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Completed TRL 4 (started at 3, targeting 4)
The value of laser altimetry data for mapping the surface of the Earth and other planetary bodies is well established, and the data provided on Earth’s forests and monitoring long term changes in ice sheets has had a profound impact on our understanding of the impacts of Earth’s changing climate. Previous sensors (GEDI/ ATLAS/ICESat-2, ICESat, SLA, MOLA, LOLA, MLA) do this using only a small number of beams and sample, at most, just a few % of the surface. Swath mapping technologies are essential to fully realize the potential of laser altimetry for mapping and precisely monitoring the dynamics of the Earth and other planetary surfaces. We propose to build a test a prototype of a solid-state, no moving parts, highly efficient, fast, reliable, and accurate scanner, that generates 10-100 select-able beam positions from a single laser to provide 1-2 orders of magnitude increase in mapping coverage.
Successful demonstration of a solid-state laser scanner that can generate more than an order of magnitude increase in coverage from a single laser is an enabling step for future imaging lidar opportunities called for in the Surface Topography & Vegetation (STV) program. Wide area mapping of surface topography and structure, including vegetation/forests, and monitoring changes are critical for monitoring the impacts of a changing climate. There are numerous science and operations applications that can benefit from precise surface mapping and change detection.
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