Requirements for a global lidar system: spaceborne lidar with wall-to-wall coverage
Lidar is the optimum technology for measuring bare-Earth elevation beneath, and the structure of, vegetation. Consequently, airborne laser scanning (ALS) is widely employed for use in a range of applications. However, ALS is not available globally nor frequently updated due to its high cost per unit...
Main Authors: | , , , , |
---|---|
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
The Royal Society
2021-12-01
|
Series: | Royal Society Open Science |
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.211166 |
_version_ | 1818854072398118912 |
---|---|
author | Steven Hancock Ciara McGrath Christopher Lowe Ian Davenport Iain Woodhouse |
author_facet | Steven Hancock Ciara McGrath Christopher Lowe Ian Davenport Iain Woodhouse |
author_sort | Steven Hancock |
collection | DOAJ |
description | Lidar is the optimum technology for measuring bare-Earth elevation beneath, and the structure of, vegetation. Consequently, airborne laser scanning (ALS) is widely employed for use in a range of applications. However, ALS is not available globally nor frequently updated due to its high cost per unit area. Spaceborne lidar can map globally but energy requirements limit existing spaceborne lidars to sparse sampling missions, unsuitable for many common ALS applications. This paper derives the equations to calculate the coverage a lidar satellite could achieve for a given set of characteristics (released open-source), then uses a cloud map to determine the number of satellites needed to achieve continuous, global coverage within a certain time-frame. Using the characteristics of existing in-orbit technology, a single lidar satellite could have a continuous swath width of 300 m when producing a 30 m resolution map. Consequently, 12 satellites would be needed to produce a continuous map every 5 years, increasing to 418 satellites for 5 m resolution. Building 12 of the currently in-orbit lidar systems is likely to be prohibitively expensive and so the potential of technological developments to lower the cost of a global lidar system (GLS) are discussed. Once these technologies achieve a sufficient readiness level, a GLS could be cost-effectively realized. |
first_indexed | 2024-12-19T07:46:54Z |
format | Article |
id | doaj.art-b8764c289886443b8571da95cd6cf221 |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 2054-5703 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-12-19T07:46:54Z |
publishDate | 2021-12-01 |
publisher | The Royal Society |
record_format | Article |
series | Royal Society Open Science |
spelling | doaj.art-b8764c289886443b8571da95cd6cf2212022-12-21T20:30:18ZengThe Royal SocietyRoyal Society Open Science2054-57032021-12-0181210.1098/rsos.211166Requirements for a global lidar system: spaceborne lidar with wall-to-wall coverageSteven Hancock0Ciara McGrath1Christopher Lowe2Ian Davenport3Iain Woodhouse4School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Crew Building, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, UKApplied Space Technology Laboratory (ApSTL), Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Strathclyde, 204 George St, Glasgow G1 1XW, UKApplied Space Technology Laboratory (ApSTL), Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Strathclyde, 204 George St, Glasgow G1 1XW, UKSchool of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Crew Building, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, UKSchool of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Crew Building, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, UKLidar is the optimum technology for measuring bare-Earth elevation beneath, and the structure of, vegetation. Consequently, airborne laser scanning (ALS) is widely employed for use in a range of applications. However, ALS is not available globally nor frequently updated due to its high cost per unit area. Spaceborne lidar can map globally but energy requirements limit existing spaceborne lidars to sparse sampling missions, unsuitable for many common ALS applications. This paper derives the equations to calculate the coverage a lidar satellite could achieve for a given set of characteristics (released open-source), then uses a cloud map to determine the number of satellites needed to achieve continuous, global coverage within a certain time-frame. Using the characteristics of existing in-orbit technology, a single lidar satellite could have a continuous swath width of 300 m when producing a 30 m resolution map. Consequently, 12 satellites would be needed to produce a continuous map every 5 years, increasing to 418 satellites for 5 m resolution. Building 12 of the currently in-orbit lidar systems is likely to be prohibitively expensive and so the potential of technological developments to lower the cost of a global lidar system (GLS) are discussed. Once these technologies achieve a sufficient readiness level, a GLS could be cost-effectively realized.https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.211166lidarsatelliteglobalcontinuous coveragevegetation mapping |
spellingShingle | Steven Hancock Ciara McGrath Christopher Lowe Ian Davenport Iain Woodhouse Requirements for a global lidar system: spaceborne lidar with wall-to-wall coverage Royal Society Open Science lidar satellite global continuous coverage vegetation mapping |
title | Requirements for a global lidar system: spaceborne lidar with wall-to-wall coverage |
title_full | Requirements for a global lidar system: spaceborne lidar with wall-to-wall coverage |
title_fullStr | Requirements for a global lidar system: spaceborne lidar with wall-to-wall coverage |
title_full_unstemmed | Requirements for a global lidar system: spaceborne lidar with wall-to-wall coverage |
title_short | Requirements for a global lidar system: spaceborne lidar with wall-to-wall coverage |
title_sort | requirements for a global lidar system spaceborne lidar with wall to wall coverage |
topic | lidar satellite global continuous coverage vegetation mapping |
url | https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.211166 |
work_keys_str_mv | AT stevenhancock requirementsforagloballidarsystemspacebornelidarwithwalltowallcoverage AT ciaramcgrath requirementsforagloballidarsystemspacebornelidarwithwalltowallcoverage AT christopherlowe requirementsforagloballidarsystemspacebornelidarwithwalltowallcoverage AT iandavenport requirementsforagloballidarsystemspacebornelidarwithwalltowallcoverage AT iainwoodhouse requirementsforagloballidarsystemspacebornelidarwithwalltowallcoverage |