Sign In
Learn bits
Science & Tech.
Mahesh

02/11/24 13:06 PM IST

LiDAR system

In News
  • Scientists have detected a lost Mayan city, hidden for centuries by the dense Mexican jungle, using LiDAR.
About LiDAR
  • LiDAR, or Light Detection and Ranging, is a  remote sensing technology that uses light in the form of a pulsed laser to measure ranges (or variable distances) of a sensor, usually mounted aboard an aircraft, to Earth’s surface.
  • LiDAR data can be used to create high-resolution 3-D models of ground elevation with a vertical accuracy of upto 10 cm, according to the US Geological Survey.
Working of LiDAR
  • LiDAR instrumentation comprises a laser, a scanner, and a GPS receiver.
  • The rapidly firing laser travels to the ground where it hits vegetation, building, and various topographic features.
  • This light is reflected or scattered, and recorded by the LiDAR sensor.
  • The system calculates the light pulses’ two-way travel time to arrive at the distance between the terrain and the sensor.
  • It processes this information with Global Positioning System (GPS) and Inertial Measurement System (IMS) data, to create an elevation map of Earth.
  • LiDAR data is initially collected as a “point cloud” of all individual points reflected from everything on the surface, including structures and vegetation.
  • But the specifics of how much light energy was returned to the sensor allows further identification of different features, such as vegetation, buildings, etc.
  • For example, tree canopies, however dense they may be, allow some light to pass through and hit the ground.
  • The LiDAR data can be further refined to produce what scientists call a “bare earth” Digital Elevation Model, in which structures and vegetation are stripped away.
Benefits of LiDAR
  • LiDAR is used to generate precise, three-dimensional information about the shape of the Earth and its surface characteristics.
  • This is obviously very useful information for geographers, policy makers, conservationists, and engineers.
  • In recent years, however, LiDAR has also shown potential as a tool of archaeological discovery.
  • The city “has all the hallmarks of a Classic Maya political capital: multiple enclosed plazas connected by a broad causeway, temple pyramids, a ballcourt, a reservoir formed by damming an arroyo (a seasonal watercourse), and a probable … architectural arrangement that generally indicates a founding date prior to 150 CE.
Source- Indian Express

More Related Current Affairs View All

17 Sep

Reasons Behind the heavy rain in Uttarakhand, Himachal

'Dehradun and several other districts in Uttarakhand have experienced very heavy rainfall over the past few days, triggering landslides in multiple areas and causing rivers to swel

Read More

08 Sep

Rajasthan’s coaching centre Bill

'The Rajasthan Coaching Centres (Control and Regulation) Bill, 2025, is a significant piece of legislation passed by the Rajasthan Assembly to regulate and oversee the state's burg

Read More

28 Aug

IADT-1

'Recently, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully carried out its first Integrated Air Drop Test (IADT-1), a crucial milestone in the preparation for the countr

Read More

India’s First Ai-Driven Magazine Generator

Generate Your Custom Current Affairs Magazine using our AI in just 3 steps