depend upon the design of each individual sensor. Sensors can be designed to either
transmit light as waveform or as discrete returns. For discrete returns, sensors
record the time and intensity of individual returns (from 1 to 5) of each pulse.
The number of returns depends also on the complexity of the terrain, i.e., in an open
area, only one return may be recorded after the pulse hits the ground, whereas a
Fig. 10 A schematic of a Lidar scanner [28] (Permissions, Campbell_Guilford_11_August_2014)
Fig. 11 Airborne Lidar system on the left. Terrestrial Lidar system on the right. Sources: left,
USGS; right, second author
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T.E. Parece and J.B. Campbell
transmit light as waveform or as discrete returns. For discrete returns, sensors
record the time and intensity of individual returns (from 1 to 5) of each pulse.
The number of returns depends also on the complexity of the terrain, i.e., in an open
area, only one return may be recorded after the pulse hits the ground, whereas a
Fig. 10 A schematic of a Lidar scanner [28] (Permissions, Campbell_Guilford_11_August_2014)
Fig. 11 Airborne Lidar system on the left. Terrestrial Lidar system on the right. Sources: left,
USGS; right, second author
22
T.E. Parece and J.B. Campbell