- Laser Emission: The LiDAR instrument, typically mounted on an aircraft or drone, emits a rapid series of laser pulses.
- Distance Measurement: Each pulse reflects off a surface, and the time it takes for the light to travel back is measured. This time is used to calculate the exact distance to the object.
- Data Collection: The system records the position and direction of each laser pulse, combined with the distance data, creating a massive 3D point cloud of the Earth’s surface and everything on it.
- Data Processing: Software is used to process the point cloud, which can include removing vegetation and man-made structures to create a bare-earth DEM or mapping the features themselves.