Gaussian decomposition and calibration of a novel small-footprint full-waveform digitising airborne laser scanner

• Published in: ISPRS journal of photogrammetry and remote sensing 2006-04, Vol.60 (2), p.100-112
• Main Authors: Wagner, Wolfgang, Ullrich, Andreas, Ducic, Vesna, Melzer, Thomas, Studnicka, Nick
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied geophysics; Biological and medical sciences; Calibration; Digitisation; Earth sciences; Earth, ocean, space; Exact sciences and technology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects. Techniques; Internal geophysics; Laser scanning; Lidar; Retrieval; Teledetection and vegetation maps
• ISSN: 0924-2716; 1872-8235
• DOI: 10.1016/j.isprsjprs.2005.12.001

In this study we use a technique referred to as Gaussian decomposition for processing and calibrating data acquired with a novel small-footprint airborne laser scanner that digitises the complete waveform of the laser pulses scattered back from the Earth's surface. This paper presents the theoretical basis for modelling the waveform as a series of Gaussian pulses. In this way the range, amplitude, and width are provided for each pulse. Using external reference targets it is also possible to calibrate the data. The calibration equation takes into account the range, the amplitude, and pulse width and provides estimates of the backscatter cross-section of each target. The applicability of this technique is demonstrated based on RIEGL LMS-Q560 data acquired over the city of Vienna.