted an extensive use of LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) and radar (RAdio Detection And Ranging) system over the last 20 years. LiDAR measurements from aircraft (airborne laser scanning, ALS) currently represents the primary data source for three-dimensional information on forest vertical structure. Contrary, despite the potential of radar remote sensing, their use is not yet established in forest monitoring. In order to better understand the interaction of pulsed radar with the forest canopy, and to increase the feasibility of this system, the Finnish Geospatial Research Institute has developed a helicopter-borne profiling radar system, called TomoRadar. TomoRadar is capable of recording a canopy-penetrating profile of forests. To georeference the radar measurements the system was equipped with a global navigation satellite system and an inertial measurement unit with a centimeter level accuracy of the flight trajectory. The TomoRadar operates at Ku-band, (wave lengths λ 1.5cm) with two separated parabolic antennas providing co- and cross-polarization modes. The purpose of this work is to investigate the capability of the TomoRadar system, for estimating the forest vertical profile, terrain topography and tree height. We analysed 600 m TomoRadar crosspolarized (i.e. horizontal - vertical

Airborne Measurements of Atmospheric Pressure made Using an IPDA Lidar Operating in the Oxygen A-Band

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Riris, Haris; Abshire, James B.; Stephen, Mark; Rodriquez, Michael; Allan, Graham; Hasselbrack, William; Mao, Jianping

2012-01-01

We report airborne measurements of atmospheric pressure made using an integrated path differential absorption (IPDA) lidar that operates in the oxygen A-band near 765 nm. Remote measurements of atmospheric temperature and pressure are needed for NASA s Active Sensing of CO2 Emissions Over Nights, Days, and Seasons (ASCENDS) mission to measure atmospheric CO2. Accurate measurements of tropospheric CO2 on a global scale are very important in order to better understand its sources and sinks and to improve our predictions of climate change. The goal of ASCENDS is to determine the CO2 dry mixing ratio with lidar measurements from space at a level of 1 ppm. Analysis to date shows that with current weather models, measurements of both the CO2 column density and the column density of dry air are needed. Since O2 is a stable molecule that uniformly mixed in the atmosphere, measuring O2 absorption in the atmosphere can be used to infer the dry air density. We have developed an airborne (IPDA) lidar for Oxygen, with support from the NASA ESTO IIP program. Our lidar uses DFB-based seed laser diodes, a pulsed modulator, a fiber laser amplifier, and a non-linear crystal to generate wavelength tunable 765 nm laser pulses with a few uJ/pulse energy. The laser pulse rate is 10 KHz, and average transmitted laser power is 20 mW. Our lidar steps laser pulses across a selected line O2 doublet near 764.7 nm in the Oxygen A-band. The direct detection lidar receiver uses a 20 cm diameter telescope, a Si APD detector in Geiger mode, and a multi-channel scalar to detect and record the time resolved laser backscatter in 40 separate wavelength channels. Subsequent analysis is used to estimate the transmission line shape of the doublet for the laser pulses reflected from the ground. Ground based data analysis allows averaging from 1 to 60 seconds to increase SNR in the transmission line shape of the doublet. Our retrieval algorithm fits the expected O2 lineshapes against the measurements and

Monitoring forests at the speed of light.

Treesearch

Valerie Rapp

2005-01-01

Airborne laser scanning is a technology developed in the last 15 years. Commonly referred to as light detection and ranging, or LIDAR, these systems can map ground with up to a 6-inch elevation accuracy in open, flat terrain. LIDAR is being rapidly adopted for topographical and flood-plain mapping and the detection of earthquake faults hidden by vegetation, among other...

Airborne lidar-based estimates of tropical forest structure in complex terrain: opportunities and trade-offs for REDD+

Treesearch

Veronika Leitold; Michael Keller; Douglas C Morton; Bruce D Cook; Yosio E Shimabukuro

2015-01-01

Background: Carbon stocks and fluxes in tropical forests remain large sources of uncertainty in the global carbon budget. Airborne lidar remote sensing is a powerful tool for estimating aboveground biomass, provided that lidar measurements penetrate dense forest vegetation to generate accurate estimates of surface topography and canopy heights. Tropical forest areas...

Airborne Measurements of Atmospheric Methane Column Abundance Made Using a Pulsed IPDA Lidar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Riris, Haris; Numata, Kenji; Li, Steve; Wu, Stewart; Ramanathan, Anamd; Dawsey, Martha; Mao, Jianping; Kawa, Randolph; Abshire, James B.

2012-01-01

We report airborne measurements of the column abundance of atmospheric methane made over an altitude range of 3-11 km using a direct detection IPDA lidar with a pulsed laser emitting at 1651 nm. The laser transmitter was a tunable, seeded optical parametric amplifier (OPA) pumped by a Nd:YAG laser and the receiver used a photomultiplier detector and photon counting electronics. The results follow the expected changes with aircraft altitude and the measured line shapes and optical depths show good agreement with theoretical calculations.

Airborne Visible Laser Optical Communications (AVLOC) experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1974-01-01

A series of optical communication experiments between a high altitude aircraft at 18.3 km (60,000 ft) and a ground station were conducted by NASA from summer 1972 through winter 1973. The basic system was an optical tracker and transmitter located in each terminal. The aircraft transceiver consisted of a 5-mW HeNe laser transmitter with a 30-megabit modulator. The ground station beacon was an argon laser operating at 488 nm. A separate pulsed laser radar was used for initial acquisition. The objective of the experiment was to obtain engineering data on the precision tracking and communication system performance at both terminals. Atmospheric effects on the system performance was also an experiment objective. The system description, engineering analysis, testing, and flight results are discussed.

Plasmonic Hotspots in Air: An Omnidirectional Three-Dimensional Platform for Stand-Off In-Air SERS Sensing of Airborne Species.

PubMed

Phan-Quang, Gia Chuong; Lee, Hiang Kwee; Teng, Hao Wen; Koh, Charlynn Sher Lin; Yim, Barnabas Qinwei; Tan, Eddie Khay Ming; Tok, Wee Lee; Phang, In Yee; Ling, Xing Yi

2018-05-14

Molecular-level airborne sensing is critical for early prevention of disasters, diseases, and terrorism. Currently, most 2D surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrates used for air sensing have only one functional surface and exhibit poor SERS-active depth. "Aerosolized plasmonic colloidosomes" (APCs) are introduced as airborne plasmonic hotspots for direct in-air SERS measurements. APCs function as a macroscale 3D and omnidirectional plasmonic cloud that receives laser irradiation and emits signals in all directions. Importantly, it brings about an effective plasmonic hotspot in a length scale of approximately 2.3 cm, which affords 100-fold higher tolerance to laser misalignment along the z-axis compared with 2D SERS substrates. APCs exhibit an extraordinary omnidirectional property and demonstrate consistent SERS performance that is independent of the laser and analyte introductory pathway. Furthermore, the first in-air SERS detection is demonstrated in stand-off conditions at a distance of 200 cm, highlighting the applicability of 3D omnidirectional plasmonic clouds for remote airborne sensing in threatening or inaccessible areas. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Terrain - Umbra Package v. 1.0

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Oppel, Fred; Hart, Brian; Rigdon, James Brian

This library contains modules that read terrain files (e.g., OpenFlight, Open Scene Graph IVE, GeoTIFF Image) and to read and manage ESRI terrain datasets. All data is stored and managed in Open Scene Graph (OSG). Terrain system accesses OSG and provides elevation data, access to meta-data such as soil types and enables linears, areals and buildings to be placed in a terrain, These geometry objects include boxes, point, path, and polygon (region), and sector modules. Utilities have been made available for clamping objects to the terrain and accessing LOS information. This assertion includes a managed C++ wrapper code (TerrainWrapper) tomore » enable C# applications, such as OpShed and UTU, to incorporate this library.« less

Airborne Polarized Lidar Detection of Scattering Layers in the Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vasilkov, Alexander P.; Goldin, Yury A.; Gureev, Boris A.; Hoge, Frank E.; Swift, Robert N.; Wright, C. Wayne

2001-08-01

A polarized lidar technique based on measurements of waveforms of the two orthogonal-polarized components of the backscattered light pulse is proposed to retrieve vertical profiles of the seawater scattering coefficient. The physical rationale for the polarized technique is that depolarization of backscattered light originating from a linearly polarized laser beam is caused largely by multiple small-angle scattering from particulate matter in seawater. The magnitude of the small-angle scattering is determined by the scattering coefficient. Therefore information on the vertical distribution of the scattering coefficient can be derived potentially from measurements of the timedepth dependence of depolarization in the backscattered laser pulse. The polarized technique was verified by field measurements conducted in the Middle Atlantic Bight of the western North Atlantic Ocean that were supported by in situ measurements of the beam attenuation coefficient. The airborne polarized lidar measured the timedepth dependence of the backscattered laser pulse in two orthogonal-polarized components. Vertical profiles of the scattering coefficient retrieved from the timedepth depolarization of the backscattered laser pulse were compared with measured profiles of the beam attenuation coefficient. The comparison showed that retrieved profiles of the scattering coefficient clearly reproduce the main features of the measured profiles of the beam attenuation coefficient. Underwater scattering layers were detected at depths of 2025 m in turbid coastal waters. The improvement in dynamic range afforded by the polarized lidar technique offers a strong potential benefit for airborne lidar bathymetric applications.

Stabilized diode seed laser for flight and space-based remote lidar sensing applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McNeil, Shirley; Pandit, Pushkar; Battle, Philip; Rudd, Joe; Hovis, Floyd

2017-08-01

AdvR, through support of the NASA SBIR program, has developed fiber-based components and sub-systems that are routinely used on NASA's airborne missions, and is now developing an environmentally hardened, diode-based, locked wavelength, seed laser for future space-based high spectral resolution lidar applications. The seed laser source utilizes a fiber-coupled diode laser, a fiber-coupled, calibrated iodine reference module to provide an absolute wavelength reference, and an integrated, dual-element, nonlinear optical waveguide component for second harmonic generation, spectral formatting and wavelength locking. The diode laser operates over a range close to 1064.5 nm, provides for stabilization of the seed to the desired iodine transition and allows for a highly-efficient, fully-integrated seed source that is well-suited for use in airborne and space-based environments. A summary of component level environmental testing and spectral purity measurements with a seeded Nd:YAG laser will be presented. A direct-diode, wavelength-locked seed laser will reduce the overall size weight and power (SWaP) requirements of the laser transmitter, thus directly addressing the need for developing compact, efficient, lidar component technologies for use in airborne and space-based environments.

Flow Control about an Airborne Laser Turret

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-06-01

that houses the laser telescope• Afterbody f=airing and f•iselage boundary layer suction were employed with porous material added when necessary to...Thesis Advisor Chairman, D partment of Aeronautics Dean of Scienci arnd Engineering 3 ABSTRACT This thesis project is the latest in a series of...that houses the laser telescope. Afterbody fairing and fuselage boundary layer suction were employed with porous material added when necessary to

From Mars to Greenland: Charting gravity with space and airborne instruments - Fields, tides, methods, results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Colombo, Oscar L. (Editor)

1992-01-01

This symposium on space and airborne techniques for measuring gravity fields, and related theory, contains papers on gravity modeling of Mars and Venus at NASA/GSFC, an integrated laser Doppler method for measuring planetary gravity fields, observed temporal variations in the earth's gravity field from 16-year Starlette orbit analysis, high-resolution gravity models combining terrestrial and satellite data, the effect of water vapor corrections for satellite altimeter measurements of the geoid, and laboratory demonstrations of superconducting gravity and inertial sensors for space and airborne gravity measurements. Other papers are on airborne gravity measurements over the Kelvin Seamount; the accuracy of GPS-derived acceleration from moving platform tests; airborne gravimetry, altimetry, and GPS navigation errors; controlling common mode stabilization errors in airborne gravity gradiometry, GPS/INS gravity measurements in space and on a balloon, and Walsh-Fourier series expansion of the earth's gravitational potential.

A laser communication experiment utilizing the ACT satellite and an airborne laser transceiver

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Provencher, Charles E., Jr.; Spence, Rodney L.

1988-01-01

The launch of a laser communication transmitter package into geosynchronous Earth orbit onboard the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) will present an excellent opportunity for the experimental reception of laser communication signals transmitted from a space orbit. The ACTS laser package includes both a heterodyne transmitter (Lincoln Labs design) and a direct detection transmitter (Goddard Space Flight Center design) with both sharing some common optical components. NASA Lewis Research Center's Space Electronics Division is planning to perform a space communication experiment utilizing the GSFC direct detection laser transceiver. The laser receiver will be installed within an aircraft provided with a glass port for the reception of the signal. This paper describes the experiment and the approach to performing such an experiment. Described are the constraints placed on the NASA Lewis experiment by the performance parameters of the laser transmitter and by the ACTS spacecraft operations. The conceptual design of the receiving terminal is given; also included is the anticipated capability of the detector.

A New Lunar Digital Elevation Model from the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter and SELENE Terrain Camera

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barker, M. K.; Mazarico, E.; Neumann, G. A.; Zuber, M. T.; Haruyama, J.; Smith, D. E.

2015-01-01

We present an improved lunar digital elevation model (DEM) covering latitudes within +/-60 deg, at a horizontal resolution of 512 pixels per degree ( approx.60 m at the equator) and a typical vertical accuracy approx.3 to 4 m. This DEM is constructed from approx.4.5 ×10(exp 9) geodetically-accurate topographic heights from the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) onboard the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, to which we co-registered 43,200 stereo-derived DEMs (each 1 deg×1 deg) from the SELENE Terrain Camera (TC) ( approx.10(exp 10) pixels total). After co-registration, approximately 90% of the TC DEMs show root-mean-square vertical residuals with the LOLA data of < 5 m compared to approx.50% prior to co-registration. We use the co-registered TC data to estimate and correct orbital and pointing geolocation errors from the LOLA altimetric profiles (typically amounting to < 10 m horizontally and < 1 m vertically). By combining both co-registered datasets, we obtain a near-global DEM with high geodetic accuracy, and without the need for surface interpolation. We evaluate the resulting LOLA + TC merged DEM (designated as "SLDEM2015") with particular attention to quantifying seams and crossover errors.

Airborne LiDAR : a new source of traffic flow data, executive summary report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2005-10-01

LiDAR (or airborne laser scanning) systems became a : dominant player in high-precision spatial data : acquisition in the late 90s. This new technology : quickly established itself as the main source of surface : information in commercial mapping,...

Incorporating scale into digital terrain analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dragut, L. D.; Eisank, C.; Strasser, T.

2009-04-01

Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) and their derived terrain attributes are commonly used in soil-landscape modeling. Process-based terrain attributes meaningful to the soil properties of interest are sought to be produced through digital terrain analysis. Typically, the standard 3 X 3 window-based algorithms are used for this purpose, thus tying the scale of resulting layers to the spatial resolution of the available DEM. But this is likely to induce mismatches between scale domains of terrain information and soil properties of interest, which further propagate biases in soil-landscape modeling. We have started developing a procedure to incorporate scale into digital terrain analysis for terrain-based environmental modeling (Drăguţ et al., in press). The workflow was exemplified on crop yield data. Terrain information was generalized into successive scale levels with focal statistics on increasing neighborhood size. The degree of association between each terrain derivative and crop yield values was established iteratively for all scale levels through correlation analysis. The first peak of correlation indicated the scale level to be further retained. While in a standard 3 X 3 window-based analysis mean curvature was one of the poorest correlated terrain attribute, after generalization it turned into the best correlated variable. To illustrate the importance of scale, we compared the regression results of unfiltered and filtered mean curvature vs. crop yield. The comparison shows an improvement of R squared from a value of 0.01 when the curvature was not filtered, to 0.16 when the curvature was filtered within 55 X 55 m neighborhood size. This indicates the optimum size of curvature information (scale) that influences soil fertility. We further used these results in an object-based image analysis environment to create terrain objects containing aggregated values of both terrain derivatives and crop yield. Hence, we introduce terrain segmentation as an alternative

History of Laser Weapon Research

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-01-01

designed to damage, disable, or destroy targets with little or no collateral damage. Airborne Laser (ABL) (CO2) Chemical Oxygen The ABL C-130H aircraft ...mirrors. Weapons systems based on lasers and “ray guns,” long a staple of science fiction, have captured the imagination of people everywhere. But...waves (millimeters to centimeters), with wavelengths 10,000 times longer than lasers. Diffraction of any electromagnetic radia- tion beam is based

Airborne direct-detection and coherent wind lidar measurements over the North Atlantic in 2015 supporting ESA's aeolus mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marksteiner, Uwe; Reitebuch, Oliver; Lemmerz, Christian; Lux, Oliver; Rahm, Stephan; Witschas, Benjamin; Schäfler, Andreas; Emmitt, Dave; Greco, Steve; Kavaya, Michael J.; Gentry, Bruce; Neely, Ryan R.; Kendall, Emma; Schüttemeyer, Dirk

2018-04-01

The launch of the Aeolus mission by the European Space Agency (ESA) is planned for 2018. The satellite will carry the first wind lidar in space, ALADIN (Atmospheric Laser Doppler INstrument). Its prototype instrument, the ALADIN Airborne Demonstrator (A2D), was deployed during several airborne campaigns aiming at the validation of the measurement principle and optimization of algorithms. In 2015, flights of two aircraft from DLR & NASA provided the chance to compare parallel wind measurements from four airborne wind lidars for the first time.

Feasibility of Multispectral Airborne Laser Scanning for Land Cover Classification, Road Mapping and Map Updating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matikainen, L.; Karila, K.; Hyyppä, J.; Puttonen, E.; Litkey, P.; Ahokas, E.

2017-10-01

This article summarises our first results and experiences on the use of multispectral airborne laser scanner (ALS) data. Optech Titan multispectral ALS data over a large suburban area in Finland were acquired on three different dates in 2015-2016. We investigated the feasibility of the data from the first date for land cover classification and road mapping. Object-based analyses with segmentation and random forests classification were used. The potential of the data for change detection of buildings and roads was also demonstrated. The overall accuracy of land cover classification results with six classes was 96 % compared with validation points. The data also showed high potential for road detection, road surface classification and change detection. The multispectral intensity information appeared to be very important for automated classifications. Compared to passive aerial images, the intensity images have interesting advantages, such as the lack of shadows. Currently, we focus on analyses and applications with the multitemporal multispectral data. Important questions include, for example, the potential and challenges of the multitemporal data for change detection.

Airborne LiDAR : a new source of traffic flow data, research implementation plan.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2005-10-01

LiDAR (or airborne laser scanning) systems became a dominant player in high-precision spatial data acquisition in the late 90's. This new technology quickly established itself as the main source of surface information in commercial mapping, deliverin...

Use of Naturally Available Reference Targets to Calibrate Airborne Laser Scanning Intensity Data

PubMed Central

Vain, Ants; Kaasalainen, Sanna; Pyysalo, Ulla; Krooks, Anssi; Litkey, Paula

2009-01-01

We have studied the possibility of calibrating airborne laser scanning (ALS) intensity data, using land targets typically available in urban areas. For this purpose, a test area around Espoonlahti Harbor, Espoo, Finland, for which a long time series of ALS campaigns is available, was selected. Different target samples (beach sand, concrete, asphalt, different types of gravel) were collected and measured in the laboratory. Using tarps, which have certain backscattering properties, the natural samples were calibrated and studied, taking into account the atmospheric effect, incidence angle and flying height. Using data from different flights and altitudes, a time series for the natural samples was generated. Studying the stability of the samples, we could obtain information on the most ideal types of natural targets for ALS radiometric calibration. Using the selected natural samples as reference, the ALS points of typical land targets were calibrated again and examined. Results showed the need for more accurate ground reference data, before using natural samples in ALS intensity data calibration. Also, the NIR camera-based field system was used for collecting ground reference data. This system proved to be a good means for collecting in situ reference data, especially for targets with inhomogeneous surface reflection properties. PMID:22574045

Mars: Fretted and chaotic terrains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sharp, R. P.

1973-01-01

Fretted Martian terrain is characterized by smooth, flat, lowland areas separated from a cratered upland by abrupt escarpments of complex planimetric configuration and a maximum estimated height approaching 1 to 2 km. It is the product of some unusual erosive or abstractive process that has created steep escarpments. Chaotic terrain differs from fretted terrain in having a rough floor topography featuring a haphazard jumble of large angular blocks, and by arc-shaped slump blocks on its bounding escarpments. Its existence has now been confirmed by Mariner 9 pictures, and the characteristics, location, and areal extent of chaotic terrain have been more accurately and completely defined.

NPSNET: Dynamic Terrain and Cultured Feature Depiction

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-09-01

defaults. bridge(terrain *ptr, vertex pos, bridge mattype bmat ); This constructor takes only the pointer to the underlying terrain, a placement, and a...material to use for construction. bridge(terrain *ptr, vertex pos, bridge-mattype bmat , float dir); This constructor takes a terrain pointer, a...placement position, a material to use, and a direction to run. bridge(terrain *ptr, vertex pos, bridge-mattype bmat , float dir, float width, float height

Oceanographic applications of laser technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoge, F. E.

1988-01-01

Oceanographic activities with the Airborne Oceanographic Lidar (AOL) for the past several years have primarily been focussed on using active (laser induced pigment fluorescence) and concurrent passive ocean color spectra to improve existing ocean color algorithms for estimating primary production in the world's oceans. The most significant results were the development of a technique for selecting optimal passive wavelengths for recovering phytoplankton photopigment concentration and the application of this technique, termed active-passive correlation spectroscopy (APCS), to various forms of passive ocean color algorithms. Included in this activity is use of airborne laser and passive ocean color for development of advanced satellite ocean color sensors. Promising on-wavelength subsurface scattering layer measurements were recently obtained. A partial summary of these results are shown.

Recent advances on terrain database correlation testing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakude, Milton T.; Schiavone, Guy A.; Morelos-Borja, Hector; Martin, Glenn; Cortes, Art

1998-08-01

Terrain database correlation is a major requirement for interoperability in distributed simulation. There are numerous situations in which terrain database correlation problems can occur that, in turn, lead to lack of interoperability in distributed training simulations. Examples are the use of different run-time terrain databases derived from inconsistent on source data, the use of different resolutions, and the use of different data models between databases for both terrain and culture data. IST has been developing a suite of software tools, named ZCAP, to address terrain database interoperability issues. In this paper we discuss recent enhancements made to this suite, including improved algorithms for sampling and calculating line-of-sight, an improved method for measuring terrain roughness, and the application of a sparse matrix method to the terrain remediation solution developed at the Visual Systems Lab of the Institute for Simulation and Training. We review the application of some of these new algorithms to the terrain correlation measurement processes. The application of these new algorithms improves our support for very large terrain databases, and provides the capability for performing test replications to estimate the sampling error of the tests. With this set of tools, a user can quantitatively assess the degree of correlation between large terrain databases.

Airborne 2-Micron Double-Pulsed Integrated Path Differential Absorption Lidar for Column CO2 Measurement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singh, Upendra N.; Yu, Jirong; Petros, Mulugeta; Refaat, Tamer F.; Remus, Ruben G.; Fay, James J.; Reithmaier, Karl

2014-01-01

Double-pulse 2-micron lasers have been demonstrated with energy as high as 600 millijouls and up to 10 Hz repetition rate. The two laser pulses are separated by 200 microseconds and can be tuned and locked separately. Applying double-pulse laser in DIAL system enhances the CO2 measurement capability by increasing the overlap of the sampled volume between the on-line and off-line. To avoid detection complicity, integrated path differential absorption (IPDA) lidar provides higher signal-to-noise ratio measurement compared to conventional range-resolved DIAL. Rather than weak atmospheric scattering returns, IPDA rely on the much stronger hard target returns that is best suited for airborne platforms. In addition, the IPDA technique measures the total integrated column content from the instrument to the hard target but with weighting that can be tuned by the transmitter. Therefore, the transmitter could be tuned to weight the column measurement to the surface for optimum CO2 interaction studies or up to the free troposphere for optimum transport studies. Currently, NASA LaRC is developing and integrating a double-Pulsed 2-micron direct detection IPDA lidar for CO2 column measurement from an airborne platform. The presentation will describe the development of the 2-micron IPDA lidar system and present the airborne measurement of column CO2 and will compare to in-situ measurement for various ground target of different reflectivity.

Portable Airborne Laser System Measures Forest-Canopy Height

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nelson, Ross

2005-01-01

(PALS) is a combination of laser ranging, video imaging, positioning, and data-processing subsystems designed for measuring the heights of forest canopies along linear transects from tens to thousands of kilometers long. Unlike prior laser ranging systems designed to serve the same purpose, the PALS is not restricted to use aboard a single aircraft of a specific type: the PALS fits into two large suitcases that can be carried to any convenient location, and the PALS can be installed in almost any local aircraft for hire, thereby making it possible to sample remote forests at relatively low cost. The initial cost and the cost of repairing the PALS are also lower because the PALS hardware consists mostly of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) units that can easily be replaced in the field. The COTS units include a laser ranging transceiver, a charge-coupled-device camera that images the laser-illuminated targets, a differential Global Positioning System (dGPS) receiver capable of operation within the Wide Area Augmentation System, a video titler, a video cassette recorder (VCR), and a laptop computer equipped with two serial ports. The VCR and computer are powered by batteries; the other units are powered at 12 VDC from the 28-VDC aircraft power system via a low-pass filter and a voltage converter. The dGPS receiver feeds location and time data, at an update rate of 0.5 Hz, to the video titler and the computer. The laser ranging transceiver, operating at a sampling rate of 2 kHz, feeds its serial range and amplitude data stream to the computer. The analog video signal from the CCD camera is fed into the video titler wherein the signal is annotated with position and time information. The titler then forwards the annotated signal to the VCR for recording on 8-mm tapes. The dGPS and laser range and amplitude serial data streams are processed by software that displays the laser trace and the dGPS information as they are fed into the computer, subsamples the laser range and

Factors contributing to airborne particle dispersal in the operating room.

PubMed

Noguchi, Chieko; Koseki, Hironobu; Horiuchi, Hidehiko; Yonekura, Akihiko; Tomita, Masato; Higuchi, Takashi; Sunagawa, Shinya; Osaki, Makoto

2017-07-06

Surgical-site infections due to intraoperative contamination are chiefly ascribable to airborne particles carrying microorganisms. The purpose of this study is to identify the actions that increase the number of airborne particles in the operating room. Two surgeons and two surgical nurses performed three patterns of physical movements to mimic intraoperative actions, such as preparing the instrument table, gowning and donning/doffing gloves, and preparing for total knee arthroplasty. The generation and behavior of airborne particles were filmed using a fine particle visualization system, and the number of airborne particles in 2.83 m 3 of air was counted using a laser particle counter. Each action was repeated five times, and the particle measurements were evaluated through one-way analysis of variance multiple comparison tests followed by Tukey-Kramer and Bonferroni-Dunn multiple comparison tests for post hoc analysis. Statistical significance was defined as a P value ≤ .01. A large number of airborne particles were observed while unfolding the surgical gown, removing gloves, and putting the arms through the sleeves of the gown. Although numerous airborne particles were observed while applying the stockinet and putting on large drapes for preparation of total knee arthroplasty, fewer particles (0.3-2.0 μm in size) were detected at the level of the operating table under laminar airflow compared to actions performed in a non-ventilated preoperative room (P < .01). The results of this study suggest that surgical staff should avoid unnecessary actions that produce a large number of airborne particles near a sterile area and that laminar airflow has the potential to reduce the incidence of bacterial contamination.

Interim Terrain Data (ITD) and Vector Product Interim Terrain Data (VITD) user's guide

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1996-09-01

This guide is intended to be a convenient reference for users of these types of terrain analysis data. ITD is a digitized version of the standard 1:50,000-scale tactical terrain analysis data base (TTADB) product produced by the Defense Mapping Agenc...

Local-scale stratigraphy of grooved terrain on Ganymede

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Murchie, Scott L.; Head, James W.; Helfenstein, Paul; Plescia, Jeffrey B.

1987-01-01

The surface of the Jovian satellite, Ganymede, is divided into two main units, dark terrain cut by arcuate and subradial furrows, and light terrain consisting largely of areas with pervasive U-shaped grooves. The grooved terrain may be subdivided on the basis of pervasive morphology of groove domains into four terrain types: (1) elongate bands of parallel grooves (groove lanes); (2) polygonal domains of parallel grooves (grooved polygons); (3) polygonal domains of two orthogonal groove sets (reticulate terrain); and (4) polygons having two to several complexly cross-cutting groove sets (complex grooved terrain). Reticulate terrain is frequently dark and not extensively resurfaced, and grades to a more hummocky terrain type. The other three grooved terrain types have almost universally been resurfaced by light material during their emplacement. The sequence of events during grooved terrain emplacement has been investigated. An attempt is made to integrate observed geologic and tectonic patterns to better constrain the relative ages and styles of emplacement of grooved terrain types. A revised model of grooved terrain emplacement is proposed and is tested using detailed geologic mapping and measurement of crater density.

Airborne Laser Systems Testing and Analysis (essals et analyse des systemes laser embarques)

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-04-01

of Surface/ Paints Reflection Properties (PILASTER targets); • PILASTER Sensors Testing and Calibration; • LOAS Laser System Testing; and • Test...PILASTER targets candidate paints and materials), a Laser Scatter-meter (LSM) was built. To briefly summarise the fundamental concepts involved...Green Painted Target. 7.6.3 Laser Beam Misalignment with Respect to the Beam-Expander Support For measuring the beam misalignment, the beam expander

Airborne gravimetry, altimetry, and GPS navigation errors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Colombo, Oscar L.

1992-01-01

Proper interpretation of airborne gravimetry and altimetry requires good knowledge of aircraft trajectory. Recent advances in precise navigation with differential GPS have made it possible to measure gravity from the air with accuracies of a few milligals, and to obtain altimeter profiles of terrain or sea surface correct to one decimeter. These developments are opening otherwise inaccessible regions to detailed geophysical mapping. Navigation with GPS presents some problems that grow worse with increasing distance from a fixed receiver: the effect of errors in tropospheric refraction correction, GPS ephemerides, and the coordinates of the fixed receivers. Ionospheric refraction and orbit error complicate ambiguity resolution. Optimal navigation should treat all error sources as unknowns, together with the instantaneous vehicle position. To do so, fast and reliable numerical techniques are needed: efficient and stable Kalman filter-smoother algorithms, together with data compression and, sometimes, the use of simplified dynamics.

Remote sensing of Earth terrain

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kong, Jin AU; Shin, Robert T.; Nghiem, Son V.; Yueh, Herng-Aung; Han, Hsiu C.; Lim, Harold H.; Arnold, David V.

1990-01-01

Remote sensing of earth terrain is examined. The layered random medium model is used to investigate the fully polarimetric scattering of electromagnetic waves from vegetation. The model is used to interpret the measured data for vegetation fields such as rice, wheat, or soybean over water or soil. Accurate calibration of polarimetric radar systems is essential for the polarimetric remote sensing of earth terrain. A polarimetric calibration algorithm using three arbitrary in-scene reflectors is developed. In the interpretation of active and passive microwave remote sensing data from the earth terrain, the random medium model was shown to be quite successful. A multivariate K-distribution is proposed to model the statistics of fully polarimetric radar returns from earth terrain. In the terrain cover classification using the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images, the applications of the K-distribution model will provide better performance than the conventional Gaussian classifiers. The layered random medium model is used to study the polarimetric response of sea ice. Supervised and unsupervised classification procedures are also developed and applied to synthetic aperture radar polarimetric images in order to identify their various earth terrain components for more than two classes. These classification procedures were applied to San Francisco Bay and Traverse City SAR images.

Airborne surveys in the Arctic and Antarctic for geophysics, sea-ice thickness, and CryoSat validation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Forsberg, R.; Olesen, A. V.; Hvidegaard, S.; Skourup, H.

2010-12-01

Airborne laser and radar measurements over the Greenland ice sheet, Svalbard, and adjacent parts of the Arctic Ocean have been carried out by DTU-Space in a number of recent Danish/Greenlandic and European project campaigns, with the purpose to monitor ice sheet and sea-ice changes, support of Greenland societal needs (oil exploration and hydropower), and support of CryoSat pre-launch calibration and validation campaigns. The Arctic campaigns have been done using a Twin-Otter aircraft, carrying laser scanners and various radars. Since 2009 a new program of long-range gravity and magnetic surveys have been initiated using a Basler DC3 aircraft for large-scale surveys in the Arctic Ocean and Antarctica, with the 2010 cooperative Danish-Argentinean-Chilean-US ICEGRAV survey of the Antarctic Peninsula additionally including a UTIG 60 MHz ice-penetrating radar. In the paper we outline the recent and upcoming airborne survey activities, outline the usefulness of the airborne data for satellite validation (CryoSat and GOCE), and give examples of measurements and comparisons to satellite and in-situ data.

Development of airborne oil thickness measurements.

PubMed

Brown, Carl E; Fingas, Mervin F

2003-01-01

A laboratory sensor has now been developed to measure the absolute thickness of oil on water slicks. This prototype oil slick thickness measurement system is known as the laser-ultrasonic remote sensing of oil thickness (LURSOT) sensor. This laser opto-acoustic sensor is the initial step in the ultimate goal of providing an airborne sensor with the ability to remotely measure oil-on-water slick thickness. The LURSOT sensor employs three lasers to produce and measure the time-of-flight of ultrasonic waves in oil and hence provide a direct measurement of oil slick thickness. The successful application of this technology to the measurement of oil slick thickness will benefit the scientific community as a whole by providing information about the dynamics of oil slick spreading and the spill responder by providing a measurement of the effectiveness of spill countermeasures such as dispersant application and in situ burning. This paper will provide a review of early developments and discuss the current state-of-the-art in the field of oil slick thickness measurement.

Modeling Mediterranean forest structure using airborne laser scanning data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bottalico, Francesca; Chirici, Gherardo; Giannini, Raffaello; Mele, Salvatore; Mura, Matteo; Puxeddu, Michele; McRoberts, Ronald E.; Valbuena, Ruben; Travaglini, Davide

2017-05-01

The conservation of biological diversity is recognized as a fundamental component of sustainable development, and forests contribute greatly to its preservation. Structural complexity increases the potential biological diversity of a forest by creating multiple niches that can host a wide variety of species. To facilitate greater understanding of the contributions of forest structure to forest biological diversity, we modeled relationships between 14 forest structure variables and airborne laser scanning (ALS) data for two Italian study areas representing two common Mediterranean forests, conifer plantations and coppice oaks subjected to irregular intervals of unplanned and non-standard silvicultural interventions. The objectives were twofold: (i) to compare model prediction accuracies when using two types of ALS metrics, echo-based metrics and canopy height model (CHM)-based metrics, and (ii) to construct inferences in the form of confidence intervals for large area structural complexity parameters. Our results showed that the effects of the two study areas on accuracies were greater than the effects of the two types of ALS metrics. In particular, accuracies were less for the more complex study area in terms of species composition and forest structure. However, accuracies achieved using the echo-based metrics were only slightly greater than when using the CHM-based metrics, thus demonstrating that both options yield reliable and comparable results. Accuracies were greatest for dominant height (Hd) (R2 = 0.91; RMSE% = 8.2%) and mean height weighted by basal area (R2 = 0.83; RMSE% = 10.5%) when using the echo-based metrics, 99th percentile of the echo height distribution and interquantile distance. For the forested area, the generalized regression (GREG) estimate of mean Hd was similar to the simple random sampling (SRS) estimate, 15.5 m for GREG and 16.2 m SRS. Further, the GREG estimator with standard error of 0.10 m was considerable more precise than the SRS

Monitoring of snowpack dynamics in mountainous terrain by cosmic-ray neutron sensing compared to Terrestrial Laser Scanning observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schattan, P.; Baroni, G.; Schrön, M.; Köhli, M.; Oswald, S. E.; Huttenlau, M.; Achleitner, S.

2017-12-01

Monitoring a mountain snowpack in a representative domain of several hectares is challenging due to its high heterogeneity in time and space. Recent studies have suggested cosmic-ray neutron sensing (CRNS) as a promising method for monitoring snow representatively at these scales. Little is known however about the depth of sensitivity, the effects of fractional snow coverage in complex terrain or the influence of snow density profiles. Therefore, a field campaign in the Austrian Alps was conducted from March 2014 to June 2016. The main scope was to evaluate the characteristics of CRNS for monitoring a snowpack in a relatively wet and mountainous environment. During the experiment, the study site experienced a peak snow accumulation in terms of snow water equivalent (SWE) of up to 600 mm in the 2014/2015 winter season. Snow depth (SD) and SWE measurements from an automatic weather station were compared to CRNS neutron counts. Several spatially distributed Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS)-based SD and SWE maps were additionally used to cope with the spatial heterogeneity of the site. Furthermore, an URANOS neutron transport model was set up to provide additional insights into the response of CRNS to the presence of a complex snowpack. Therein, spatially distributed SWE scenarios and different snow density assumptions are used for hypothesis testing. The field measurements revealed an unexpectedly high potential of CRNS for monitoring heterogeneous snowpack dynamics beyond shallow snowpacks. A clear, nonlinear relation was found for both SD and SWE with neutron counts. In contrast to previous studies suggesting signal saturation at around 100 mm of SWE, complete signal saturation was observed only for SWE values beyond 500 to 600 mm. In addition, first modelling results highlight the effects of snow density profiles, small-scale changes in SWE, and the complex patterns of fractional snow cover on neutron counts. Understanding the interactions between neutrons and snow

Portable laser spectrometer for airborne and ground-based remote sensing of geological CO₂ emissions.

PubMed

Queisser, Manuel; Burton, Mike; Allan, Graham R; Chiarugi, Antonio

2017-07-15

A 24 kg, suitcase sized, CW laser remote sensing spectrometer (LARSS) with a ~2 km range has been developed. It has demonstrated its flexibility in measuring both atmospheric CO₂ from an airborne platform and terrestrial emission of CO₂ from a remote mud volcano, Bledug Kuwu, Indonesia, from a ground-based sight. This system scans the CO₂ absorption line with 20 discrete wavelengths, as opposed to the typical two-wavelength online offline instrument. This multi-wavelength approach offers an effective quality control, bias control, and confidence estimate of measured CO₂ concentrations via spectral fitting. The simplicity, ruggedness, and flexibility in the design allow for easy transportation and use on different platforms with a quick setup in some of the most challenging climatic conditions. While more refinement is needed, the results represent a stepping stone towards widespread use of active one-sided gas remote sensing in the earth sciences.

Laser-fluorescence measurement of marine algae

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Browell, E. V.

1980-01-01

Progress in remote sensing of algae by laser-induced fluorescence is subject of comprehensive report. Existing single-wavelength and four-wavelength systems are reviewed, and new expression for power received by airborne sensor is derived. Result differs by as much as factor of 10 from those previously reported. Detailed error analysis evluates factors affecting accuracy of laser-fluorosensor systems.

Visual terrain mapping for traversable path planning of mobile robots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shirkhodaie, Amir; Amrani, Rachida; Tunstel, Edward W.

2004-10-01

In this paper, we have primarily discussed technical challenges and navigational skill requirements of mobile robots for traversability path planning in natural terrain environments similar to Mars surface terrains. We have described different methods for detection of salient terrain features based on imaging texture analysis techniques. We have also presented three competing techniques for terrain traversability assessment of mobile robots navigating in unstructured natural terrain environments. These three techniques include: a rule-based terrain classifier, a neural network-based terrain classifier, and a fuzzy-logic terrain classifier. Each proposed terrain classifier divides a region of natural terrain into finite sub-terrain regions and classifies terrain condition exclusively within each sub-terrain region based on terrain visual clues. The Kalman Filtering technique is applied for aggregative fusion of sub-terrain assessment results. The last two terrain classifiers are shown to have remarkable capability for terrain traversability assessment of natural terrains. We have conducted a comparative performance evaluation of all three terrain classifiers and presented the results in this paper.

Radon potential mapping of the Tralee-Castleisland and Cavan areas (Ireland) based on airborne gamma-ray spectrometry and geology.

PubMed

Appleton, J D; Doyle, E; Fenton, D; Organo, C

2011-06-01

The probability of homes in Ireland having high indoor radon concentrations is estimated on the basis of known in-house radon measurements averaged over 10 km × 10 km grid squares. The scope for using airborne gamma-ray spectrometer data for the Tralee-Castleisland area of county Kerry and county Cavan to predict the radon potential (RP) in two distinct areas of Ireland is evaluated in this study. Airborne data are compared statistically with in-house radon measurements in conjunction with geological and ground permeability data to establish linear regression models and produce radon potential maps. The best agreement between the percentage of dwellings exceeding the reference level (RL) for radon concentrations in Ireland (% > RL), estimated from indoor radon data, and modelled RP in the Tralee-Castleisland area is produced using models based on airborne gamma-ray spectrometry equivalent uranium (eU) and ground permeability data. Good agreement was obtained between the % > RL from indoor radon data and RP estimated from eU data in the Cavan area using terrain specific models. In both areas, RP maps derived from eU data are spatially more detailed than the published 10 km grid map. The results show the potential for using airborne radiometric data for producing RP maps.

Using Laser Altimetry to Detect Topographic Change at Long Valley Caldera, California

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hofton, M. A.; Minster, J.-B.; Ridgway, J. R.; Blair, J. B.; Rabine, D. L.; Bufton, J. L.; Williams, N. P.

1997-01-01

Long Valley caldera, California, is a site of extensive volcanism, persistent seismicity, and uplift of a resurgent dome, currently at a rate of approximately 3 cm/year. Airborne laser altimetry was used to determine the surface topography of the region in 1993. A repeat mission occurred in 1995. Three different laser altimeters were flown, dubbed ATLAS, SLICER and RASCAL. Data processing consists of the combination of the aircraft trajectory and attitude data with the laser range, the determination of an atmospheric delay, laser pulse timing errors, laser system biases, and data geolocation to obtain the position of the laser spot on the ground. Results showed that using the ATLAS and SLICER instruments, the elevation of an overflown lake is determined to precisions of 3.3 cm and 2.9 cm from altitudes of 500 m and 3 km above the ground, and approximately 10 cm using the RASCAL instrument from 500 m above ground. Comparison with tide gauge data showed the laser measurements are able to resolve centimeter-level changes in the lake elevation over time. Repeat pass analysis of tracks over flat surfaces indicate no systematic biases affect the measurement procedure of the ATLAS and SLICER instruments. Comparison of GPS and laser-derived elevations of easily-identifiable features in the caldera confirm the horizontal accuracy of the measurement is within the diameter of the laser footprint, and vertical accuracy is within the error inherent in the measurement. Crossover analysis shows that the standard error of the means at track intersection points within the caldera and dome (i.e., where zero and close to the maximum amount of uplift is expected) are about 1 cm, indicating elevation change at the 3 cm/year level should be detectable. We demonstrate one of the powerful advantages of scanning laser altimetry over other remote sensing techniques; the straightforward creation of precise digital elevation maps of overflown terrain. Initial comparison of the 1993-1995 data

Using Laser Altimetry to Detect Topographic Change in Long Valley Caldera, California

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hofton, M. A.; Minster, J.-B.; Ridgway, J. R.; Blair, J. B.

1997-01-01

Long Valley caldera California, is a site of extensive volcanism, persistent seismicity, and uplift of a resurgent dome, currently at a rate of about 3 cm/year. Airborne laser altimetry was used to determine the surface topography of the region in 1993. A repeat mission occurred in 1995. Three different laser altimeters were flown, dubbed ATLAS, SLICER and RASCAL. Data processing consists of the combination of the aircraft trajectory and attitude data with the laser range, the determination of an atmospheric delay, laser pulse timing errors, laser system biases, and data geolocation to obtain the position of the laser spot on the ground. Results showed that using the ATLAS and SLICER instruments, the elevation of an overflown lake is determined to precisions of 3.3 cm and 2.9 cm from altitudes of 500 m and 3 km above the ground, and about 10 cm using the RASCAL instrument from 500 m above ground. Comparison with tide gauge data showed the laser measurements are able to resolve centimeter-level changes in the lake elevation over time. Repeat pass analysis of tracks over flat surfaces indicate no systematic biases affect the measurement procedure of the ATLAS and SLICER instruments. Comparison of GPS and laser-derived elevations of easily-identifiable features in the caldera confirm the horizontal accuracy of the measurement is within the diameter of the laser footprint, and vertical accuracy is within the error inherent in the measurement. Crossover analysis shows that the standard error of the means at track intersection points within the caldera, and dome (i.e., where zero and close to the maximum amount of uplift is expected) are about I cm, indicating elevation change at the 3 cm/year level should be detectable. We demonstrate one of the powerful advantages of scanning laser altimetry over other remote sensing techniques; the straightforward creation of precise digital elevation maps of overflown terrain. Initial comparison of the 1993-1995 data indicates uplift

An automated system for terrain database construction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, L. F.; Fretz, R. K.; Logan, T. L.; Bryant, N. A.

1987-01-01

An automated Terrain Database Preparation System (TDPS) for the construction and editing of terrain databases used in computerized wargaming simulation exercises has been developed. The TDPS system operates under the TAE executive, and it integrates VICAR/IBIS image processing and Geographic Information System software with CAD/CAM data capture and editing capabilities. The terrain database includes such features as roads, rivers, vegetation, and terrain roughness.

Airborne Lidar for Simultaneous Measurement of Column CO2 and Water Vapor in the Atmosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singh, Upendra N.; Petros, Mulugeta; Refaat, Tamer F.; Antill, Charles W.; Remus, Ruben; Yu, Jirong

2016-01-01

The 2-micron wavelength region is suitable for atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) measurements due to the existence of distinct absorption feathers for the gas at this particular wavelength. For more than 20 years, researchers at NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) have developed several high-energy and high repetition rate 2-micron pulsed lasers. This paper will provide status and details of an airborne 2-micron triple-pulse integrated path differential absorption (IPDA) lidar. The development of this active optical remote sensing IPDA instrument is targeted for measuring both CO2 and water vapor (H2O) in the atmosphere from an airborne platform. This presentation will focus on the advancement of the 2-micron triple-pulse IPDA lidar development. Updates on the state-of-the-art triple-pulse laser transmitter will be presented including the status of seed laser locking, wavelength control, receiver telescope, detection system and data acquisition. Future plans for the IPDA lidar system for ground integration, testing and flight validation will also be presented.

Complex geomorphologic assemblage of terrains in association with the banded terrain in Hellas basin, Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diot, X.; El-Maarry, M. R.; Schlunegger, F.; Norton, K. P.; Thomas, N.; Grindrod, P. M.; Chojnacki, M.

2016-02-01

Hellas basin acts as a major sink for the southern highlands of Mars and is likely to have recorded several episodes of sedimentation and erosion. The north-western part of the basin displays a potentially unique Amazonian landscape domain in the deepest part of Hellas, called ;banded terrain;, which is a deposit characterized by an alternation of narrow band shapes and inter-bands displaying a sinuous and relatively smooth surface texture suggesting a viscous flow origin. Here we use high-resolution (HiRISE and CTX) images to assess the geomorphological interaction of the banded terrain with the surrounding geomorphologic domains in the NW interior of Hellas to gain a better understanding of the geological evolution of the region as a whole. Our analysis reveals that the banded terrain is associated with six geomorphologic domains: a central plateau named Alpheus Colles, plain deposits (P1 and P2), reticulate (RT1 and RT2) and honeycomb terrains. Based on the analysis of the geomorphology of these domains and their cross-cutting relationships, we show that no widespread deposition post-dates the formation of the banded terrain, which implies that this domain is the youngest and latest deposit of the interior of Hellas. Therefore, the level of geologic activity in the NW Hellas during the Amazonian appears to have been relatively low and restricted to modification of the landscape through mechanical weathering, aeolian and periglacial processes. Thermophysical data and cross-cutting relationships support hypotheses of modification of the honeycomb terrain via vertical rise of diapirs such as ice diapirism, and the formation of the plain deposits through deposition and remobilization of an ice-rich mantle deposit. Finally, the observed gradual transition between honeycomb and banded terrain suggests that the banded terrain may have covered a larger area of the NW interior of Hellas in the past than previously thought. This has implications on the understanding of

Chaotic Terrain

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

[figure removed for brevity, see original site]

Released 4 June 2003

Chaotic terrain on Mars is thought to form when there is a sudden removal of subsurface water or ice, causing the surface material to slump and break into blocks. The chaotic terrain in this THEMIS visible image is confined to a crater just south of Elysium Planitia. It is common to see chaotic terrain in the vicinity of the catastrophic outflow channels on Mars, but the terrain in this image is on the opposite side of the planet from these channels, making it somewhat of an oddity.

Image information: VIS instrument. Latitude -5.9, Longitude 108.1 East (251.9 West). 19 meter/pixel resolution.

Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

Single-Frame Terrain Mapping Software for Robotic Vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rankin, Arturo L.

2011-01-01

This software is a component in an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) perception system that builds compact, single-frame terrain maps for distribution to other systems, such as a world model or an operator control unit, over a local area network (LAN). Each cell in the map encodes an elevation value, terrain classification, object classification, terrain traversability, terrain roughness, and a confidence value into four bytes of memory. The input to this software component is a range image (from a lidar or stereo vision system), and optionally a terrain classification image and an object classification image, both registered to the range image. The single-frame terrain map generates estimates of the support surface elevation, ground cover elevation, and minimum canopy elevation; generates terrain traversability cost; detects low overhangs and high-density obstacles; and can perform geometry-based terrain classification (ground, ground cover, unknown). A new origin is automatically selected for each single-frame terrain map in global coordinates such that it coincides with the corner of a world map cell. That way, single-frame terrain maps correctly line up with the world map, facilitating the merging of map data into the world map. Instead of using 32 bits to store the floating-point elevation for a map cell, the vehicle elevation is assigned to the map origin elevation and reports the change in elevation (from the origin elevation) in terms of the number of discrete steps. The single-frame terrain map elevation resolution is 2 cm. At that resolution, terrain elevation from 20.5 to 20.5 m (with respect to the vehicle's elevation) is encoded into 11 bits. For each four-byte map cell, bits are assigned to encode elevation, terrain roughness, terrain classification, object classification, terrain traversability cost, and a confidence value. The vehicle s current position and orientation, the map origin, and the map cell resolution are all included in a header for each

Performance assessment of MEMS adaptive optics in tactical airborne systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tyson, Robert K.

1999-09-01

Tactical airborne electro-optical systems are severely constrained by weight, volume, power, and cost. Micro- electrical-mechanical adaptive optics provide a solution that addresses the engineering realities without compromising spatial and temporal compensation requirements. Through modeling and analysis, we determined that substantial benefits could be gained for laser designators, ladar, countermeasures, and missile seekers. The developments potential exists for improving seeker imagery resolution 20 percent, extending countermeasures keep-out range by a factor of 5, doubling the range for ladar detection and identification, and compensating for supersonic and hypersonic aircraft boundary layers. Innovative concepts are required for atmospheric pat hand boundary layer compensation. We have developed design that perform these tasks using high speed scene-based wavefront sensing, IR aerosol laser guide stars, and extended-object wavefront beacons. We have developed a number of adaptive optics system configurations that met the spatial resolution requirements and we have determined that sensing and signal processing requirements can be met. With the help of micromachined deformable mirrors and sensor, we will be able to integrate the systems into existing airborne pods and missiles as well as next generation electro-optical systems.

Aero-optics overview. [laser applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gilbert, K. G.

1980-01-01

Various aero-optical phenomena are discussed with reference to their effect on airborne high energy lasers. Major emphasis is placed on: compressibility effects induced in the surrounding flow field; viscous effects which manifests themselves as aircraft boundary layers or shear layers; inviscid flow fields surrounding the aircraft due to airflow around protuberance such as laser turret assemblies; and shocks, established whenever local flow exceeds Mach one. The significant physical parameters affecting the interaction of a laser beam with a turbulent boundary layer are also described.

Can low-resolution airborne laser scanning data be used to model stream rating curves?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lyon, Steve; Nathanson, Marcus; Lam, Norris; Dahlke, Helen; Rutzinger, Martin; Kean, Jason W.; Laudon, Hjalmar

2015-01-01

This pilot study explores the potential of using low-resolution (0.2 points/m2) airborne laser scanning (ALS)-derived elevation data to model stream rating curves. Rating curves, which allow the functional translation of stream water depth into discharge, making them integral to water resource monitoring efforts, were modeled using a physics-based approach that captures basic geometric measurements to establish flow resistance due to implicit channel roughness. We tested synthetically thinned high-resolution (more than 2 points/m2) ALS data as a proxy for low-resolution data at a point density equivalent to that obtained within most national-scale ALS strategies. Our results show that the errors incurred due to the effect of low-resolution versus high-resolution ALS data were less than those due to flow measurement and empirical rating curve fitting uncertainties. As such, although there likely are scale and technical limitations to consider, it is theoretically possible to generate rating curves in a river network from ALS data of the resolution anticipated within national-scale ALS schemes (at least for rivers with relatively simple geometries). This is promising, since generating rating curves from ALS scans would greatly enhance our ability to monitor streamflow by simplifying the overall effort required.

Closed cycle electric discharge laser design investigation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baily, P. K.; Smith, R. C.

1978-01-01

Closed cycle CO2 and CO electric discharge lasers were studied. An analytical investigation assessed scale-up parameters and design features for CO2, closed cycle, continuous wave, unstable resonator, electric discharge lasing systems operating in space and airborne environments. A space based CO system was also examined. The program objectives were the conceptual designs of six CO2 systems and one CO system. Three airborne CO2 designs, with one, five, and ten megawatt outputs, were produced. These designs were based upon five minute run times. Three space based CO2 designs, with the same output levels, were also produced, but based upon one year run times. In addition, a conceptual design for a one megawatt space based CO laser system was also produced. These designs include the flow loop, compressor, and heat exchanger, as well as the laser cavity itself. The designs resulted in a laser loop weight for the space based five megawatt system that is within the space shuttle capacity. For the one megawatt systems, the estimated weight of the entire system including laser loop, solar power generator, and heat radiator is less than the shuttle capacity.

Hydrographic Basins Analysis Using Digital Terrain Modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mihaela, Pişleagă; -Minda Codruţa, Bădăluţă; Gabriel, Eleş; Daniela, Popescu

2017-10-01

The paper, emphasis the link between digital terrain modelling and studies of hydrographic basins, concerning the hydrological processes analysis. Given the evolution of computing techniques but also of the software digital terrain modelling made its presence felt increasingly, and established itself as a basic concept in many areas, due to many advantages. At present, most digital terrain modelling is derived from three alternative sources such as ground surveys, photogrammetric data capture or from digitized cartographic sources. A wide range of features may be extracted from digital terrain models, such as surface, specific points and landmarks, linear features but also areal futures like drainage basins, hills or hydrological basins. The paper highlights how the use appropriate software for the preparation of a digital terrain model, a model which is subsequently used to study hydrographic basins according to various geomorphological parameters. As a final goal, it shows the link between digital terrain modelling and hydrographic basins study that can be used to optimize the correlation between digital model terrain and hydrological processes in order to obtain results as close to the real field processes.

Active optical CO2 sensing for Ground-based, Airborne, and from Space platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakaizawa, D.; Kawakami, S.; Nakajima, M.; Tanaka, T.; Miyamoto, Y.; Inoue, M.; Morino, I.; Uchino, O.; Sawa, Y.; Matsueda, H.

2011-12-01

Accurate measurements of lower tropospheric CO2 from space are strongly needed to quantify processes that identify the CO2 flux by the lands and oceans. The Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite (GOSAT) is the first space mission focused on lower tropospheric CO2 measurements by detecting the near-infrared spectral absorption in reflected sunlight. The GOSAT mission is a key first step, and will increase knowledge about atmospheric CO2 distributions. However there are unavoidable limitations imposed by its measurements approach, 1) the best performance of CO2 total column measurements can only be performed under the clear-sky atmosphere, 2) seasonal dependence reduces its global coverage, such as the case of the northern hemisphere in winter, and 3) unknowns and variations in cloud and aerosol contamination is also sensitive for CO2 measurements. The laser-based CO2 remote sensing is advantage of those un-met needs. We have developed and improved a compact differential laser absorption sensor (LAS) for measuring the weighted column-averaged dry CO2 mixing ratio (Wq) as a candidate for space mission. Our instrument employs two continuous-wave lasers and a fiber amplifier, which are available of simultaneous measurements of CO2 differential absorption optical depth and range to the target. The amplitude-modulated laser outputs are amplified by a fiber-amplifier. The receiver uses a compact telescope and photodiodes, and measures the laser powers reflected from the target. The gas absorption and column-averaged mixing ratio for the CO2 are evaluated from the ratio of the on- and off-line signals. We have performed ground-based and airborne measurement to evaluate uncertainty of Wq measurements. In these measurements R(12) line in the (30012<-00001) absorption bands of 12C16O2 was used. The precision of the ground-based measurements of horizontal Wq was 0.49% for a horizontal range of 2.1 km. The first airborne measurements were also made during August 2009. These

Selection method of terrain matching area for TERCOM algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Qieqie; Zhao, Long

2017-10-01

The performance of terrain aided navigation is closely related to the selection of terrain matching area. The different matching algorithms have different adaptability to terrain. This paper mainly studies the adaptability to terrain of TERCOM algorithm, analyze the relation between terrain feature and terrain characteristic parameters by qualitative and quantitative methods, and then research the relation between matching probability and terrain characteristic parameters by the Monte Carlo method. After that, we propose a selection method of terrain matching area for TERCOM algorithm, and verify the method correctness with real terrain data by simulation experiment. Experimental results show that the matching area obtained by the method in this paper has the good navigation performance and the matching probability of TERCOM algorithm is great than 90%

Estimation of Snow Particle Model Suitable for a Complex and Forested Terrain: Lessons from SnowEx

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gatebe, C. K.; Li, W.; Stamnes, K. H.; Poudyal, R.; Fan, Y.; Chen, N.

2017-12-01

SnowEx 2017 obtained consistent and coordinated ground and airborne remote sensing measurements over Grand Mesa in Colorado, which feature sufficient forested stands to have a range of density and height (and other forest conditions); a range of snow depth/snow water equivalent (SWE) conditions; sufficiently flat snow-covered terrain of a size comparable to airborne instrument swath widths. The Cloud Absorption Radiometer (CAR) data from SnowEx are unique and can be used to assess the accuracy of Bidirectional Reflectance-Distribution Functions (BRDFs) calculated by different snow models. These measurements provide multiple angle and multiple wavelength data needed for accurate surface BRDF characterization. Such data cannot easily be obtained by current satellite remote sensors. Compared to ground-based snow field measurements, CAR measurements minimize the effect of self-shading, and are adaptable to a wide variety of field conditions. We plan to use the CAR measurements as the validation data source for our snow modeling effort. By comparing calculated BRDF results from different snow models to CAR measurements, we can determine which model best explains the snow BRDFs, and is therefore most suitable for application to satellite remote sensing of snow parameters and surface energy budget calculations.

Terrain modeling for microwave landing system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Poulose, M. M.

1991-01-01

A powerful analytical approach for evaluating the terrain effects on a microwave landing system (MLS) is presented. The approach combines a multiplate model with a powerful and exhaustive ray tracing technique and an accurate formulation for estimating the electromagnetic fields due to the antenna array in the presence of terrain. Both uniform theory of diffraction (UTD) and impedance UTD techniques have been employed to evaluate these fields. Innovative techniques are introduced at each stage to make the model versatile to handle most general terrain contours and also to reduce the computational requirement to a minimum. The model is applied to several terrain geometries, and the results are discussed.

Data collection and simulation of high range resolution laser radar for surface mine detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steinvall, Ove; Chevalier, Tomas; Larsson, Håkan

2006-05-01

Rapid and efficient detection of surface mines, IED's (Improvised Explosive Devices) and UXO (Unexploded Ordnance) is of high priority in military conflicts. High range resolution laser radars combined with passive hyper/multispectral sensors offer an interesting concept to help solving this problem. This paper reports on laser radar data collection of various surface mines in different types of terrain. In order to evaluate the capability of 3D imaging for detecting and classifying the objects of interest a scanning laser radar was used to scan mines and surrounding terrain with high angular and range resolution. These data were then fed into a laser radar model capable of generating range waveforms for a variety of system parameters and combinations of different targets and backgrounds. We can thus simulate a potential system by down sampling to relevant pixel sizes and laser/receiver characteristics. Data, simulations and examples will be presented.

Development of carbon dioxide laser doppler instrumentation detection of clear air turbulence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sonnenschein, C.; Jelalian, A.; Keene, W.

1970-01-01

The analytical, experimental, and developmental aspects of an airborne, pulsed, carbon dioxide laser-optical radar system are described. The laser detects clear air turbulence and performs Doppler measurements of this air-motion phenomenon. Conclusions and recommendations arising from the development of the laser system are presented.

Laser-based sensors for oil spill remote sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, Carl E.; Fingas, Mervin F.; Mullin, Joseph V.

1997-07-01

Remote sensing is becoming an increasingly important tool for the effective direction of oil spill countermeasures. Cleanup personnel have recognized that remote sensing can increase spill cleanup efficiency. It has long been recognized that there is no one sensor which is capable of detecting oil and related petroleum products in all environments and spill scenarios. There are sensors which possess a wide field-of- view and can therefore be used to map the overall extent of the spill. These sensors, however lack the capability to positively identify oil and related products, especially along complicated beach and shoreline environments where several substrates are present. The laser-based sensors under development by the Emergencies Science Division of Environment Canada are designed to fill specific roles in oil spill response. The scanning laser environmental airborne fluorosensor (SLEAF) is being developed to detect and map oil and related petroleum products in complex marine and shoreline environments where other non-specific sensors experience difficulty. The role of the SLEAF would be to confirm or reject suspected oil contamination sites that have been targeted by the non-specific sensors. This confirmation will release response crews from the time-consuming task of physically inspecting each site, and direct crews to sites that require remediation. The laser ultrasonic remote sensing of oil thickness (LURSOT) sensor will provide an absolute measurement of oil thickness from an airborne platform. There are presently no sensors available, either airborne or in the laboratory which can provide an absolute measurement of oil thickness. This information is necessary for the effective direction of spill countermeasures such as dispersant application and in-situ burning. This paper describes the development of laser-based airborne oil spill remote sensing instrumentation at Environment Canada and identifies the anticipated benefits of the use of this technology

The alpine Swiss-French airborne gravity survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verdun, Jérôme; Klingelé, Emile E.; Bayer, Roger; Cocard, Marc; Geiger, Alain; Kahle, Hans-Gert

2003-01-01

In February 1998, a regional-scale, airborne gravity survey was carried out over the French Occidental Alps within the framework of the GéoFrance 3-D research program.The survey consisted of 18 NS and 16 EW oriented lines with a spacing of 10 and 20 km respectively, covering the whole of the Western French Alps (total area: 50 000 km2; total distance of lines flown: 10 000 km). The equipment was mounted in a medium-size aircraft (DeHavilland Twin Otter) flowing at a constant altitude of 5100 m a.s.l, and at a mean ground speed of about 280 km h-1. Gravity was measured using a LaCoste & Romberg relative, air/sea gravimeter (type SA) mounted on a laser gyro stabilized platform. Data from 5 GPS antennae located on fuselage and wings and 7 ground-based GPS reference stations were used to determine position and aircraft induced accelerations.The gravimeter passband was derived by comparing the vertical accelerations provided by the gravimeter with those estimated from the GPS positions. This comparison showed that the gravimeter is not sensitive to very short wavelength aircraft accelerations, and therefore a simplified formulation for computing airborne gravity measurements was developed. The intermediate and short wavelength, non-gravitational accelerations were eliminated by means of digital, exponential low-pass filters (cut-off wavelength: 16 km). An important issue in airborne gravimetry is the reliability of the airborne gravity surveys when compared to ground surveys. In our studied area, the differences between the airborne-acquired Bouguer anomaly and the ground upward-continued Bouguer anomaly of the Alps shows a good agreement: the rms of these differences is equal to 7.68 mGal for a spatial resolution of 8 km. However, in some areas with rugged topography, the amplitudes of those differences have a striking correlation with the topography. We then argue that the choice of an appropriate density (reduction by a factor of 10 per cent) for computing the

Basis and methods of NASA airborne topographic mapper lidar surveys for coastal studies

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brock, John C.; Wright, C. Wayne; Sallenger, Asbury H.; Krabill, William B.; Swift, Robert N.

2002-01-01

This paper provides an overview of the basic principles of airborne laser altimetry for surveys of coastal topography, and describes the methods used in the acquisition and processing of NASA Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM) surveys that cover much of the conterminous US coastline. This form of remote sensing, also known as "topographic lidar", has undergone extremely rapid development during the last two decades, and has the potential to contribute within a wide range of coastal scientific investigations. Various airborne laser surveying (ALS) applications that are relevant to coastal studies are being pursued by researchers in a range of Earth science disciplines. Examples include the mapping of "bald earth" land surfaces below even moderately dense vegetation in studies of geologic framework and hydrology, and determination of the vegetation canopy structure, a key variable in mapping wildlife habitats. ALS has also proven to be an excellent method for the regional mapping of geomorphic change along barrier island beaches and other sandy coasts due to storms or long-term sedimentary processes. Coastal scientists are adopting ALS as a basic method in the study of an array of additional coastal topics. ALS can provide useful information in the analysis of shoreline change, the prediction and assessment of landslides along seacliffs and headlands, examination of subsidence causing coastal land loss, and in predicting storm surge and tsunami inundation.

The MAP program: building the digital terrain model.

Treesearch

R.H. Twito; R.W. Mifflin; R.J. McGaughey

1987-01-01

PLANS, a software package for integrated timber-harvest planning, uses digital terrain models to provide the topographic data needed to fit harvest and transportation designs to specific terrain. MAP, an integral program in the PLANS package, is used to construct the digital terrain models required by PLANS. MAP establishes digital terrain models using digitizer-traced...

Vegetation-terrain feature relationships in southeast Arizona

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schrumpf, B. J. (Principal Investigator); Mouat, D. A.

1972-01-01

There are no author-identified significant results in this report. Studies of relationships of vegetation distribution to geomorphic characteristics of the landscape and of plant phenological patterns to vegetation identification of satellite imagery indicate that there exists positive relationships between certain plant species and certain terrain features. Not all species were found to exhibit positive relationships with all terrain feature variables, but enough positive relationships seem to exist to indicate that terrain feature variable-vegetation relationship studies have a definite place in plant ecological investigations. Even more importantly, the vegetation groups examined appeared to be successfully discriminated by the terrain feature variables. This would seem to indicate that spatial interpretations of vegetation groups may be possible. While vegetational distributions aren't determined by terrain feature differences, terrain features do mirror factors which directly influence vegetational response and hence distribution. As a result, those environmental features which can be readily and rapidly ascertained on relatively small-scale imagery may prove to be valuable indicators of vegetation distribution.

ALMDS laser system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kushina, Mark E.; Heberle, Geoff; Hope, Michael; Hall, David; Bethel, Michael; Calmes, Lonnie K.

2003-06-01

The ALMDS (Airborne Laser Mine Detection System) has been developed utilizing a solid-state laser operating at 532nm for naval mine detection. The laser system is integrated into a pod that mounts externally on a helicopter. This laser, along with other receiver systems, enables detailed underwater bathymetry. CEO designs and manufactures the laser portion of this system. Arete Associates integrates the laser system into the complete LIDAR package that utilizes sophisticated streak tube detection technology. Northrop Grumman is responsible for final pod integration. The laser sub-system is comprised of two separate parts: the LTU (Laser Transmitter Unit) and the LEU (Laser Electronics Unit). The LTU and LEU are undergoing MIL-STD-810 testing for vibration, shock, temperature storage and operation extremes, as well as MIL-STD-704E electrical power testing and MIL-STD-461E EMI testing. The Nd:YAG MOPA laser operates at 350 Hz pulse repetition frequency at 45 Watts average 532nm power and is controlled at the system level from within the helicopter. Power monitor circuits allow real time laser health monitoring, which enables input parameter adjustments for consistent laser behavior.

Cold Flow Testing of a Modified Subscale Model Exhaust System for a Space Based Laser

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-06-01

Abstract The aim of this research was a continued study of gas-dynamic phenomena that occurred in a set of stacked nozzles as reported by Captains...join the vacuum and test sections. The goals of this research were two fold; first, modify the original scale-model of the stacked cylindrical...Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), in conjunction with the Airborne Laser Laboratory, have studied the use of an Airborne Laser (ABL

Optical extinction dependence on wavelength and size distribution of airborne dust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pangle, Garrett E.; Hook, D. A.; Long, Brandon J. N.; Philbrick, C. R.; Hallen, Hans D.

2013-05-01

The optical scattering from laser beams propagating through atmospheric aerosols has been shown to be very useful in describing air pollution aerosol properties. This research explores and extends that capability to particulate matter. The optical properties of Arizona Road Dust (ARD) samples are measured in a chamber that simulates the particle dispersal of dust aerosols in the atmospheric environment. Visible, near infrared, and long wave infrared lasers are used. Optical scattering measurements show the expected dependence of laser wavelength and particle size on the extinction of laser beams. The extinction at long wavelengths demonstrates reduced scattering, but chemical absorption of dust species must be considered. The extinction and depolarization of laser wavelengths interacting with several size cuts of ARD are examined. The measurements include studies of different size distributions, and their evolution over time is recorded by an Aerodynamic Particle Sizer. We analyze the size-dependent extinction and depolarization of ARD. We present a method of predicting extinction for an arbitrary ARD size distribution. These studies provide new insights for understanding the optical propagation of laser beams through airborne particulate matter.

Photon-Counting Multikilohertz Microlaser Altimeters for Airborne and Spaceborne Topographic Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Degnan, John J.; Smith, David E. (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

We consider the optimum design of photon-counting microlaser altimeters operating from airborne and spaceborne platforms under both day and night conditions. Extremely compact Q-switched microlaser transmitters produce trains of low energy pulses at multi-kHz rates and can easily generate subnanosecond pulse-widths for precise ranging. To guide the design, we have modeled the solar noise background and developed simple algorithms, based on Post-Detection Poisson Filtering (PDPF), to optimally extract the weak altimeter signal from a high noise background during daytime operations. Practical technology issues, such as detector and/or receiver dead times, have also been considered in the analysis. We describe an airborne prototype, being developed under NASA's instrument Incubator Program, which is designed to operate at a 10 kHz rate from aircraft cruise altitudes up to 12 km with laser pulse energies on the order of a few microjoules. We also analyze a compact and power efficient system designed to operate from Mars orbit at an altitude of 300 km and sample the Martian surface at rates up to 4.3 kHz using a 1 watt laser transmitter and an 18 cm telescope. This yields a Power-Aperture Product of 0.24 W-square meter, corresponding to a value almost 4 times smaller than the Mars Orbiting Laser Altimeter (0. 88W-square meter), yet the sampling rate is roughly 400 times greater (4 kHz vs 10 Hz) Relative to conventional high power laser altimeters, advantages of photon-counting laser altimeters include: (1) a more efficient use of available laser photons providing up to two orders of magnitude greater surface sampling rates for a given laser power-telescope aperture product; (2) a simultaneous two order of magnitude reduction in the volume, cost and weight of the telescope system; (3) the unique ability to spatially resolve the source of the surface return in a photon counting mode through the use of pixellated or imaging detectors; and (4) improved vertical and

Advances in High Energy Solid-State Pulsed 2-Micron Lidar Development for Ground and Airborne Wind, Water Vapor and CO2 Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singh, Upendra N.; Yu, Jirong; Petros, Mulugeta; Refaat, Tamer; Kavaya, Michael J.; Remus, Ruben

2015-01-01

NASA Langley Research Center has a long history of developing 2-micron lasers. From fundamental spectroscopy research, theoretical prediction of new materials, laser demonstration and engineering of lidar systems, it has been a very successful program spanning around two decades. Successful development of 2-micron lasers has led to development of a state-of-the-art compact lidar transceiver for a pulsed coherent Doppler lidar system for wind measurement with an unprecedented laser pulse energy of 250 millijoules in a rugged package. This high pulse energy is produced by a Ho:Tm:LuLiF laser with an optical amplifier. While the lidar is meant for use as an airborne instrument, ground-based tests were carried out to characterize performance of the lidar. Atmospheric measurements will be presented, showing the lidar's capability for wind measurement in the atmospheric boundary layer and free troposphere. Lidar wind measurements are compared to a balloon sonde, showing good agreement between the two sensors. Similar architecture has been used to develop a high energy, Ho:Tm:YLF double-pulsed 2-micron Integrated Differential Absorption Lidar (IPDA) instrument based on direct detection technique that provides atmospheric column CO2 measurements. This instrument has been successfully used to measure atmospheric CO2 column density initially from a ground mobile lidar trailer, and then it was integrated on B-200 plane and 20 hours of flight measurement were made from an altitude ranging 1500 meters to 8000 meters. These measurements were compared to in-situ measurements and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) airborne flask measurement to derive the dry mixing ratio of the column CO2 by reflecting the signal by various reflecting surfaces such as land, vegetation, ocean surface, snow and sand. The lidar measurements when compared showed a very agreement with in-situ and airborne flask measurement. NASA Langley Research Center is currently developing a

Control electronics for a multi-laser/multi-detector scanning system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kennedy, W.

1980-01-01

The Mars Rover Laser Scanning system uses a precision laser pointing mechanism, a photodetector array, and the concept of triangulation to perform three dimensional scene analysis. The system is used for real time terrain sensing and vision. The Multi-Laser/Multi-Detector laser scanning system is controlled by a digital device called the ML/MD controller. A next generation laser scanning system, based on the Level 2 controller, is microprocessor based. The new controller capabilities far exceed those of the ML/MD device. The first draft circuit details and general software structure are presented.

Integrated Approach to Airborne Laser Communication

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-12-01

deformable mirror [66, 69, 80]. Some researchers have proposed complicated wavefront control systems to sense and correct the transmitted signals in real...Sensors at the imaging system or laser transmitter measure how the turbulence affects the beacon. If the differences between the phase effects ( wavefront ...communications are severely affected by clouds, dust, and atmospheric turbulence , causing deep, long fades at the receiver. Ultimately a hybrid

Airborne Nanoparticle Detection By Sampling On Filters And Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dewalle, Pascale; Sirven, Jean-Baptiste; Roynette, Audrey; Gensdarmes, François; Golanski, Luana; Motellier, Sylvie

2011-07-01

Nowadays, due to their unique physical and chemical properties, engineered nanoparticles are increasingly used in a variety of industrial sectors. However, questions are raised about the safety of workers who produce and handle these particles. Therefore it is necessary to assess the potential exposure by inhalation of these workers. There is thereby a need to develop a suitable instrumentation which can detect selectively the presence of engineered nanoparticles in the ambient atmosphere. In this paper Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) is used to meet this target. LIBS can be implemented on site since it is a fast and direct technique which requires no sample preparation. The approach consisted in sampling Fe2O3 and TiO2 nanoparticles on a filter, respectively a mixed cellulose ester membrane and a polycarbonate membrane, and to measure the surface concentration of Fe and Ti by LIBS. Then taking into account the sampling parameters (flow, duration, filter surface) we could calculate a detection limit in volume concentration in the atmosphere. With a sampling at 10 L/min on a 10 cm2 filter during 1 min, we obtained detection limits of 56 μg/m3 for Fe and 22 μg/m3 for Ti. These figures, obtained in real time, are significantly below existing workplace exposure recommendations of the EU-OSHA and of the NIOSH. These results are very encouraging and will be completed in a future work on airborne carbon nanotube detection.

Triton - False Color of Cantaloupe Terrain

NASA Image and Video Library

1996-09-26

Voyager violet, green, and ultraviolet images of Triton were map projected into cylindrical coordinates and combined to produce this false color terrain map. Several compositionally distinct terrain and geologic features are portrayed. At center is a gray blue unit referred to as 'cantaloupe' terrain because of its unusual topographic texture. The unit appears to predate other units to the left. Immediately adjacent to the cantaloupe terrain, is a smoother unit, represented by a reddish color, that has been dissected by a prominent fault system. This unit apparently overlies a much higher albedo material, seen farther left. A prominent angular albedo boundary separates relatively undisturbed smooth terrain from irregular patches which have been derived from breakup of the same material. Also visible at the far left are diffuse, elongated streaks, which seem to emanate from circular, often bright centered features. The parallel streaks may represent vented particulate materials blown in the same direction by winds in Triton's thin atmosphere. The Voyager Mission was conducted by JPL for NASA's Office of Space Science and Applications. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00060

Airborne Remote sensing of the OH tropospheric column with an Integrated Path Differential LIDAR.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hanisco, T. F.; Liang, Q.; Nicely, J. M.; Brune, W. H.; Miller, D. O.; Thames, A. B.

2017-12-01

The Hydroxyl radical, OH, is central to the photochemistry that controls tropospheric oxidation including the removal of atmospheric methane. Measurements of this important species are thus critical to testing our understanding and for constraining model results. Until now, tropospheric measurements have been limited to airborne or ground-based in situ instruments best suited to test photochemical box models. However, because of the growing recognition of the importance of the global methane abundance, we have a growing need to better quantify OH at the regional to global scales that are best sampled with airborne or space-based remote sensing instruments. To address this need, we have developed an instrument concept and have begun work on a laser transmitter for an airborne integrated path differential absorption LIDAR for the detection of OH. We will describe the instrument and present the expected performance characteristics. As a demonstration, we will use measurements from the recent ATOM-1 NASA airborne campaign to show measured OH columns can be used to constrain regional and global models.

Airborne wireless communication systems, airborne communication methods, and communication methods

DOEpatents

Deaton, Juan D [Menan, ID; Schmitt, Michael J [Idaho Falls, ID; Jones, Warren F [Idaho Falls, ID

2011-12-13

An airborne wireless communication system includes circuitry configured to access information describing a configuration of a terrestrial wireless communication base station that has become disabled. The terrestrial base station is configured to implement wireless communication between wireless devices located within a geographical area and a network when the terrestrial base station is not disabled. The circuitry is further configured, based on the information, to configure the airborne station to have the configuration of the terrestrial base station. An airborne communication method includes answering a 911 call from a terrestrial cellular wireless phone using an airborne wireless communication system.

Characterization of airborne transducers by optical tomography

PubMed

Bou Matar O; Pizarro; Certon; Remenieras; Patat

2000-03-01

This paper describes the application of an acousto-optic method to the measurement of airborne ultrasound. The method consists of a heterodyne interferometric probing of the pressure emitted by the transducer combined with a tomographic algorithm. The heterodyne interferometer measures the optical phase shift of the probe laser beam, proportional to the acoustic pressure integrated along the light path. A number of projections of the sound field, e.g. a set of ray integrals obtained along parallel paths, are made in moving the transducer to be tested. The main advantage of the method is its very high sensitivity in air (2 x 10(-4) Pa Hz-1/2), combined with a large bandwidth. Using the same principle as X-ray tomography the ultrasonic pressure in a plane perpendicular to the transducer axis can be reconstructed. Several ultrasonic fields emitted by wide-band home made electrostatic transducers, with operating frequencies between 200 and 700 kHz, have been measured. The sensitivities compared favorably with those of commercial airborne transducers.

Mobile robots traversability awareness based on terrain visual sensory data fusion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shirkhodaie, Amir

2007-04-01

In this paper, we have presented methods that significantly improve the robot awareness of its terrain traversability conditions. The terrain traversability awareness is achieved by association of terrain image appearances from different poses and fusion of extracted information from multimodality imaging and range sensor data for localization and clustering environment landmarks. Initially, we describe methods for extraction of salient features of the terrain for the purpose of landmarks registration from two or more images taken from different via points along the trajectory path of the robot. The method of image registration is applied as a means of overlaying (two or more) of the same terrain scene at different viewpoints. The registration geometrically aligns salient landmarks of two images (the reference and sensed images). A Similarity matching techniques is proposed for matching the terrain salient landmarks. Secondly, we present three terrain classifier models based on rule-based, supervised neural network, and fuzzy logic for classification of terrain condition under uncertainty and mapping the robot's terrain perception to apt traversability measures. This paper addresses the technical challenges and navigational skill requirements of mobile robots for traversability path planning in natural terrain environments similar to Mars surface terrains. We have described different methods for detection of salient terrain features based on imaging texture analysis techniques. We have also presented three competing techniques for terrain traversability assessment of mobile robots navigating in unstructured natural terrain environments. These three techniques include: a rule-based terrain classifier, a neural network-based terrain classifier, and a fuzzy-logic terrain classifier. Each proposed terrain classifier divides a region of natural terrain into finite sub-terrain regions and classifies terrain condition exclusively within each sub-terrain region based on

Observing and characterizing avalanche activity in the Khumbu Himal, Nepal, using Pleiades and airborne HDR imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thompson, Sarah; Nicholson, Lindsey; Klug, Christoph; Rieg, Lorenzo; Sailer, Rudolf; Bucher, Tilman; Brauchle, Jörg

2017-04-01

In the high, steep terrain of the Khumbu Himal, Nepal, snow avalanches play an important role in glacier mass balance, and rockfall supplies much of the rock material that forms the extensive debris covers on glaciers in the region. Information on the frequency and size of gravitational mass movements is helpful for understanding current and future glacier behaviour but currently lacking. In this study we use a combination of high resolution Pleiades optical satellite imagery in conjunction with airborne HDR imagery of slopes in deep shadow or overexposed snow slopes, provided by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) MACS system (see Brauchle et al., MM3.2/GI2.12/GMPV6.4/HS11.13/NH8.9/SSS12.24), to undertake a qualitative observational study of the gravitational processes evident in these sets of imagery. We classify the features found and discuss their likely frequency in the context of previously published research findings. Terrain analysis based upon digital terrain models derived from the same Pleiades imagery is used to investigate the slope angle, degree of confinement, curvature and aspect of observed avalanche and rock fall tracks. This work presents a first overview of the types of gravitational slides affecting glaciers of the Khumbu Himal. Subsequent research efforts will focus on attempting to quantify volumes of mass movement using repeat satellite imagery.

Forest understory trees can be segmented accurately within sufficiently dense airborne laser scanning point clouds.

PubMed

Hamraz, Hamid; Contreras, Marco A; Zhang, Jun

2017-07-28

Airborne laser scanning (LiDAR) point clouds over large forested areas can be processed to segment individual trees and subsequently extract tree-level information. Existing segmentation procedures typically detect more than 90% of overstory trees, yet they barely detect 60% of understory trees because of the occlusion effect of higher canopy layers. Although understory trees provide limited financial value, they are an essential component of ecosystem functioning by offering habitat for numerous wildlife species and influencing stand development. Here we model the occlusion effect in terms of point density. We estimate the fractions of points representing different canopy layers (one overstory and multiple understory) and also pinpoint the required density for reasonable tree segmentation (where accuracy plateaus). We show that at a density of ~170 pt/m² understory trees can likely be segmented as accurately as overstory trees. Given the advancements of LiDAR sensor technology, point clouds will affordably reach this required density. Using modern computational approaches for big data, the denser point clouds can efficiently be processed to ultimately allow accurate remote quantification of forest resources. The methodology can also be adopted for other similar remote sensing or advanced imaging applications such as geological subsurface modelling or biomedical tissue analysis.

Analysis of 3d Building Models Accuracy Based on the Airborne Laser Scanning Point Clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ostrowski, W.; Pilarska, M.; Charyton, J.; Bakuła, K.

2018-05-01

Creating 3D building models in large scale is becoming more popular and finds many applications. Nowadays, a wide term "3D building models" can be applied to several types of products: well-known CityGML solid models (available on few Levels of Detail), which are mainly generated from Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) data, as well as 3D mesh models that can be created from both nadir and oblique aerial images. City authorities and national mapping agencies are interested in obtaining the 3D building models. Apart from the completeness of the models, the accuracy aspect is also important. Final accuracy of a building model depends on various factors (accuracy of the source data, complexity of the roof shapes, etc.). In this paper the methodology of inspection of dataset containing 3D models is presented. The proposed approach check all building in dataset with comparison to ALS point clouds testing both: accuracy and level of details. Using analysis of statistical parameters for normal heights for reference point cloud and tested planes and segmentation of point cloud provides the tool that can indicate which building and which roof plane in do not fulfill requirement of model accuracy and detail correctness. Proposed method was tested on two datasets: solid and mesh model.

Iapetus Bright and Dark Terrains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

Saturn's outermost large moon, Iapetus, has a bright, heavily cratered icy terrain and a dark terrain, as shown in this Voyager 2 image taken on August 22, 1981. Amazingly, the dark material covers precisely the side of Iapetus that leads in the direction of orbital motion around Saturn (except for the poles), whereas the bright material occurs on the trailing hemisphere and at the poles. The bright terrain is made of dirty ice, and the dark terrain is surfaced by carbonaceous molecules, according to measurements made with Earth-based telescopes. Iapetus' dark hemisphere has been likened to tar or asphalt and is so dark that no details within this terrain were visible to Voyager 2. The bright icy hemisphere, likened to dirty snow, shows many large impact craters. The closest approach by Voyager 2 to Iapetus was a relatively distant 600,000 miles, so that our best images, such as this, have a resolution of about 12 miles. The dark material is made of organic substances, probably including poisonous cyano compounds such as frozen hydrogen cyanide polymers. Though we know a little about the dark terrain's chemical nature, we do not understand its origin. Two theories have been developed, but neither is fully satisfactory--(1) the dark material may be organic dust knocked off the small neighboring satellite Phoebe and 'painted' onto the leading side of Iapetus as the dust spirals toward Saturn and Iapetus hurtles through the tenuous dust cloud, or (2) the dark material may be made of icy-cold carbonaceous 'cryovolcanic' lavas that were erupted from Iapetus' interior and then blackened by solar radiation, charged particles, and cosmic rays. A determination of the actual cause, as well as discovery of any other geologic features smaller than 12 miles across, awaits the Cassini Saturn orbiter to arrive in 2004.

Precise mapping of annual river bed changes based on airborne laser bathymetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mandlburger, Gottfried; Wieser, Martin; Pfeifer, Norbert; Pfennigbauer, Martin; Steinbacher, Frank; Aufleger, Markus

2014-05-01

Airborne Laser Bathymtery (ALB) is a method for capturing relatively shallow water bodies from the air using a pulsed green laser (wavelength=532nm). While this technique was first used for mapping coastal waters only, recent progress in sensor technology has opened the field to apply ALB to running inland waters. Especially for alpine rivers the precise mapping of the channel topography is a challenging task as the flow velocities are often high and the area is difficult and/or dangerous to access by boat or by feet. Traditional mapping techniques like tachymetry or echo sounding fail in such situations while ALB provides, both, high spot position accuracy in the cm range and high spatial resolution in the dm range. Furthermore, state-of-the-art ALB systems allow simultaneous mapping of the river bed and the riparian area and, therefore, represent a comprehensive and efficient technology for mapping the entire floodplain area. The maximum penetration depth depends on, both, water turbidity and bottom reflectivity. Consequently, ALB provides the highest accuracy and resolution over bright gravel rivers with relatively clear water. We demonstrate the capability of ALB for precise mapping of river bed changes based on three flight campaigns in April, May and October 2013 at the River Pielach (Lower Austria) carried out with Riegl's VQ-820-G topo-bathymetric laser scanner. Operated at a flight height of 600m above ground with a pulse repetition rate of 510kHz (effective measurement rate 200kHz) this yielded a mean point spacing within the river bed of 20cm (i.e. point density: 25 points/m2). The positioning accuracy of the river bed points is approx. 2-5cm and depends on the overall ranging precision (20mm), the quality of the water surface model (derived from the ALB point cloud), and the signal intensity (decreasing with water depth). All in all, the obtained point cloud allowed the derivation of a dense grid model of the channel topography (0.25m cell size) for all

Rapid topographic and bathymetric reconnaissance using airborne LiDAR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Axelsson, Andreas

2010-10-01

Today airborne LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) systems has gained acceptance as a powerful tool to rapidly collect invaluable information to assess the impact from either natural disasters, such as hurricanes, earthquakes and flooding, or human inflicted disasters such as terrorist/enemy activities. Where satellite based imagery provides an excellent tool to remotely detect changes in the environment, the LiDAR systems, being active remote sensors, provide an unsurpassed method to quantify these changes. The strength of the active laser based systems is especially evident in areas covered by occluding vegetation or in the shallow coastal zone as the laser can penetrate the vegetation or water body to unveil what is below. The purpose of this paper is to address the task to survey complex areas with help of the state-of-the-art airborne LiDAR systems and also discuss scenarios where the method is used today and where it may be used tomorrow. Regardless if it is a post-hurricane survey or a preparation stage for a landing operation in unchartered waters, it is today possible to collect, process and present a dense 3D model of the area of interest within just a few hours from deployment. By utilizing the advancement in processing power and wireless network capabilities real-time presentation would be feasible.

Robot Would Climb Steep Terrain

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kennedy, Brett; Ganino, Anthony; Aghazarian, Hrand; Hogg, Robert; McHerny, Michael; Garrett, Michael

2007-01-01

This brief describes the steep terrain access robot (STAR) -- a walking robot that has been proposed for exploring steep terrain on remote planets. The STAR would be able to climb up or down on slopes as steep as vertical, and even beyond vertical to overhangs. Its system of walking mechanisms and controls would be to react forces and maintain stability. To enable the STAR to anchor itself in the terrain on steep slopes to maintain stability and react forces, it would be necessary to equip the tips of the walking legs with new ultrasonic/ sonic drill corers (USDCs) and to develop sensors and control algorithms to enable robust utilization of the USDCs.

Analysis of terrain map matching using multisensing techniques for applications to autonomous vehicle navigation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Page, Lance; Shen, C. N.

1991-01-01

This paper describes skyline-based terrain matching, a new method for locating the vantage point of laser range-finding measurements on a global map previously prepared by satellite or aerial mapping. Skylines can be extracted from the range-finding measurements and modelled from the global map, and are represented in parametric, cylindrical form with azimuth angle as the independent variable. The three translational parameters of the vantage point are determined with a three-dimensional matching of these two sets of skylines.

Integrating Terrain Maps Into a Reactive Navigation Strategy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Howard, Ayanna; Werger, Barry; Seraji, Homayoun

2006-01-01

An improved method of processing information for autonomous navigation of a robotic vehicle across rough terrain involves the integration of terrain maps into a reactive navigation strategy. Somewhat more precisely, the method involves the incorporation, into navigation logic, of data equivalent to regional traversability maps. The terrain characteristic is mapped using a fuzzy-logic representation of the difficulty of traversing the terrain. The method is robust in that it integrates a global path-planning strategy with sensor-based regional and local navigation strategies to ensure a high probability of success in reaching a destination and avoiding obstacles along the way. The sensor-based strategies use cameras aboard the vehicle to observe the regional terrain, defined as the area of the terrain that covers the immediate vicinity near the vehicle to a specified distance a few meters away.

Application of the NASA airborne oceanographic lidar to the mapping of chlorophyll and other organic pigments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoge, F. E.; Swift, R. N.

1981-01-01

Laser fluorosensing techniques used for the airborne measurement of chlorophyll a and other naturally occurring waterborne pigments are reviewed. Previous experiments demonstrating the utility of the airborne oceanographic lidar (AOL) for assessment of various marine parameters are briefly discussed. The configuration of the AOL during the NOAA/NASA Superflux experiments is described. The participation of the AOL in these experiments is presented and the preliminary results are discussed. The importance of multispectral receiving capability in a laser fluorosensing system for providing reproducible measurements over wide areas having spatial variations in water column transmittance properties is addressed. This capability minimizes the number of truthing points required and is usable even in shallow estuarine areas where resuspension of bottom sediment is common. Finally, problems encountered on the Superflux missions and the resulting limitations on the AOL data sets are addressed and feasible solutions to these problems are provided.

LASER ALTIMETER CANOPY HEIGHT PROFILES: METHODS AND VALIDATION FOR CLOSED-CANOPY, BROADLEAF FORESTS. (R828309)

EPA Science Inventory

Abstract

Waveform-recording laser altimeter observations of vegetated landscapes provide a time-resolved measure of laser pulse backscatter energy from canopy surfaces and the underlying ground. Airborne laser altimeter waveform data was acquired using the Scanning Lid...

Terrain Portrayal for Head-Down Displays Experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hughes, Monica F.; Takallu, M. A.

2002-01-01

The General Aviation Element of the Aviation Safety Program's Synthetic Vision Systems (SVS) Project is developing technology to eliminate low visibility induced General Aviation (GA) accidents. SVS displays present computer generated 3-dimensional imagery of the surrounding terrain on the Primary Flight Display (PFD) to greatly enhance pilot's situation awareness (SA), reducing or eliminating Controlled Flight into Terrain, as well as Low-Visibility Loss of Control accidents. SVS-conducted research is facilitating development of display concepts that provide the pilot with an unobstructed view of the outside terrain, regardless of weather conditions and time of day. A critical component of SVS displays is the appropriate presentation of terrain to the pilot. An experimental study has been conducted at NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) to explore and quantify the relationship between the realism of the terrain presentation and resulting enhancements of pilot SA and pilot performance. Composed of complementary simulation and flight test efforts, Terrain Portrayal for Head-Down Displays (TP-HDD) experiments will help researchers evaluate critical terrain portrayal concepts. The experimental effort is to provide data to enable design trades that optimize SVS applications, as well as develop requirements and recommendations to facilitate the certification process. This paper focuses on the experimental set-up and preliminary qualitative results of the TP-HDD simulation experiment. In this experiment a fixed based flight simulator was equipped with various types of Head Down flight displays, ranging from conventional round dials (typical of most GA aircraft) to glass cockpit style PFD's. The variations of the PFD included an assortment of texturing and Digital Elevation Model (DEM) resolution combinations. A test matrix of 10 terrain display configurations (in addition to the baseline displays) were evaluated by 27 pilots of various backgrounds and experience levels

Contaminant Monitor Laser

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

Under a Small Business Innovation Research contract from Langley Research Center, OPOTEK, Inc. developed a laser transmitter for remote sensing of water vapor in the upper atmosphere. As a leader in developing and using Differential Absorption Lidar, a remote sensing technique to monitor ozone and water vapor in the atmosphere, NASA was interested in upgrading the capabilities of its airborn laser systems. The laser transmitter developed for NASA was used for measuring water vapor in the infrared region. By broadening this concept to other wavelengths, OPOTEK believes a range of industrial applications can be met. In addition, the tunable laser system can be used by the Drug Enforcement Administration to discern the by-products from illegal drug manufacturing. A host of other government, university, and industrial laboratory uses for the technology are also being examined as follow-up by the company.

Vegetation and terrain mapping in Alaska using Landsat MSS and digital terrain data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Shasby, Mark; Carneggie, David M.

1986-01-01

During the past 5 years, the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) Earth Resources Observation Systems (EROS) Data Center Field Office in Anchorage, Alaska has worked cooperatively with Federal and State resource management agencies to produce land-cover and terrain maps for 245 million acres of Alaska. The need for current land-cover information in Alaska comes principally from the mandates of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA), December 1980, which requires major land management agencies to prepare comprehensive management plans. The land-cover mapping projects integrate digital Landsat data, terrain data, aerial photographs, and field data. The resultant land-cover and terrain maps and associated data bases are used for resource assessment, management, and planning by many Alaskan agencies including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Alaska Department of Natural Resources. Applications addressed through use of the digital land-cover and terrain data bases range from comprehensive refuge planning to multiphased sampling procedures designed to inventory vegetation statewide. The land-cover mapping programs in Alaska demonstrate the operational utility of digital Landsat data and have resulted in a new land-cover mapping program by the USGS National Mapping Division to compile 1:250,000-scale land-cover maps in Alaska using a common statewide land-cover map legend.

Terrain profiling from Seasat altimetry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brooks, R. L.

1981-01-01

To determine their applicability for terrain profiling, Seasat altimeter measurements were analyzed for the following geographic areas: (1) Andean salars of southern Bolivia; (2) Alaska; (3) south-central Arizona; (4) imperial Valley of California; (5) Yuma Valley of Arizona; and (6) Great Salt Lake Desert. Analysis of the data over all of these geographic areas shows that the satellite altimeter servo did not respond quickly enough to changing terrain features. However, it is demonstrated that retracking of the archived surface return waveforms yields surface elevations over smooth terrain accurate to + or - 1 m when correlated with large scale maps. The retracking algorithm used and its verification over the salars of southern Bolivia are described. Results are presented for each of the six geographic areas.

Measurement of snow depth distribution in the Kamikochi-Azusa river basin using an airborne laser scanning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suzuki, K.; Sasaki, A.

2013-12-01

contour lines, and then use the difference between them to clarify the snow depth. This method allows researchers to grasp the snow depth over a wide area, but it needs to be made more precise if it is to incorporate high-precision information on equivalent elevation points on the snow surface. In recent years, a measurement technology has been developed that uses laser scanners mounted on aircraft. This method enables researchers to obtain ground surface coordinate data with high precision over a wide area from the air. Using such a scanner to measure the ground surface during snow coverage and during no snow coverage, and then finding the differences between the surface elevations, has made it possible to ascertain snow depth with high precision. Airborne laser measurement enables high-precision measurements over a wide area and in a short amount of time, and measurements can be made regardless of geographical factors such as sloping ground. As such, it enables measurement of snow depth distribution over a wide area without having to worry about the undulations of the land. In this study, airborne laser scanning was carried out on the snow surface in the upstream region of the Kamikochi-Azusa River in Japan on March 29, 2012, in order to clarify the snow depth distribution.

Flight test of a low-altitude helicopter guidance system with obstacle avoidance capability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zelenka, Richard E.; Clark, Raymond F.; Branigan, Robert G.

1995-01-01

Military aircraft regularly conduct missions that include low-atltitude, near-terrain flight in order to increase covertness and payload effectiveness. Civilian applications include airborne fire fighting, police surveillance, search and rescue, and helicopter emergency medical service. Several fixed-wing aircraft now employ terrain elevation maps and forward-pointed radars to achieve automated terrain following or terrain avoidance flight. Similar systems specialized to helicopters and their flight regime have not received as much attention. A helicopter guidance system relying on digitized terrain elevation maps has been developed that employs airborne navigation, mission requirements, aircraft performance limits, and radar altimeter returns to generate a valley-seeking, low-altitude trajectory between waypoints. The guidance trajectory is symbolically presented to the pilot on a helmet mounted display. This system has been flight tested to 150 ft (45.7 m) above ground level altitude at 80 kts, and is primarily limited by the ability of the pilot to perform manual detection and avoidance of unmapped hazards. In this study, a wide field of view laser radar sensor has been incorporated into this guidance system to assist the pilot in obstacle detection and avoidance, while expanding the system's operational flight envelope. The results from early flight tests of this system are presented. Low-altitude missions to 100 ft (30.5 m) altitude at 80n kts in the presence of unmapped natural and man-made obstacles were demonstrated while the pilot maintained situational awareness and tracking of the guidance trajectory. Further reductions in altitude are expected with continued flight testing.

Training in Innovative Technologies for Close-Range Sensing in Alpine Terrain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rutzinger, M.; Bremer, M.; Höfle, B.; Hämmerle, M.; Lindenbergh, R.; Oude Elberink, S.; Pirotti, F.; Scaioni, M.; Wujanz, D.; Zieher, T.

2018-05-01

The 2nd international summer school "Close-range sensing techniques in Alpine terrain" was held in July 2017 in Obergurgl, Austria. Participants were trained in selected close-range sensing methods, such as photogrammetry, laser scanning and thermography. The program included keynotes, lectures and hands-on assignments combining field project planning, data acquisition, processing, quality assessment and interpretation. Close-range sensing was applied for different research questions of environmental monitoring in high mountain environments, such as geomorphologic process quantification, natural hazard management and vegetation mapping. The participants completed an online questionnaire evaluating the summer school, its content and organisation, which helps to improve future summer schools.

Fretted Terrain Valleys

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

30 October 2004 This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows shallow tributary valleys in the Ismenius Lacus fretted terrain region of northern Arabia Terra. These valleys exhibit a variety of typical fretted terrain valley wall and floor textures, including a lineated, pitted material somewhat reminiscent of the surface of a brain. Origins for these features are still being debated within the Mars science community; there are no clear analogs to these landforms on Earth. This image is located near 39.9oN, 332.1oW. The picture covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) wide. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the lower left.

Learned navigation in unknown terrains: A retraction method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rao, Nageswara S. V.; Stoltzfus, N.; Iyengar, S. Sitharama

1989-01-01

The problem of learned navigation of a circular robot R, of radius delta (is greater than or equal to 0), through a terrain whose model is not a-priori known is considered. Two-dimensional finite-sized terrains populated by an unknown (but, finite) number of simple polygonal obstacles are also considered. The number and locations of the vertices of each obstacle are unknown to R. R is equipped with a sensor system that detects all vertices and edges that are visible from its present location. In this context two problems are covered. In the visit problem, the robot is required to visit a sequence of destination points, and in the terrain model acquisition problem, the robot is required to acquire the complete model of the terrain. An algorithmic framework is presented for solving these two problems using a retraction of the freespace onto the Voronoi diagram of the terrain. Algorithms are then presented to solve the visit problem and the terrain model acquisition problem.

Ground target geolocation based on digital elevation model for airborne wide-area reconnaissance system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qiao, Chuan; Ding, Yalin; Xu, Yongsen; Xiu, Jihong

2018-01-01

To obtain the geographical position of the ground target accurately, a geolocation algorithm based on the digital elevation model (DEM) is developed for an airborne wide-area reconnaissance system. According to the platform position and attitude information measured by the airborne position and orientation system and the gimbal angles information from the encoder, the line-of-sight pointing vector in the Earth-centered Earth-fixed coordinate frame is solved by the homogeneous coordinate transformation. The target longitude and latitude can be solved with the elliptical Earth model and the global DEM. The influences of the systematic error and measurement error on ground target geolocation calculation accuracy are analyzed by the Monte Carlo method. The simulation results show that this algorithm can improve the geolocation accuracy of ground target in rough terrain area obviously. The geolocation accuracy of moving ground target can be improved by moving average filtering (MAF). The validity of the geolocation algorithm is verified by the flight test in which the plane flies at a geodetic height of 15,000 m and the outer gimbal angle is <47°. The geolocation root mean square error of the target trajectory is <45 and <7 m after MAF.

Neural networks in data analysis and modeling for detecting littoral oil-spills by airborne laser fluorosensor remote sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Bin; An, Jubai; Brown, Carl E.; Chen, Weiwei

2003-05-01

In this paper an artificial neural network (ANN) approach, which is based on flexible nonlinear models for a very broad class of transfer functions, is applied for multi-spectral data analysis and modeling of airborne laser fluorosensor in order to differentiate between classes of oil on water surface. We use three types of algorithm: Perceptron Network, Back-Propagation (B-P) Network and Self-Organizing feature Maps (SOM) Network. Using the data in form of 64-channel spectra as inputs, the ANN presents the analysis and estimation results of the oil type on the basis of the type of background materials as outputs. The ANN is trained and tested using sample data set to the network. The results of the above 3 types of network are compared in this paper. It is proved that the training has developed a network that not only fits the training data, but also fits real-world data that the network will process operationally. The ANN model would play a significant role in the ocean oil-spill identification in the future.

41 CFR 101-45.004 - All terrain vehicles.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 2 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false All terrain vehicles. 101-45.004 Section 101-45.004 Public Contracts and Property Management Federal Property Management... DESTRUCTION OF PERSONAL PROPERTY § 101-45.004 All terrain vehicles. (a) Three-wheeled all terrain vehicles...

Terrain Traversing Device Having a Wheel with Microhooks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parness, Aaron (Inventor); McKenzie, Clifford F. (Inventor)

2014-01-01

A terrain traversing device includes an annular rotor element with a plurality of co-planar microspine hooks arranged on the periphery of the annular rotor element. Each microspine hook has an independently flexible suspension configuration that permits the microspine hook to initially engage an irregularity in a terrain surface at a preset initial engagement angle and subsequently engage the irregularity with a continuously varying engagement angle when the annular rotor element is rotated for urging the terrain traversing device to traverse a terrain surface.

Terrain and refractivity effects on non-optical paths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barrios, Amalia E.

1994-07-01

The split-step parabolic equation (SSPE) has been used extensively to model tropospheric propagation over the sea, but recent efforts have extended this method to propagation over arbitrary terrain. At the Naval Command, Control and Ocean Surveillance Center (NCCOSC), Research, Development, Test and Evaluation Division, a split-step Terrain Parabolic Equation Model (TPEM) has been developed that takes into account variable terrain and range-dependent refractivity profiles. While TPEM has been previously shown to compare favorably with measured data and other existing terrain models, two alternative methods to model radiowave propagation over terrain, implemented within TPEM, will be presented that give a two to ten-fold decrease in execution time. These two methods are also shown to agree well with measured data.

Laser rocket system analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, W. S.; Forsyth, J. B.; Skratt, J. P.

1979-01-01

The laser rocket systems investigated in this study were for orbital transportation using space-based, ground-based and airborne laser transmitters. The propulsion unit of these systems utilizes a continuous wave (CW) laser beam focused into a thrust chamber which initiates a plasma in the hydrogen propellant, thus heating the propellant and providing thrust through a suitably designed nozzle and expansion skirt. The specific impulse is limited only by the ability to adequately cool the thruster and the amount of laser energy entering the engine. The results of the study showed that, with advanced technology, laser rocket systems with either a space- or ground-based laser transmitter could reduce the national budget allocated to space transportation by 10 to 345 billion dollars over a 10-year life cycle when compared to advanced chemical propulsion systems (LO2-LH2) of equal capability. The variation in savings depends upon the projected mission model.

A new airborne laser rangefinder dynamic target simulator for non-stationary environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Pengge; Pang, Dongdong; Yi, Yang

2017-11-01

For the non-stationary environment simulation in laser range finder product testing, a new dynamic target simulation system is studied. First of all, the three-pulsed laser ranging principle, laser target signal composition and mathematical representation are introduced. Then, the actual nonstationary working environment of laser range finder is analyzed, and points out that the real sunshine background light clutter and target shielding effect in laser echo become the main influencing factors. After that, the dynamic laser target signal simulation method is given. Eventlly, the implementation of automatic test system based on arbitrary waveform generator is described. Practical application shows that the new echo signal automatic test system can simulate the real laser ranging environment of laser range finder, and is suitable for performance test of products.

Image matching as a data source for forest inventory - Comparison of Semi-Global Matching and Next-Generation Automatic Terrain Extraction algorithms in a typical managed boreal forest environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kukkonen, M.; Maltamo, M.; Packalen, P.

2017-08-01

Image matching is emerging as a compelling alternative to airborne laser scanning (ALS) as a data source for forest inventory and management. There is currently an open discussion in the forest inventory community about whether, and to what extent, the new method can be applied to practical inventory campaigns. This paper aims to contribute to this discussion by comparing two different image matching algorithms (Semi-Global Matching [SGM] and Next-Generation Automatic Terrain Extraction [NGATE]) and ALS in a typical managed boreal forest environment in southern Finland. Spectral features from unrectified aerial images were included in the modeling and the potential of image matching in areas without a high resolution digital terrain model (DTM) was also explored. Plot level predictions for total volume, stem number, basal area, height of basal area median tree and diameter of basal area median tree were modeled using an area-based approach. Plot level dominant tree species were predicted using a random forest algorithm, also using an area-based approach. The statistical difference between the error rates from different datasets was evaluated using a bootstrap method. Results showed that ALS outperformed image matching with every forest attribute, even when a high resolution DTM was used for height normalization and spectral information from images was included. Dominant tree species classification with image matching achieved accuracy levels similar to ALS regardless of the resolution of the DTM when spectral metrics were used. Neither of the image matching algorithms consistently outperformed the other, but there were noticeably different error rates depending on the parameter configuration, spectral band, resolution of DTM, or response variable. This study showed that image matching provides reasonable point cloud data for forest inventory purposes, especially when a high resolution DTM is available and information from the understory is redundant.

Grooved Terrain on Ganymede: A Galileo-based Synthesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pappalardo, Robert T.; Collins, Geoffrey C.; Head, James W.; Moore, Jeffrey M.; Schenk, Paul M.

2003-01-01

Swaths of bright "grooved terrain" (sulci) on Ganymede are 10s to 100s of kilometers wide and cross-cut the older dark terrain, forming an intricate patchwork across 2/3 of Ganymede's surface. The view of grooved terrain developed from Voyager images is that bright cells are broad graben infilled by extrusion of relatively clean (silicate-poor) liquid water, warm ice, or icy slush, and then extended and faulted. Galileo imaging has greatly improved understanding of the emplacement history and geological implications of grooved terrain, supporting a rift-like model for its formation.

The development and evaluation of airborne in situ N2O and CH4 sampling using a quantum cascade laser absorption spectrometer (QCLAS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pitt, J. R.; Le Breton, M.; Allen, G.; Percival, C. J.; Gallagher, M. W.; Bauguitte, S. J.-B.; O'Shea, S. J.; Muller, J. B. A.; Zahniser, M. S.; Pyle, J.; Palmer, P. I.

2016-01-01

Spectroscopic measurements of atmospheric N2O and CH4 mole fractions were made on board the FAAM (Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurements) large atmospheric research aircraft. We present details of the mid-infrared quantum cascade laser absorption spectrometer (QCLAS, Aerodyne Research Inc., USA) employed, including its configuration for airborne sampling, and evaluate its performance over 17 flights conducted during summer 2014. Two different methods of correcting for the influence of water vapour on the spectroscopic retrievals are compared and evaluated. A new in-flight calibration procedure to account for the observed sensitivity of the instrument to ambient pressure changes is described, and its impact on instrument performance is assessed. Test flight data linking this sensitivity to changes in cabin pressure are presented. Total 1σ uncertainties of 2.47 ppb for CH4 and 0.54 ppb for N2O are derived. We report a mean difference in 1 Hz CH4 mole fraction of 2.05 ppb (1σ = 5.85 ppb) between in-flight measurements made using the QCLAS and simultaneous measurements using a previously characterised Fast Greenhouse Gas Analyser (FGGA, Los Gatos Research, USA). Finally, a potential case study for the estimation of a regional N2O flux using a mass balance technique is identified, and the method for calculating such an estimate is outlined.

The development and evaluation of airborne in situ N2O and CH4 sampling using a Quantum Cascade Laser Absorption Spectrometer (QCLAS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pitt, J. R.; Le Breton, M.; Allen, G.; Percival, C. J.; Gallagher, M. W.; Bauguitte, S. J.-B.; O'Shea, S. J.; Muller, J. B. A.; Zahniser, M. S.; Pyle, J.; Palmer, P. I.

2015-08-01

Spectroscopic measurements of atmospheric N2O and CH4 mole fractions were made on board the FAAM (Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurements) large Atmospheric Research Aircraft. We present details of the mid-IR Aerodyne Research Inc. Quantum Cascade Laser Absorption Spectrometer (QCLAS) employed, including its configuration for airborne sampling, and evaluate its performance over 17 flights conducted during summer 2014. Two different methods of correcting for the influence of water vapour on the spectroscopic retrievals are compared and evaluated. A new in-flight calibration procedure to account for the observed sensitivity of the instrument to ambient pressure changes is described, and its impact on instrument performance is assessed. Test flight data linking this sensitivity to changes in cabin pressure is presented. Total 1σ uncertainties of 1.81 ppb for CH4 and 0.35 ppb for N2O are derived. We report a mean difference in 1 Hz CH4 mole fraction of 2.05 ppb (1σ = 5.85 ppb) between in-flight measurements made using the QCLAS and simultaneous measurements using a previously characterised Los Gatos Research Fast Greenhouse Gas Analyser (FGGA). Finally, a potential case study for the estimation of a regional N2O flux using a mass balance technique is identified, and the method for calculating such an estimate is outlined.

Coherent lidar airborne wind sensor II: flight-test results at 2 and 10 νm.

PubMed

Targ, R; Steakley, B C; Hawley, J G; Ames, L L; Forney, P; Swanson, D; Stone, R; Otto, R G; Zarifis, V; Brockman, P; Calloway, R S; Klein, S H; Robinson, P A

1996-12-20

The use of airborne laser radar (lidar) to measure wind velocities and to detect turbulence in front of an aircraft in real time can significantly increase fuel efficiency, flight safety, and terminal area capacity. We describe the flight-test results for two coherent lidar airborne shear sensor (CLASS) systems and discuss their agreement with our theoretical simulations. The 10.6-μm CO(2) system (CLASS-10) is a flying brassboard; the 2.02-μm Tm:YAG solid-state system (CLASS-2) is configured in a rugged, light-weight, high-performance package. Both lidars have shown a wind measurement accuracy of better than 1 m/s.

Gravity Wave Breaking over the Central Alps: Role of Complex Terrain.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Qingfang; Doyle, James D.

2004-09-01

The characteristics of gravity waves excited by the complex terrain of the central Alps during the intensive observational period (IOP) 8 of the Mesoscale Alpine Programme (MAP) is studied through the analysis of aircraft in situ measurements, GPS dropsondes, radiosondes, airborne lidar data, and numerical simulations.Mountain wave breaking occurred over the central Alps on 21 October 1999, associated with wind shear, wind turning, and a critical level with Richardson number less than unity just above the flight level (5.7 km) of the research aircraft NCAR Electra. The Electra flew two repeated transverses across the Ötztaler Alpen, during which localized turbulence was sampled. The observed maximum vertical motion was 9 m s-1, corresponding to a turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) maximum of 10.5 m2 s-2. Spectrum analysis indicates an inertia subrange up to 5-km wavelength and multiple energy-containing spikes corresponding to a wide range of wavelengths.Manual analysis of GPS dropsonde data indicates the presence of strong flow descent and a downslope windstorm over the lee slope of the Ötztaler Alpen. Farther downstream, a transition occurs across a deep hydraulic jump associated with the ascent of isentropes and local wind reversal. During the first transverse, the turbulent region is convectively unstable as indicated by a positive sensible heat flux within the turbulent portion of the segment. The TKE derived from the flight-level data indicates multiple narrow spikes, which match the patterns shown in the diagnosed buoyancy production rate of TKE. The turbulence is nonisotropic with the major TKE contribution from the -wind component. The convectively unstable zone is advected downstream during the second transverse and the turbulence becomes much stronger and more isotropic.The downslope windstorm, flow descent, and transition to turbulence through a hydraulic jump are captured by a real-data Coupled Ocean Atmosphere Mesoscale Predition System (COAMPS

Laser induced fluoroescence from algae: Results of a ship-borne field test

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hartmann, B.; Steinvall, O.; Widen, A.

1981-01-01

A basis is provided for the feasibility of air-borne laser fluorosensing not only of chlorophyll but also of pollutants such as oils and chemicals. There was a satisfactory correlation between the laser data and those obtained manually. The absolute determination of the chlorophyll concentration is discussed.

The Terrain of Margaritifer Chaos

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

The jumbled and broken terrain in the picture on the left is known as chaotic terrain. Chaotic terrain was first observed in Mariner 6 and 7 images of Mars more than 30 years ago, and is thought to result from collapse after material--perhaps water or ice--was removed from the subsurface by events such as the formation of giant flood channels. The region shown here is named 'Margaritifer Chaos'. The left picture is a Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) red wide angle camera context frame that covers an area 115 km (71 miles) across. The small white box is centered at 10.3oS, 21.4oW and indicates the location of the high-resolution view on the right. The high resolution view (right) covers a small portion of the Margaritifer Chaos at 1.8 meters (6 feet) per pixel. The area shown is 3 km (1.9 miles) across. Uplands are lumpy with small bright outcrops of bedrock. Lowlands or valleys in the chaotic terrain have floors covered by light-toned windblown d rifts. This image is typical of the very highest-resolution views of the equatorial latitudes of Mars. Both pictures are illuminated from the left/upper left, north is toward the top.

Multi-center Airborne Coherent Atmospheric Wind Sensor (MACAWS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rhothermel, Jeffry; Jones, W. D.; Dunkin, J. A.; Mccaul, E. W., Jr.

1993-01-01

This effort involves development of a calibrated, pulsed coherent CO2 Doppler lidar, followed by a carefully-planned and -executed program of multi-dimensional wind velocity and aerosol backscatter measurements from the NASA DC-8 research aircraft. The lidar, designated as the Multi-center Airborne Coherent Atmospheric Wind Sensor (MACAWS), will be applicable to two research areas. First, MACAWS will enable specialized measurements of atmospheric dynamical processes in the planetary boundary layer and free troposphere in geographic locations and over scales of motion not routinely or easily accessible to conventional sensors. The proposed observations will contribute fundamentally to a greater understanding of the role of the mesoscale, helping to improve predictive capabilities for mesoscale phenomena and to provide insights into improving model parameterizations of sub-grid scale processes within large-scale circulation models. As such, it has the potential to contribute uniquely to major, multi-institutional field programs planned for the mid 1990's. Second, MACAWS measurements can be used to reduce the degree of uncertainty in performance assessments and algorithm development for NASA's prospective Laser Atmospheric Wind Sounder (LAWS), which has no space-based instrument heritage. Ground-based lidar measurements alone are insufficient to address all of the key issues. To minimize costs, MACAWS is being developed cooperatively by the lidar remote sensing groups of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NOAA Wave Propagation Laboratory, and MSFC using existing lidar hardware and manpower resources. Several lidar components have already been exercised in previous airborne lidar programs (for example, MSFC Airborne Doppler Lidar System (ADLS) used in 1981,4 Severe Storms Wind Measurement Program; JPL Airborne Backscatter Lidar Experiment (ABLE) used in 1989,90 Global Backscatter Experiment Survey Missions). MSFC has been given responsibility for directing the overall

Assessment of HRSC Digital Terrain Models Produced for the South Polar Residual Cap

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Putri, Alfiah Rizky Diana; Sidiropoulos, Panagiotis; Muller, Jan-Peter

2017-04-01

The current Digital Terrain Models available for Mars consist of NASA MOLA (Mars Orbital Laser Altimeter) Digital Terrain Models with an average resolution of 112 m/ pixel (512 pixels/degree) for the polar region. The ESA/DLR High Resolution Stereo Camera is currently orbiting Mars and mapping its surface, 98% with resolution of ≤100 m/pixel and better and 100% at lower resolution [1]. It is possible to produce Digital Terrain Models from HRSC images using various methods. In this study, the method developed on Kim and Muller [2] which uses the VICAR open source program together with photogrammetry sofrware from DLR (Deutschen Zentrums für Luft- und Raumfahrt) with image matching based on the GOTCHA (Gruen-Otto-Chau) algorithm [3]. Digital Terrain Models have been processed over the South Pole with emphasis on areas around South Polar Residual Cap from High Resolution Stereo Camera images [4]. Digital Terrain Models have been produced for 31 orbits out of 149 polar orbits available. This study analyses the quality of the DTMs including an assessment of accuracy of elevations using the MOLA MEGDR (Mission Experiment Gridded Data Records) which has roughly 42 million MOLA PEDR (Precision Experiment Data Records) points between latitudes of 78 o -90 o S. The issues encountered in the production of Digital Terrain Models will be described and the statistical results and assessment method will be presented. The resultant DTMs will be accessible via http://i-Mars.eu/web-GIS References: [1] Neukum, G. et. al, 2004. Mars Express: The Scientific Payload pp. 17-35. [2] Kim, J.-R. and J.-P. Muller. 2009. PSS vol. 57, pp. 2095-2112. [3] Shin, D. and J.-P. Muller. 2012. Pattern Recognition, 45(10), 3795 -3809. [4] Putri, A.R. D., et al., Int. Arch. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf. Sci., XLI-B4, 463-469 Acknowledgements: The research leading to these results has received partial funding from the STFC "MSSL Consolidated Grant" ST/K000977/1 and partial support from the

Laser pushing or pulling of absorbing airborne particles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Chuji, E-mail: cw175@msstate.edu; Gong, Zhiyong; Pan, Yong-Le

2016-07-04

A single absorbing particle formed by carbon nanotubes in the size range of 10–50 μm is trapped in air by a laser trapping beam and concurrently illuminated by another laser manipulating beam. When the trapping beam is terminated, the movement of the particle controlled by the manipulating beam is investigated. We report our observations of light-controlled pushing and pulling motions. We show that the movement direction has little relationship with the particle size and manipulating beam's parameters but is dominated by the particle's orientation and morphology. With this observation, the controllable optical manipulation is now able to be generalized to arbitrarymore » particles, including irregularly shaped absorbing particles that are shown in this work.« less

Cross-coupled control for all-terrain rovers.

PubMed

Reina, Giulio

2013-01-08

Mobile robots are increasingly being used in challenging outdoor environments for applications that include construction, mining, agriculture, military and planetary exploration. In order to accomplish the planned task, it is critical that the motion control system ensure accuracy and robustness. The achievement of high performance on rough terrain is tightly connected with the minimization of vehicle-terrain dynamics effects such as slipping and skidding. This paper presents a cross-coupled controller for a 4-wheel-drive/4-wheel-steer robot, which optimizes the wheel motors' control algorithm to reduce synchronization errors that would otherwise result in wheel slip with conventional controllers. Experimental results, obtained with an all-terrain rover operating on agricultural terrain, are presented to validate the system. It is shown that the proposed approach is effective in reducing slippage and vehicle posture errors.

Lunar terrain mapping and relative-roughness analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rowan, L. C.; Mccauley, J. F.; Holm, E. A.

1971-01-01

Terrain maps of the equatorial zone were prepared at scales of 1:2,000,000 and 1:1,000,000 to classify lunar terrain with respect to roughness and to provide a basis for selecting sites for Surveyor and Apollo landings, as well as for Ranger and Lunar Orbiter photographs. Lunar terrain was described by qualitative and quantitative methods and divided into four fundamental classes: maria, terrae, craters, and linear features. Some 35 subdivisions were defined and mapped throughout the equatorial zone, and, in addition, most of the map units were illustrated by photographs. The terrain types were analyzed quantitatively to characterize and order their relative roughness characteristics. For some morphologically homogeneous mare areas, relative roughness can be extrapolated to the large scales from measurements at small scales.

Evaluation of airborne topographic lidar for quantifying beach changes

USGS Publications Warehouse

2003-01-01

A scanning airborne topographic lidar was evaluated for its ability to quantify beach topography and changes during the Sandy Duck experiment in 1997 along the North Carolina coast. Elevation estimates, acquired with NASA's Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM), were compared to elevations measured with three types of ground-based mea- surements-1) differential GPS equipped all-terrain vehicle (ATV) that surveyed a 3-km reach of beach from the shoreline to the dune, 2) GPS antenna mounted on a stadia rod used to intensely survey a different 100 m reach of beach, and 3) a second GPS-equipped ATV that surveyed a 70-km-long transect along the coast. Over 40,000 individual intercomparisons between ATM and ground surveys were calculated. RMS vertical differences associated with the ATM when compared to ground measurements ranged from 13 to 19 cm. Considering all of the intercomparisons together, RMS ≃15 cm. This RMS error represents a total error for individual elevation estimates including uncertainties associated with random and mean errors. The latter was the largest source of error and was attributed to drift in differential GPS. The ≃15cm vertical accuracy of the ATM is adequate to resolve beach-change signals typical of the impact of storms. For example, ATM surveys of Assateague Island (spanning the border of MD and VA) prior to and immediately following a severe northeaster showed vertical beach changes in places greater than 2 m, much greater than expected errors associated with the ATM. A major asset of airborne lidar is the high spatial data density. Measurements of elevation are acquired every few m2 over regional scales of hundreds of kilometers. Hence, many scales of beach morphology and change can be resolved, from beach cusps tens of meters in wavelength to entire coastal cells com- prising tens to hundreds of kilometers of coast. Topographic lidars similar to the ATM are becoming increasingly available from commercial vendors and should, in the future

Evaluation of airborne topographic lidar for quantifying beach changes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sallenger, A.H.; Krabill, W.B.; Swift, R.N.; Brock, J.; List, J.; Hansen, M.; Holman, R.A.; Manizade, S.; Sontag, J.; Meredith, A.; Morgan, K.; Yunkel, J.K.; Frederick, E.B.; Stockdon, H.

2003-01-01

A scanning airborne topographic lidar was evaluated for its ability to quantify beach topography and changes during the Sandy Duck experiment in 1997 along the North Carolina coast. Elevation estimates, acquired with NASA's Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM), were compared to elevations measured with three types of ground-based measurements - 1) differential GPS equipped all-terrain vehicle (ATV) that surveyed a 3-km reach of beach from the shoreline to the dune, 2) GPS antenna mounted on a stadia rod used to intensely survey a different 100 m reach of beach, and 3) a second GPS-equipped ATV that surveyed a 70-km-long transect along the coast. Over 40,000 individual intercomparisons between ATM and ground surveys were calculated. RMS vertical differences associated with the ATM when compared to ground measurements ranged from 13 to 19 cm. Considering all of the intercomparisons together, RMS ??? 15 cm. This RMS error represents a total error for individual elevation estimates including uncertainties associated with random and mean errors. The latter was the largest source of error and was attributed to drift in differential GPS. The ??? 15 cm vertical accuracy of the ATM is adequate to resolve beach-change signals typical of the impact of storms. For example, ATM surveys of Assateague Island (spanning the border of MD and VA) prior to and immediately following a severe northeaster showed vertical beach changes in places greater than 2 m, much greater than expected errors associated with the ATM. A major asset of airborne lidar is the high spatial data density. Measurements of elevation are acquired every few m2 over regional scales of hundreds of kilometers. Hence, many scales of beach morphology and change can be resolved, from beach cusps tens of meters in wavelength to entire coastal cells comprising tens to hundreds of kilometers of coast. Topographic lidars similar to the ATM are becoming increasingly available from commercial vendors and should, in the future

Terrain Traversing Device Having a Wheel with Microhooks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wiltsie, Nicholas (Inventor); Carpenter, Kalind C. (Inventor); Parness, Aaron (Inventor)

2015-01-01

A terrain traversing device is described. The device includes an annular rotor element with a plurality of co-planar microspine hooks arranged on the periphery of the annular rotor element. Each microspine hook has an independently flexible suspension configuration that permits the microspine hook to initially engage an irregularity in a terrain surface at a preset initial engagement angle and subsequently engage the irregularity with a continuously varying engagement angle when the annular rotor element is rotated for urging the terrain traversing device to traverse a terrain surface. Improvements related to the design, fabrication and use of the microspine hooks in the device are also described.

Pluto Fretted Terrain

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-05-20

NASA New Horizons scientists have spotted an expanse of terrain they describe as fretted bright plains divided into polygon-shaped blocks by a network of dark, connected valleys in Pluto informally named Venera Terra region.

Mathematical Modeling Of The Terrain Around A Robot

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Slack, Marc G.

1992-01-01

In conceptual system for modeling of terrain around autonomous mobile robot, representation of terrain used for control separated from representation provided by sensors. Concept takes motion-planning system out from under constraints imposed by discrete spatial intervals of square terrain grid(s). Separation allows sensing and motion-controlling systems to operate asynchronously; facilitating integration of new map and sensor data into planning of motions.

Cross-Coupled Control for All-Terrain Rovers

PubMed Central

Reina, Giulio

2013-01-01

Mobile robots are increasingly being used in challenging outdoor environments for applications that include construction, mining, agriculture, military and planetary exploration. In order to accomplish the planned task, it is critical that the motion control system ensure accuracy and robustness. The achievement of high performance on rough terrain is tightly connected with the minimization of vehicle-terrain dynamics effects such as slipping and skidding. This paper presents a cross-coupled controller for a 4-wheel-drive/4-wheel-steer robot, which optimizes the wheel motors' control algorithm to reduce synchronization errors that would otherwise result in wheel slip with conventional controllers. Experimental results, obtained with an all-terrain rover operating on agricultural terrain, are presented to validate the system. It is shown that the proposed approach is effective in reducing slippage and vehicle posture errors. PMID:23299625

Detection of helicopter landing sites in unprepared terrain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peinecke, Niklas

2014-06-01

The primary usefulness of helicopters shows in missions where regular aircraft cannot be used, especially HEMS (Helicopter Emergency Medical Services). This might be due to requirements for landing in unprepared areas without dedicated runway structures, and an extended exibility to y to more than one previously unprepared target. One example of such missions are search and rescue operations. An important task of such a mission is to locate a proper landing spot near the mission target. Usually, the pilot would have to evaluate possible landing sites by himself, which can be time-intensive, fuel-costly, and generally impossible when operating in degraded visual environments. We present a method for pre-selecting a list of possible landing sites. After specifying the intended size, orientation and geometry of the site, a choice of possibilities is presented to the pilot that can be ordered by means of wind direction, terrain constraints like maximal slope and roughness, and proximity to a mission target. The possible choices are calculated automatically either from a pre-existing terrain data base, or from sensor data collected during earlier missions, e.g., by collecting data with radar or laser sensors. Additional data like water-body maps and topological information can be taken into account to avoid landing in dangerous areas under adverse view conditions. In case of an emergency turnaround the list can be re-ordered to present alternative sites to the pilot. We outline the principle algorithm for selecting possible landing sites, and we present examples of calculated lists.

Wind turbine wake measurement in complex terrain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hansen, KS; Larsen, GC; Menke, R.; Vasiljevic, N.; Angelou, N.; Feng, J.; Zhu, WJ; Vignaroli, A.; W, W. Liu; Xu, C.; Shen, WZ

2016-09-01

SCADA data from a wind farm and high frequency time series measurements obtained with remote scanning systems have been analysed with focus on identification of wind turbine wake properties in complex terrain. The analysis indicates that within the flow regime characterized by medium to large downstream distances (more than 5 diameters) from the wake generating turbine, the wake changes according to local atmospheric conditions e.g. vertical wind speed. In very complex terrain the wake effects are often “overruled” by distortion effects due to the terrain complexity or topology.

Effect of laser welding on the titanium ceramic tensile bond strength.

PubMed

Galo, Rodrigo; Ribeiro, Ricardo Faria; Rodrigues, Renata Cristina Silveira; Pagnano, Valéria de Oliveira; Mattos, Maria da Glória Chiarello de

2011-08-01

Titanium reacts strongly with elements, mainly oxygen at high temperature. The high temperature of titanium laser welding modifies the surface, and may interfere on the metal-ceramic tensile bond strength. The influence of laser welding on the titanium-ceramic bonding has not yet been established. The purpose of this in vitro study was to analyze the influence of laser welding applied to commercially pure titanium (CpTi) substructure on the bond strength of commercial ceramic. The influence of airborne particle abrasion (Al2O3) conditions was also studied. Forty CpTi cylindrical rods (3 mm x 60 mm) were cast and divided into 2 groups: with laser welding (L) and without laser welding (WL). Each group was divided in 4 subgroups, according to the size of the particles used in airborne particle abrasion: A - Al2O3 (250 µm); B - Al2O3 (180 µm); C - Al2O3 (110 µm); D - Al2O3 (50 µm). Ceramic rings were fused around the CpTi rods. Specimens were invested and their tensile strength was measured at fracture with a universal testing machine at a crosshead speed of 2.0 mm/min and 200 kgf load cell. Statistical analysis was carried out with analysis of variance and compared using the independent t test (p<0.05). Significant differences were found among all subgroups (p<0.05). The highest and the lowest bond strength means were recorded in subgroups WLC (52.62 MPa) and LD (24.02 MPa), respectively. Airborne particle abrasion yielded significantly lower bond strength as the Al2O3 particle size decreased. Mechanical retention decreased in the laser-welded specimens, i.e. the metal-ceramic tensile bond strength was lower.

Terrain Commander: a next-generation remote surveillance system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finneral, Henry J.

2003-09-01

Terrain Commander is a fully automated forward observation post that provides the most advanced capability in surveillance and remote situational awareness. The Terrain Commander system was selected by the Australian Government for its NINOX Phase IIB Unattended Ground Sensor Program with the first systems delivered in August of 2002. Terrain Commander offers next generation target detection using multi-spectral peripheral sensors coupled with autonomous day/night image capture and processing. Subsequent intelligence is sent back through satellite communications with unlimited range to a highly sophisticated central monitoring station. The system can "stakeout" remote locations clandestinely for 24 hours a day for months at a time. With its fully integrated SATCOM system, almost any site in the world can be monitored from virtually any other location in the world. Terrain Commander automatically detects and discriminates intruders by precisely cueing its advanced EO subsystem. The system provides target detection capabilities with minimal nuisance alarms combined with the positive visual identification that authorities demand before committing a response. Terrain Commander uses an advanced beamforming acoustic sensor and a distributed array of seismic, magnetic and passive infrared sensors to detect, capture images and accurately track vehicles and personnel. Terrain Commander has a number of emerging military and non-military applications including border control, physical security, homeland defense, force protection and intelligence gathering. This paper reviews the development, capabilities and mission applications of the Terrain Commander system.

AlGaInN laser diode technology for free-space telecom applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Najda, S. P.; Perlin, P.; Suski, T.; Marona, L.; Boćkowski, M.; Leszczyński, M.; Wisniewski, P.; Czernecki, R.; Kucharski, R.; Targowski, G.; Watson, S.; Kelly, A. E.; Watson, M. A.; Blanchard, P.; White, H.

2015-03-01

The AlGaInN material system allows for laser diodes to be fabricated over a very wide range of wavelengths from u.v., ~380nm, to the visible ~530nm, by tuning the indium content of the laser GaInN quantum well. We consider the suitability of AlGaInN laser diode technology for free space laser communication, both airborne links and underwater telecom applications, mainly for defense and oil and gas industries.

Application of a pulsed laser for measurements of bathymetry and algal fluorescence.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hickman, G. D.; Hogg, J. E.; Friedman, E. J.; Ghovanlou, A. H.

1973-01-01

The technique of measuring water depths with an airborne pulsed dye laser is studied, with emphasis on the degrading effect of some environmental and operational parameters on the transmitted and reflected laser signals. Extrapolation of measurements of laser stimulated fluorescence, performed as a function of both the algal cell concentration and the distance between the algae and the laser/receiver, indicate that a laser system operating from a height of 500 m should be capable of detecting chlorophyll concentrations as low as 1.0 mg/cu m.-

Dual channel airborne hygrometer for climate research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tatrai, David; Gulyas, Gabor; Bozoki, Zoltan; Szabo, Gabor

2015-04-01

Airborne hygrometry has an increasing role in climate research and nowadays the determination of cloud content especially of cirrus clouds is gaining high interest. The greatest challenges for such measurements are being used from ground level up to the lower stratosphere with appropriate precision and accuracy the low concentration and varying environment pressure. Such purpose instrument was probably presented first by our research group [1-2]. The development of the system called WaSUL-Hygro and some measurement results will be introduced. The measurement system is based on photoacoustic spectroscopy and contains two measuring cells, one is used to measure water vapor concentration which is typically sampled by a sideward or backward inlet, while the second one measures total water content (water vapor plus ice crystals) after evaporation in a forward facing sampler. The two measuring cells are simultaneously illuminated through with one distributed feedback diode laser (1371 or 1392 nm). Two early versions have been used within the CARIBIC project. During the recent years, efforts were made to turn the system into a more reliable and robust one [3]. The first important development was the improvement of the wavelength stabilization method of the applied laser. As a result the uncertainty of the wavelength is less than 40fm, which corresponds to less than 0.05% of PA signal uncertainty. This PA signal uncertainty is lower than the noise level of the system itself. The other main development was the improvement of the concentration determination algorithm. For this purpose several calibration and data evaluation methods were developed, the combination of the latest ones have made the system traceable to the humidity generator applied during the calibration within 1.5% relative deviation or within noise level, whichever is greater. The improved system was several times blind tested at the Environmental Simulation Facility (Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany) in

Slip-based terrain estimation with a skid-steer vehicle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reina, Giulio; Galati, Rocco

2016-10-01

In this paper, a novel approach for online terrain characterisation is presented using a skid-steer vehicle. In the context of this research, terrain characterisation refers to the estimation of physical parameters that affects the terrain ability to support vehicular motion. These parameters are inferred from the modelling of the kinematic and dynamic behaviour of a skid-steer vehicle that reveals the underlying relationships governing the vehicle-terrain interaction. The concept of slip track is introduced as a measure of the slippage experienced by the vehicle during turning motion. The proposed terrain estimation system includes common onboard sensors, that is, wheel encoders, electrical current sensors and yaw rate gyroscope. Using these components, the system can characterise terrain online during normal vehicle operations. Experimental results obtained from different surfaces are presented to validate the system in the field showing its effectiveness and potential benefits to implement adaptive driving assistance systems or to automatically update the parameters of onboard control and planning algorithms.

Stratigraphy of the layered terrain in Valles Marineris, Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Komatsu, G.; Strom, Roger G.

1991-01-01

The layered terrain in Valles Marineris provides information about its origin and the geologic history of this canyon system. Whether the terrain is sedimentary material deposited in a dry or lacustrine environment, or volcanic material related to the tectonics of the canyon is still controversial. However, recent studies of Gangis Layered Terrain suggests a cyclic sequence of deposition and erosion under episodic lacustrine conditions. The stratigraphic studies are extended to four other occurrences of layered terrains in Valles Marineris in an attempt to correlate and distinguish between depositional environments. The Juvantae Chasma, Hebes Chasma, Ophir and Candor Chasmata, Melas Chasma, and Gangis Layered Terrain were examined. Although there are broad similarities among the layered terrains, no two deposits are exactly alike. This suggests that there was no synchronized regional depositional processes to form all the layered deposits. However, the similar erosional style of the lower massive weakly bedded unit in Hebes, Gangis, and Ophir-Candor suggests it may have been deposited under similar circumstances.

Sakhalin Island terrain intelligence

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

1943-01-01

This folio of maps and explanatory tables outlines the principal terrain features of Sakhalin Island. Each map and table is devoted to a specialized set of problems; together they cover the subjects of terrain appreciation, climate, rivers, water supply, construction materials, suitability for roads, suitability for airfields, fuels and other mineral resources, and geology. In most cases, the map of the island is divided into two parts: N. of latitude 50° N., Russian Sakhalin, and south of latitude 50° N., Japanese Sakhalin or Karafuto. These maps and data were compiled by the United States Geological Survey during the period from March to September, 1943.

High-gain Antenna & Terrain

NASA Image and Video Library

1997-07-06

Areas of rocky Martian terrain are seen in this image, taken by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) on Sol 2. Portions of a lander petal and deflated airbag are at lower left. The dark disk at center is the high-gain antenna, and the silver cylindrical objects at upper right are part of the antenna's mechanism. An area of relatively smooth terrain is seen at upper right, which may offer clues to how this area was formed, and may be a future target for Sojourner's studies. The black area at lower right and small strip at top center is missing data. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00625

Geomorphic Evolution of Sputnik Planum and Surrounding Terrain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Howard, A. D.; Moore, J. M.; White, O. L.; Umurhan, O. M.; Schenk, P.; Beyer, R. A.; McKinnon, W. B.; Singer, K. N.; Spencer, J. R.; Stern, A.; Weaver, H. A., Jr.; Young, L. A.; Ennico Smith, K.; Olkin, C.

2015-12-01

The informally-named Sputnik Planum is a vast expanse (about 835 km east-west and 1500 km north-south) of N2, CH4, and CO ices which appears craterless at current resolutions, but which gives evidence of both glacial and convective flow in the ices (Stern and the New Horizons Team, Science, 2015). This ice field is surrounded by uplands of varying morphology from hilly terrain to the northeast, plains of apparent ices interspersed with rough terrain to the east, and textured ice surrounding the mountainous terrain to the southwest. The morphology and composition of this bordering terrain will provide clues to the long-term evolution of Sputnik Planum as higher resolution visual and spectral imaging of this region are returned from the New Horizons spacecraft over the next few months. Interactions between Sputnik Planum and surrounding terrain may have involved glacial erosion and deposition. The geomorphic evolution of this region will be discussed in the context of newly-returned encounter data.

Stereo-vision-based terrain mapping for off-road autonomous navigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rankin, Arturo L.; Huertas, Andres; Matthies, Larry H.

2009-05-01

Successful off-road autonomous navigation by an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) requires reliable perception and representation of natural terrain. While perception algorithms are used to detect driving hazards, terrain mapping algorithms are used to represent the detected hazards in a world model a UGV can use to plan safe paths. There are two primary ways to detect driving hazards with perception sensors mounted to a UGV: binary obstacle detection and traversability cost analysis. Binary obstacle detectors label terrain as either traversable or non-traversable, whereas, traversability cost analysis assigns a cost to driving over a discrete patch of terrain. In uncluttered environments where the non-obstacle terrain is equally traversable, binary obstacle detection is sufficient. However, in cluttered environments, some form of traversability cost analysis is necessary. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has explored both approaches using stereo vision systems. A set of binary detectors has been implemented that detect positive obstacles, negative obstacles, tree trunks, tree lines, excessive slope, low overhangs, and water bodies. A compact terrain map is built from each frame of stereo images. The mapping algorithm labels cells that contain obstacles as nogo regions, and encodes terrain elevation, terrain classification, terrain roughness, traversability cost, and a confidence value. The single frame maps are merged into a world map where temporal filtering is applied. In previous papers, we have described our perception algorithms that perform binary obstacle detection. In this paper, we summarize the terrain mapping capabilities that JPL has implemented during several UGV programs over the last decade and discuss some challenges to building terrain maps with stereo range data.

Stereo Vision Based Terrain Mapping for Off-Road Autonomous Navigation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rankin, Arturo L.; Huertas, Andres; Matthies, Larry H.

2009-01-01

Successful off-road autonomous navigation by an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) requires reliable perception and representation of natural terrain. While perception algorithms are used to detect driving hazards, terrain mapping algorithms are used to represent the detected hazards in a world model a UGV can use to plan safe paths. There are two primary ways to detect driving hazards with perception sensors mounted to a UGV: binary obstacle detection and traversability cost analysis. Binary obstacle detectors label terrain as either traversable or non-traversable, whereas, traversability cost analysis assigns a cost to driving over a discrete patch of terrain. In uncluttered environments where the non-obstacle terrain is equally traversable, binary obstacle detection is sufficient. However, in cluttered environments, some form of traversability cost analysis is necessary. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has explored both approaches using stereo vision systems. A set of binary detectors has been implemented that detect positive obstacles, negative obstacles, tree trunks, tree lines, excessive slope, low overhangs, and water bodies. A compact terrain map is built from each frame of stereo images. The mapping algorithm labels cells that contain obstacles as no-go regions, and encodes terrain elevation, terrain classification, terrain roughness, traversability cost, and a confidence value. The single frame maps are merged into a world map where temporal filtering is applied. In previous papers, we have described our perception algorithms that perform binary obstacle detection. In this paper, we summarize the terrain mapping capabilities that JPL has implemented during several UGV programs over the last decade and discuss some challenges to building terrain maps with stereo range data.

14 CFR 91.223 - Terrain awareness and warning system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Terrain awareness and warning system. 91..., and Certificate Requirements § 91.223 Terrain awareness and warning system. (a) Airplanes manufactured... seat, unless that airplane is equipped with an approved terrain awareness and warning system that as a...

14 CFR 91.223 - Terrain awareness and warning system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Terrain awareness and warning system. 91..., and Certificate Requirements § 91.223 Terrain awareness and warning system. (a) Airplanes manufactured... seat, unless that airplane is equipped with an approved terrain awareness and warning system that as a...

14 CFR 91.223 - Terrain awareness and warning system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Terrain awareness and warning system. 91..., and Certificate Requirements § 91.223 Terrain awareness and warning system. (a) Airplanes manufactured... seat, unless that airplane is equipped with an approved terrain awareness and warning system that as a...

14 CFR 91.223 - Terrain awareness and warning system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Terrain awareness and warning system. 91..., and Certificate Requirements § 91.223 Terrain awareness and warning system. (a) Airplanes manufactured... seat, unless that airplane is equipped with an approved terrain awareness and warning system that as a...

14 CFR 91.223 - Terrain awareness and warning system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Terrain awareness and warning system. 91..., and Certificate Requirements § 91.223 Terrain awareness and warning system. (a) Airplanes manufactured... seat, unless that airplane is equipped with an approved terrain awareness and warning system that as a...

Capturing and modelling high-complex alluvial topography with UAS-borne laser scanning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mandlburger, Gottfried; Wieser, Martin; Pfennigbauer, Martin

2015-04-01

Due to fluvial activity alluvial forests are zones of highest complexity and relief energy. Alluvial forests are dominated by new and pristine channels in consequence of current and historic flood events. Apart from topographic features, the vegetation structure is typically very complex featuring, both, dense under story as well as high trees. Furthermore, deadwood and debris carried from upstream during periods of high discharge within the river channel are deposited in these areas. Therefore, precise modelling of the micro relief of alluvial forests using standard tools like Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) is hardly feasible. Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS), in turn, is very time consuming for capturing larger areas as many scan positions are necessary for obtaining complete coverage due to view occlusions in the forest. In the recent past, the technological development of Unmanned Arial Systems (UAS) has reached a level that light-weight survey-grade laser scanners can be operated from these platforms. For capturing alluvial topography this could bridge the gap between ALS and TLS in terms of providing a very detailed description of the topography and the vegetation structure due to the achievable very high point density of >100 points per m2. In our contribution we demonstrate the feasibility to apply UAS-borne laser scanning for capturing and modelling the complex topography of the study area Neubacher Au, an alluvial forest at the pre-alpine River Pielach (Lower Austria). The area was captured with Riegl's VUX-1 compact time-of-flight laser scanner mounted on a RiCopter (X-8 array octocopter). The scanner features an effective scan rate of 500 kHz and was flown in 50-100 m above ground. At this flying height the laser footprint is 25-50 mm allowing mapping of very small surface details. Furthermore, online waveform processing of the backscattered laser energy enables the retrieval of multiple targets for single laser shots resulting in a dense point cloud of

Predicting Southern Appalachian overstory vegetation with digital terrain data

Treesearch

Paul V. Bolstad; Wayne Swank; James Vose

1998-01-01

Vegetation in mountainous regions responds to small-scale variation in terrain, largely due to effects on both temperature and soil moisture. However, there are few studies of quantitative, terrain-based methods for predicting vegetation composition. This study investigated relationships between forest composition, elevation, and a derived index of terrain shape, and...

Laser Threat Analysis System (LTAS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pfaltz, John M.; Richardson, Christina E.; Ruiz, Abel; Barsalou, Norman; Thomas, Robert J.

2002-11-01

LTAS is a totally integrated modeling and simulation environment designed for the purpose of ascertaining the susceptibility of Air Force pilots and air crews to optical radiation threats. Using LTAS, mission planners can assess the operational impact of optically directed energy weapons and countermeasures. Through various scenarios, threat analysts are able to determine the capability of laser threats and their impact on operational missions including the air crew's ability to complete their mission effectively. Additionally, LTAS allows the risk of laser use on training ranges and the requirement for laser protection to be evaluated. LTAS gives mission planners and threat analysts complete control of the threat environment including threat parameter control and placement, terrain mapping (line-of-site), atmospheric conditions, and laser eye protection (LEP) selection. This report summarizes the design of the final version of LTAS, and the modeling methodologies implemented to accomplish analysis.

Evaluation of Vertical Lacunarity Profiles in Forested Areas Using Airborne Laser Scanning Point Clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Székely, B.; Kania, A.; Standovár, T.; Heilmeier, H.

2016-06-01

The horizontal variation and vertical layering of the vegetation are important properties of the canopy structure determining the habitat; three-dimensional (3D) distribution of objects (shrub layers, understory vegetation, etc.) is related to the environmental factors (e.g., illumination, visibility). It has been shown that gaps in forests, mosaic-like structures are essential to biodiversity; various methods have been introduced to quantify this property. As the distribution of gaps in the vegetation is a multi-scale phenomenon, in order to capture it in its entirety, scale-independent methods are preferred; one of these is the calculation of lacunarity. We used Airborne Laser Scanning point clouds measured over a forest plantation situated in a former floodplain. The flat topographic relief ensured that the tree growth is independent of the topographic effects. The tree pattern in the plantation crops provided various quasi-regular and irregular patterns, as well as various ages of the stands. The point clouds were voxelized and layers of voxels were considered as images for two-dimensional input. These images calculated for a certain vicinity of reference points were taken as images for the computation of lacunarity curves, providing a stack of lacunarity curves for each reference points. These sets of curves have been compared to reveal spatial changes of this property. As the dynamic range of the lacunarity values is very large, the natural logarithms of the values were considered. Logarithms of lacunarity functions show canopy-related variations, we analysed these variations along transects. The spatial variation can be related to forest properties and ecology-specific aspects.

Airborne imaging spectrometers developed in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jianyu; Xue, Yongqi

1998-08-01

Airborne imaging spectral technology, principle means in airborne remote sensing, has been developed rapidly both in the world and in China recently. This paper describes Modular Airborne Imaging Spectrometer (MAIS), Operational Modular Airborne Imaging Spectrometer (OMAIS) and Pushbroom Hyperspectral Imagery (PHI) that have been developed or are being developed in Airborne Remote Sensing Lab of Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics, CAS.

Changes in the Earth's largest surge glacier system from satellite and airborne altimetry and imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trantow, T.; Herzfeld, U. C.

2015-12-01

The Bering-Bagley Glacier System (BBGS), Alaska, one of the largest ice systems outside of Greenland and Antarctica, has recently surged (2011-2013), providing a rare opportunity to study the surge phenomenon in a large and complex system. Understanding fast-flowing glaciers and accelerations in ice flow, of which surging is one type, is critical to understanding changes in the cryosphere and ultimately changes in sea level. It is important to distinguish between types of accelerations and their consequences, especially between reversible or quasi-cyclic and irreversible forms of glacial acceleration, but current icesheet models treat all accelerating ice identically. Additionally, the surge provides an exceptional opportunity to study the influence of surface roughness and water content on return signals of altimeter systems. In this presentation, we analyze radar and laser altimeter data from CryoSat-2, NASA's Operation IceBridge (OIB), the ICESat Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS), ICESat-2's predecessor the Multiple Altimeter Beam Experimental Lidar (MABEL), and airborne laser altimeter and imagery campaigns by our research group. These measurements are used to study elevation, elevation change and crevassing throughout the glacier system. Analysis of the imagery from our airborne campaigns provides comprehensive characterizations of the BBGS surface over the course of the surge. Results from the data analysis are compared to numerical modeling experiments.

The discrimination between crude-oil spills and monomolecular sea slicks by an airborne lidar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huehnerfuss, H.; Garrett, W. D.; Hoge, F. E.

1986-01-01

Airborne lidar measurements were performed over a deployed monomolecular oleyl alcohol surface film ('slick'), the physicochemical characteristics of which are known to be similar to biogenic organic compounds secreted by plankton and fish, and adjacent 'clean' sea surfaces in the North Sea. In the presence of the slick, the suppression of the Raman backscatter at 381 nm and of two spectral bands indicative of water column fluorescent organic material at 414 and 482 nm were observed. This effect is explained by two possible mechanisms giving rise to a modification of the transmission or coupling of the laser beam into the water column: (1) the damping of capillary and short gravity water waves by the oleyl alcohol slick, and (2) the modification of the uppermost water layer by the oleyl alcohol film. The results obtained in the presence of a slick are compared with data measured over a Murban crude-oil spill with the same lidar system off the coast of the U.S.A. The consequences of the lidar-monomolecular film experiments with regard to the remote detection of crude-oil spills and oil-thickness measurements with an airborne laser fluorosensing system will be discussed.

Soft computing-based terrain visual sensing and data fusion for unmanned ground robotic systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shirkhodaie, Amir

2006-05-01

In this paper, we have primarily discussed technical challenges and navigational skill requirements of mobile robots for traversability path planning in natural terrain environments similar to Mars surface terrains. We have described different methods for detection of salient terrain features based on imaging texture analysis techniques. We have also presented three competing techniques for terrain traversability assessment of mobile robots navigating in unstructured natural terrain environments. These three techniques include: a rule-based terrain classifier, a neural network-based terrain classifier, and a fuzzy-logic terrain classifier. Each proposed terrain classifier divides a region of natural terrain into finite sub-terrain regions and classifies terrain condition exclusively within each sub-terrain region based on terrain visual clues. The Kalman Filtering technique is applied for aggregative fusion of sub-terrain assessment results. The last two terrain classifiers are shown to have remarkable capability for terrain traversability assessment of natural terrains. We have conducted a comparative performance evaluation of all three terrain classifiers and presented the results in this paper.

Airborne Optical Communications Demonstrator Design And Preflight Test Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Biswas, Abhijit; Page, N.; Neal, J.; Zhu, D.; Wright, M.; Ovtiz, G.; Farr, W. H.; Hernnzati, H.

2005-01-01

A second generation optical communications demonstrator (OCD-2) intended for airborne applications like air-to-ground and air-to-air optical links is under development at JPL. This development provides the capability for unidirectional high data rate (2.5-Gbps) transmission at 1550-nm, with the ability to receive an 810-nm beacon to aid acquisition pointing and tracking. The transmitted beam width is nominally 200-(micro)rad. A 3x3 degree coarse field-of-view (FOV) acquisition sensor with a much smaller 3-mrad FOV tracking sensor is incorporated. The OCD-2 optical head will be integrated to a high performance gimbal turret assembly capable of providing pointing stability of 5- microradians from an airborne platform. Other parts of OCD-2 include a cable harness, connecting the optical head in the gimbal turret assembly to a rugged electronics box. The electronics box will house: command and control processors, laser transmitter, data-generation-electronics, power conversion/distribution hardware and state-of-health monitors. The entire assembly will be integrated and laboratory tested prior to a planned flight demonstrations.

Automated basin delineation from digital terrain data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marks, D.; Dozier, J.; Frew, J.

1983-01-01

While digital terrain grids are now in wide use, accurate delineation of drainage basins from these data is difficult to efficiently automate. A recursive order N solution to this problem is presented. The algorithm is fast because no point in the basin is checked more than once, and no points outside the basin are considered. Two applications for terrain analysis and one for remote sensing are given to illustrate the method, on a basin with high relief in the Sierra Nevada. This technique for automated basin delineation will enhance the utility of digital terrain analysis for hydrologic modeling and remote sensing.

Airborne Tactical Crossload Planner

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-12-01

set out in the Airborne Standard Operating Procedure (ASOP). 14. SUBJECT TERMS crossload, airborne, optimization, integer linear programming ...they land to their respective sub-mission locations. In this thesis, we formulate and implement an integer linear program called the Tactical...to meet any desired crossload objectives. xiv We demonstrate TCP with two real-world tactical problems from recent airborne operations: one by the

Estimation of Airborne Radioactivity Induced by 8-GeV-Class Electron LINAC Accelerator.

PubMed

Asano, Yoshihiro

2017-10-01

Airborne radioactivity induced by high-energy electrons from 6 to 10 GeV is estimated by using analytical methods and the Monte Carlo codes PHITS and FLUKA. Measurements using a gas monitor with a NaI(Tl) scintillator are carried out in air from a dump room at SACLA, an x-ray free-electron laser facility with 7.8-GeV electrons and are compared to the simulations.

Temporal changes in surface roughness around 88°S from repeat high-resolution Airborne Topographic Mapper laser altimetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Studinger, M.; Brunt, K. M.; Medley, B.; Casey, K.; Neumann, T.

2017-12-01

The southern convergence of all ICESat-2 and CryoSat-2 tracks at 88°S is in a region of relatively low accumulation and surface slope making it ideal for satellite altimetry calibration and validation. In order to evaluate the stability and surface characteristics of the area we have analyzed repeat airborne laser altimetry measurements acquired around 88°S during 2014 and 2016 by NASA's Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM) as part of Operation IceBridge. ATM is a conical scanner that operates at a wavelength of 532 nm, with a footprint of 1 meter and a 250-m-wide swath on the ground. The ATM Level 2 ICESSN data product includes slope and roughness estimates in 80 m × 80 m platelets across the swath. The mean surface roughness around 88°S for the 2014 data is 9.4 ± 2.0 cm, with the repeat flights in 2016 showing 8.6 ± 2.8 cm. The 2014 data reveals several areas where surface roughness doubles over very short spatial scales of only a few hundred meters. These features are several tens of km wide and appear to be oriented parallel to the main sastrugi direction visible in ATM spot elevation data and Digital Mapping System (DMS) visual imagery collected simultaneously. The rougher surface features are also present in the CReSIS snow radar data collected at the same time. These areas of increased surface roughness disappear in 2016 or seem to be significantly reduced in amplitude with the sharpness of the edges significantly reduced. The combination of simultaneous altimetry, snow radar and visual imagery on a regional scale provides a unique data set to study small scale deposition and erosional processes and their temporal variability. Our long-term goal is to quantify the spatial variability in snow accumulation rates south of 86°S in support of past, current and future altimetry measurements and surface mass balance model evaluation.

Individual tree crown approach for predicting site index in boreal forests using airborne laser scanning and hyperspectral data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kandare, Kaja; Ørka, Hans Ole; Dalponte, Michele; Næsset, Erik; Gobakken, Terje

2017-08-01

Site productivity is essential information for sustainable forest management and site index (SI) is the most common quantitative measure of it. The SI is usually determined for individual tree species based on tree height and the age of the 100 largest trees per hectare according to stem diameter. The present study aimed to demonstrate and validate a methodology for the determination of SI using remotely sensed data, in particular fused airborne laser scanning (ALS) and airborne hyperspectral data in a forest site in Norway. The applied approach was based on individual tree crown (ITC) delineation: tree species, tree height, diameter at breast height (DBH), and age were modelled and predicted at ITC level using 10-fold cross validation. Four dominant ITCs per 400 m2 plot were selected as input to predict SI at plot level for Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.). We applied an experimental setup with different subsets of dominant ITCs with different combinations of attributes (predicted or field-derived) for SI predictions. The results revealed that the selection of the dominant ITCs based on the largest DBH independent of tree species, predicted the SI with similar accuracy as ITCs matched with field-derived dominant trees (RMSE: 27.6% vs 23.3%). The SI accuracies were at the same level when dominant species were determined from the remotely sensed or field data (RMSE: 27.6% vs 27.8%). However, when the predicted tree age was used the SI accuracy decreased compared to field-derived age (RMSE: 27.6% vs 7.6%). In general, SI was overpredicted for both tree species in the mature forest, while there was an underprediction in the young forest. In conclusion, the proposed approach for SI determination based on ITC delineation and a combination of ALS and hyperspectral data is an efficient and stable procedure, which has the potential to predict SI in forest areas at various spatial scales and additionally to improve existing SI

Airborne laser-spark for ambient desorption/ionisation.

PubMed

Bierstedt, Andreas; Riedel, Jens

A novel direct sampling ionisation scheme for ambient mass spectrometry is presented. Desorption and ionisation are achieved by a quasi-continuous laser induced plasma in air. Since there are no solid or liquid electrodes involved the ion source does not suffer from chemical interferences or fatigue originating from erosive burning or from electrode consumption. The overall plasma maintains electro-neutrality, minimising charge effects and accompanying long term drift of the charged particles trajectories. In the airborne plasma approach the ambient air not only serves as the plasma medium but at the same time also slows down the nascent ions via collisional cooling. Ionisation of the analyte molecules does not occur in the plasma itself but is induced by interaction with nascent ionic fragments, electrons and/or far ultraviolet photons in the plasma vicinity. At each individual air-spark an audible shockwave is formed, providing new reactive species, which expands concentrically and, thus, prevents direct contact of the analyte with the hot region inside the plasma itself. As a consequence the interaction volume between plasma and analyte does not exceed the threshold temperature for thermal dissociation or fragmentation. Experimentally this indirect ionisation scheme is demonstrated to be widely unspecific to the chemical nature of the analyte and to hardly result in any fragmentation of the studied molecules. A vast ensemble of different test analytes including polar and non-polar hydrocarbons, sugars, low mass active ingredients of pharmaceuticals as well as natural biomolecules in food samples directly out of their complex matrices could be shown to yield easily accessible yet meaningful spectra. Since the plasma medium is humid air, the chemical reaction mechanism of the ionisation is likely to be similar to other ambient ionisation techniques. Wir stellen hier eine neue Ionisationsmethode für die Umgebungsionisation (ambient ionisation) vor. Sowohl die

Remote sensing with laser spectrum radar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Tianhe; Zhou, Tao; Jia, Xiaodong

2016-10-01

The unmanned airborne (UAV) laser spectrum radar has played a leading role in remote sensing because the transmitter and the receiver are together at laser spectrum radar. The advantages of the integrated transceiver laser spectrum radar is that it can be used in the oil and gas pipeline leak detection patrol line which needs the non-contact reflective detection. The UAV laser spectrum radar can patrol the line and specially detect the swept the area are now in no man's land because most of the oil and gas pipelines are in no man's land. It can save labor costs compared to the manned aircraft and ensure the safety of the pilots. The UAV laser spectrum radar can be also applied in the post disaster relief which detects the gas composition before the firefighters entering the scene of the rescue.

Little Dog learning of tractive and compressive terrain characteristics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Digney, Bruce L.

2011-05-01

In recent years research into legged locomotion across extreme terrains has increased. Much of this work was done under the DARPA Learning Legged Locomotion program that utilized a standard Little Dog robot platform and prepared terrain test boards with known geometric data. While path planing using geometric information is necessary, acquiring and utilizing tractive and compressive terrain characteristics is equally important. This paper describes methods and results for learning tractive and compressive terrain characteristics with the Little Dog robot. The estimation of terrain traction and compressive/support capabilities using the mechanisms and movements of the robot rather than dedicated instruments is the goal of this research. The resulting characteristics may differ from those of standard tests, however they will be directly usable to the locomotion controllers given that they are obtained in the physical context of the actual robot and its actual movements. This paper elaborates on the methods used and presents results. Future work will develop better suited probabilistic models and interwave these methods with other purposeful actions of the robot to lessen the need for direct terrain probing actions.

Digital terrain tapes: user guide

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

1980-01-01

DMATC's digital terrain tapes are a by-product of the agency's efforts to streamline the production of raised-relief maps. In the early 1960's DMATC developed the Digital Graphics Recorder (DGR) system that introduced new digitizing techniques and processing methods into the field of three-dimensional mapping. The DGR system consisted of an automatic digitizing table and a computer system that recorded a grid of terrain elevations from traces of the contour lines on standard topographic maps. A sequence of computer accuracy checks was performed and then the elevations of grid points not intersected by contour lines were interpolated. The DGR system produced computer magnetic tapes which controlled the carving of plaster forms used to mold raised-relief maps. It was realized almost immediately that this relatively simple tool for carving plaster molds had enormous potential for storing, manipulating, and selectively displaying (either graphically or numerically) a vast number of terrain elevations. As the demand for the digital terrain tapes increased, DMATC began developing increasingly advanced digitizing systems and now operates the Digital Topographic Data Collection System (DTDCS). With DTDCS, two types of data elevations as contour lines and points, and stream and ridge lines are sorted, matched, and resorted to obtain a grid of elevation values for every 0.01 inch on each map (approximately 200 feet on the ground). Undefined points on the grid are found by either linear or or planar interpolation.

Photometric diversity of terrains on Triton

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hillier, J.; Veverka, J.; Helfenstein, P.; Lee, P.

1994-01-01

Voyager disk-resolved images of Triton in the violet (0.41 micrometers) and green (0.56 micrometer wavelengths have been analyzed to derive the photometric characteristics of terrains on Triton. Similar conclusions are found using two distinct but related definitions of photometric units, one based on color ratio and albedo properties (A. S. McEwen, 1990), the other on albedo and brightness ratios at different phase angles (P. Lee et al., 1992). A significant diversity of photometric behavior, much broader than that discovered so far on any other icy satellite, occurs among Triton's terrains. Remarkably, differences in photometric behavior do not correlate well with geologic terrain boundaries defined on the basis of surface morphology. This suggests that in most cases photometric properties on Triton are controlled by thin deposits superposed on underlying geologic units. Single scattering albedos are 0.98 or higher and asymmetry factors range from -0.35 to -0.45 for most units. The most distinct scattering behavior is exhibited by the reddish northern units already identified as the Anomalously Scattering Region (ASR), which scatters light almost isotropically with g = -0.04. In part due to the effects of Triton's clouds and haze, it is difficult to constrain the value of bar-theta, Hapke's macroscopic roughness parameter, precisely for Triton or to map differences in bar-theta among the different photometric terrains. However, our study shows that Triton must be relatively smooth, with bar-theta less than 15-20 degs and suggests that a value of 14 degs is appropriate. The differences in photometric characteristics lead to significantly different phase angle behavior for the various terrains. For example, a terrain (e.g., the ASR) that appears dark relative to another at low phase angles will reverse its contrast (become relatively brighter) at larger phase angles. The photometric parameters have been used to calculate hemispherical albedos for the units and to

Development and Preliminary Tests of an Open-Path Airborne Diode Laser Absorption Instrument for Carbon Dioxide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Diskin, Glenn S.; DiGangi, Joshua P.; Yang, Melissa; Slate, Thomas A.; Rana, Mario

2015-01-01

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is well known for its importance as an atmospheric greenhouse gas, with many sources and sinks around the globe. Understanding the fluxes of carbon into and out of the atmosphere is a complex and daunting challenge. One tool applied by scientists to measure the vertical flux of CO2 near the surface uses the eddy covariance technique, most often from towers but also from aircraft flying specific patterns over the study area. In this technique, variations of constituents of interest are correlated with fluctuations in the local vertical wind velocity. Measurement requirements are stringent, particularly with regard to precision, sensitivity to small changes, and temporal sampling rate. In addition, many aircraft have limited payload capability, so instrument size, weight, and power consumption are also important considerations. We report on the development and preliminary application of an airborne sensor for the measurement of atmospheric CO2. The instrument, modeled on the successful DLH (Diode Laser Hygrometer) series of instruments, has been tested in the laboratory and on the NASA DC-8 aircraft. Performance parameters such as accuracy, precision, sensitivity, specificity, and temporal response are discussed in the context of typical atmospheric variability and suitability for flux measurement applications. On-aircraft, in-flight data have been obtained and are discussed as well. Performance of the instrument has been promising, and continued flight testing is planned during 2016.

International Symposium on Airborne Geophysics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mogi, Toru; Ito, Hisatoshi; Kaieda, Hideshi; Kusunoki, Kenichiro; Saltus, Richard W.; Fitterman, David V.; Okuma, Shigeo; Nakatsuka, Tadashi

2006-05-01

Airborne geophysics can be defined as the measurement of Earth properties from sensors in the sky. The airborne measurement platform is usually a traditional fixed-wing airplane or helicopter, but could also include lighter-than-air craft, unmanned drones, or other specialty craft. The earliest history of airborne geophysics includes kite and hot-air balloon experiments. However, modern airborne geophysics dates from the mid-1940s when military submarine-hunting magnetometers were first used to map variations in the Earth's magnetic field. The current gamut of airborne geophysical techniques spans a broad range, including potential fields (both gravity and magnetics), electromagnetics (EM), radiometrics, spectral imaging, and thermal imaging.

Successful application of frequency-domain airborne electromagnetic system with a grounded electric source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, L.; Lin, J.; Liu, C.; Zhou, H.; Ren, T.; Yao, Y.

2017-12-01

A new frequency-domain AEM system with a grounded electric source, which was called ground-airborne frequency-domain electromagnetic (GAFEM) system, was proposed to extend penetration depth without compromising the resolution and detection efficiency. In GAFEM system, an electric source was placed on the ground to enlarge the strength of response signals. UVA was chosen as aircraft to reduce interaction noise and improve its ability to adapt to complex terrain. Multi-source and multi-frequency emission method has been researched and applied to improve the efficiency of GAFEM system. 2n pseudorandom sequence was introduced as transmitting waveform, to ensure resolution and detection efficiency. Inversion-procedure based on full-space apparent resistivity formula was built to realize GAFEM method and extend the survey area to non-far field. Based on GAFEM system, two application was conducted in Changchun, China, to map the deep conductive structure. As shown in the results of this exploration, GAFEM system shows its effectiveness to conductive structure, obtaining a depth of about 1km with a source-receiver distance of over 6km. And it shows the same level of resolution with CSAMT method with an over 10 times of efficiency. This extended a range of important applications where the terrain is too complex to be accessed or large penetration depth is required in a large survey area.

Parallel Implementation of the Terrain Masking Algorithm

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-03-01

contains behavior rules which can define a computation or an algorithm. It can communicate with other process nodes, it can contain local data, and it can...terrain maskirg calculation is being performed. It is this algorithm that comsumes about seventy percent of the total terrain masking calculation time

Assessing forest windthrow damage using single-date, post-event airborne laser scanning data

Treesearch

Gherardo Chirici; Francesca Bottalico; Francesca Giannetti; Barbara Del Perugia; Davide Travaglini; Susanna Nocentini; Erico Kutchartt; Enrico Marchi; Cristiano Foderi; Marco Fioravanti; Lorenzo Fattorini; Lorenzo Bottai; Ronald McRoberts; Erik Næsset; Piermaria Corona; Bernardo Gozzini

2017-01-01

One of many possible climate change effects in temperate areas is the increase of frequency and severity of windstorms; thus, fast and cost efficient new methods are needed to evaluate wind-induced damages in forests. We present a method for assessing windstorm damages in forest landscapes based on a two-stage sampling strategy using single-date, post-event airborne...

Influence of Elevation Data Source on 2D Hydraulic Modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bakuła, Krzysztof; StĘpnik, Mateusz; Kurczyński, Zdzisław

2016-08-01

The aim of this paper is to analyse the influence of the source of various elevation data on hydraulic modelling in open channels. In the research, digital terrain models from different datasets were evaluated and used in two-dimensional hydraulic models. The following aerial and satellite elevation data were used to create the representation of terrain-digital terrain model: airborne laser scanning, image matching, elevation data collected in the LPIS, EuroDEM, and ASTER GDEM. From the results of five 2D hydrodynamic models with different input elevation data, the maximum depth and flow velocity of water were derived and compared with the results of the most accurate ALS data. For such an analysis a statistical evaluation and differences between hydraulic modelling results were prepared. The presented research proved the importance of the quality of elevation data in hydraulic modelling and showed that only ALS and photogrammetric data can be the most reliable elevation data source in accurate 2D hydraulic modelling.

Airborne Lidar measurements of Atmospheric CO2 Column Absorption and Line Shapes from 3-11 km altitudes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abshire, J. B.; Riris, H.; Allan, G. R.; Weaver, C.; Mao, J.; Hasselbrack, W.

2009-04-01

accommodation study. During 2008 we reconfigured our lidar for airborne use and made measurements of atmospheric CO2 absorption in the nadir column from the aircraft to the surface during 5 flights. The airborne lidar sweeps the laser wavelength across the CO2 line in either 10 or 20 steps per measurement. The line scan rate is ~ 1 KHz and the laser pulse widths are 1 usec. The time resolved laser backscatter is collected by the telescope and detected by a photomultiplier and recorded by a photon counting timing system. We installed our lidar on the NASA Glenn Lear-25 aircraft in October and first made measurements using the 1571.4 nm CO2 absorption line while flying in northern Ohio. We made laser backscatter and absorption measurements over a variety of land surface types, water surfaces and through thin clouds, broken clouds and to cloud tops. Strong laser signals were observed at altitudes from 2.5 to 11 km on two flights. We completed three additional flights during December 2008 and gathered over 6 hours of atmospheric CO2 column measurements using the 1572.02 and 1572.33 nm CO2 lines. Airborne CO2 line shape and absorption measurements were made while flying at 3-11 km altitudes over southwestern Ohio. Subsequently two flights were made from Ponca City OK, just east of the US Department of Energy's (DOE) ARM site. We made 4 hours of airborne measurements in square patterns around the ARM site at altitudes from 3-8 km. The increased CO2 line absorptions at higher altitudes were evident in all flights. The December flights were also coordinated with DOE investigators who flew an in-situ CO2 sensor on a Cessna aircraft inside the CO2 sounder's flight pattern. These yielded two height resolved profiles of CO2 concentrations from 5 km to the surface, which are being analyzed with radiosonde measurements for comparisons. More details of the flights, measurements and their analysis will be described in the presentation.

Laser Doppler spectrometer method of particle sizing. [for air pollution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weber, F. N.

1976-01-01

A spectrometer for the detection of airborne particulate pollution in the submicron size range is described. In this device, airborne particles are accelerated through a supersonic nozzle, with different sizes achieving different velocities in the gas flow. Information about the velocities of the accelerated particles is obtained with a laser-heterodyne optical system through the Doppler shift of light scattered from the particles. Detection is accomplished by means of a photomultiplier. Nozzle design and signal processing techniques are also discussed.

Environmental impacts of forest road construction on mountainous terrain

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Forest roads are the base infrastructure foundation of forestry operations. These roads entail a complex engineering effort because they can cause substantial environmental damage to forests and include a high-cost construction. This study was carried out in four sample sites of Giresun, Trabzon(2) and Artvin Forest Directorate, which is in the Black Sea region of Turkey. The areas have both steep terrain (30-50% gradient) and very steep terrain (51-80% gradient). Bulldozers and hydraulic excavators were determined to be the main machines for forest road construction, causing environmental damage and cross sections in mountainous areas. As a result of this study, the percent damage to forests was determined as follows: on steep terrain, 21% of trees were damaged by excavators and 33% of trees were damaged by bulldozers during forest road construction, and on very steep terrain, 27% of trees were damaged by excavators and 44% of trees were damaged by bulldozers during forest road construction. It was also determined that on steep terrain, when excavators were used, 12.23% less forest area was destroyed compared with when bulldozers were used and 16.13% less area was destroyed by excavators on very steep terrain. In order to reduce the environmental damage on the forest ecosystem, especially in steep terrains, hydraulic excavators should replace bulldozers in forest road construction activities. PMID:23497078

Environmental impacts of forest road construction on mountainous terrain.

PubMed

Caliskan, Erhan

2013-03-15

Forest roads are the base infrastructure foundation of forestry operations. These roads entail a complex engineering effort because they can cause substantial environmental damage to forests and include a high-cost construction. This study was carried out in four sample sites of Giresun, Trabzon(2) and Artvin Forest Directorate, which is in the Black Sea region of Turkey. The areas have both steep terrain (30-50% gradient) and very steep terrain (51-80% gradient). Bulldozers and hydraulic excavators were determined to be the main machines for forest road construction, causing environmental damage and cross sections in mountainous areas.As a result of this study, the percent damage to forests was determined as follows: on steep terrain, 21% of trees were damaged by excavators and 33% of trees were damaged by bulldozers during forest road construction, and on very steep terrain, 27% of trees were damaged by excavators and 44% of trees were damaged by bulldozers during forest road construction. It was also determined that on steep terrain, when excavators were used, 12.23% less forest area was destroyed compared with when bulldozers were used and 16.13% less area was destroyed by excavators on very steep terrain. In order to reduce the environmental damage on the forest ecosystem, especially in steep terrains, hydraulic excavators should replace bulldozers in forest road construction activities.

Terrain Analysis for Human-Robot Interaction (TAH-RI): Enabling Terrain Understanding to Improve Tactical Behavior

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-04-01

determine terrain. (Howard, Seraji , & Tunstel 2001; Larson, Voyles, & Demir 2004) use inclinometers to determine the slope of the terrain. (Larson, Voyles...G .a............... jCurent Lonation Seht Currt Lons o in Workspace Weights N+FW Let j2 8 05 6608 + S SE Lon: 82 4225+’€;+"++ Fe ++et/Gride8 I5o04o𔃻s...o SShow Grld Lines i + iShow Cell Weights •+ iSS wArrows j Show Path fe .1 i Show Aerial Image li"’ .. . Run++ Trulla ........ j •:9 : 9 onltdm-82,e

Assessment of antipodal-impact terrains on Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, David A.; Greeley, Ronald

1994-08-01

The regions anitpodal to Mars' three largest impact basins, Hellas, Isidis, and Argyre, were assessed for evidence of impact-induced disrupted terrains. Photogeology and computer modeling using the Simplified Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (SALE) finite element code suggest that such terrains could have been found by the Hellas impact. Maximum antipodal pressures are 1100 MPa for Hellas, 520 MPa for Isidis, and 150 MPa for Argyre. The results suggest that if antipodal fracturing were associated with later volcanism, then Alba Patera may be related to the Hellas event, as proposed by Peterson (1978). Alba Patera is a unique volcano in the solar system, being a shield volcano which emitted large volume lava flows. This volcanism could be the result of the focusing of seismic energy which created a fractured region that served as a volcanic conduit for the future release of large volumes of magma. No disrupted terrain features are observed antipodal to the Isidis or Argyre basins, although some of the old fractures in Noctis Labyrinthus could have originated in response to the Isidis impact, and later have been reactivated by the Tharsis tectonics assumed to have produced Noctis. If the lower calculated antipodal pressures for Argyre were capable of producing disrupted terrains, then the terrains have been covered subsequently by volcanic or aeolian material, or modified beyond recognition.

Assessment of antipodal-impact terrains on Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, David A.; Greeley, Ronald

1994-01-01

The regions anitpodal to Mars' three largest impact basins, Hellas, Isidis, and Argyre, were assessed for evidence of impact-induced disrupted terrains. Photogeology and computer modeling using the Simplified Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (SALE) finite element code suggest that such terrains could have been found by the Hellas impact. Maximum antipodal pressures are 1100 MPa for Hellas, 520 MPa for Isidis, and 150 MPa for Argyre. The results suggest that if antipodal fracturing were associated with later volcanism, then Alba Patera may be related to the Hellas event, as proposed by Peterson (1978). Alba Patera is a unique volcano in the solar system, being a shield volcano which emitted large volume lava flows. This volcanism could be the result of the focusing of seismic energy which created a fractured region that served as a volcanic conduit for the future release of large volumes of magma. No disrupted terrain features are observed antipodal to the Isidis or Argyre basins, although some of the old fractures in Noctis Labyrinthus could have originated in response to the Isidis impact, and later have been reactivated by the Tharsis tectonics assumed to have produced Noctis. If the lower calculated antipodal pressures for Argyre were capable of producing disrupted terrains, then the terrains have been covered subsequently by volcanic or aeolian material, or modified beyond recognition.

Processes Modifying Cratered Terrains on Pluto

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, J. M.

2015-01-01

The July encounter with Pluto by the New Horizons spacecraft permitted imaging of its cratered terrains with scales as high as approximately 100 m/pixel, and in stereo. In the initial download of images, acquired at 2.2 km/pixel, widely distributed impact craters up to 260 km diameter are seen in the near-encounter hemisphere. Many of the craters appear to be significantly degraded or infilled. Some craters appear partially destroyed, perhaps by erosion such as associated with the retreat of scarps. Bright ice-rich deposits highlight some crater rims and/or floors. While the cratered terrains identified in the initial downloaded images are generally seen on high-to-intermediate albedo surfaces, the dark equatorial terrain informally known as Cthulhu Regio is also densely cratered. We will explore the range of possible processes that might have operated (or still be operating) to modify the landscape from that of an ancient pristinely cratered state to the present terrains revealed in New Horizons images. The sequence, intensity, and type of processes that have modified ancient landscapes are, among other things, the record of climate and volatile evolution throughout much of the Pluto's existence. The deciphering of this record will be discussed. This work was supported by NASA's New Horizons project.

Automatic Computer Mapping of Terrain

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smedes, H. W.

1971-01-01

Computer processing of 17 wavelength bands of visible, reflective infrared, and thermal infrared scanner spectrometer data, and of three wavelength bands derived from color aerial film has resulted in successful automatic computer mapping of eight or more terrain classes in a Yellowstone National Park test site. The tests involved: (1) supervised and non-supervised computer programs; (2) special preprocessing of the scanner data to reduce computer processing time and cost, and improve the accuracy; and (3) studies of the effectiveness of the proposed Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS) data channels in the automatic mapping of the same terrain, based on simulations, using the same set of scanner data. The following terrain classes have been mapped with greater than 80 percent accuracy in a 12-square-mile area with 1,800 feet of relief; (1) bedrock exposures, (2) vegetated rock rubble, (3) talus, (4) glacial kame meadow, (5) glacial till meadow, (6) forest, (7) bog, and (8) water. In addition, shadows of clouds and cliffs are depicted, but were greatly reduced by using preprocessing techniques.

Improving quality of laser scanning data acquisition through calibrated amplitude and pulse deviation measurement