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Full-Waveform, Wide-Swath Lidar Imaging of Forested and Urban Areas in Leaf-On Conditions: Development, Results and Future DirectionFull-Waveform lidar measurements provide unprecedented views of the vertical and horizontal structure of vegetation and the topography of the Earth s surface. Utilizing a high signal-to-noise ratio lidar system, larger than typical laser footprints (10-20 m), and the recorded time history of interaction between a short-duration (approx. 10 ns) pulse of laser light and the surface of the Earth, full-waveform lidar is able to simultaneously image sub-canopy topography as well as the vertical structure of any overlying vegetation. These data reveal the true 3-D vegetation structure in leaf-on conditions enabling important biophysical parameters such as above-ground biomass to be estimated with unprecedented accuracy. An airborne lidar mission was conducted July-August 2003 in support of the North America Carbon Program. NASA s Laser Vegetation Imaging Sensor (LVIS) was used to image approximately 2,000 km$^2$ in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Maryland. Areas with available ground and other data were included (e.g., experimental forests, FLUXNET sites) in order to facilitate as many bio- and geophysical investigations as possible. Data collected included ground elevation and canopy height measurements for each laser footprint, as well as the vertical distribution of intercepted surfaces. Data will be publicly distributed within 6- 12 months of collection. Further details of the mission, including the lidar system technology, the locations of the mapped areas, and examples of the numerous data products that can be derived from the return waveform data products will be presented. Future applications including detection of ground and vegetation canopy changes and a spaceborne implementation of wide-swath, full-waveform imaging lidar will also be discussed.
Document ID
20040040126
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Blair, James B.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Hofton, M.
(Maryland Univ. College Park, MD, United States)
Rabine, David
(Science Systems and Applications, Inc. Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Welch, Wayne
(Welch Mechanical Design Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Ramos, Luis
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Padden, Phillip
(Science Systems and Applications, Inc. Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Date Acquired
August 21, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2003
Subject Category
Earth Resources And Remote Sensing
Meeting Information
Meeting: The 2003 Fall American Geophysical Union Meeting
Location: San Francisco, CA
Country: United States
Start Date: December 7, 2003
End Date: December 12, 2003
Sponsors: American Geophysical Union
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

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