Modeling lidar returns from forest canopies

Remote sensing techniques that utilize light detection and ranging (lidar) provide unique data on canopy geometry and subcanopy topography. This type of information will lead to improved understanding of important structures and processes of Earth's vegetation cover. To understand the relation...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:IEEE transactions on geoscience and remote sensing 2000-11, Vol.38 (6), p.2617-2626
Main Authors: Sun, G., Ranson, K.J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Applied geophysics
Atmospheric modeling
Biological and medical sciences
Canopies
Computer simulation
Earth sciences
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
Forests
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
General aspects. Techniques
Geometry
Growth models
Internal geophysics
Laser radar
Lidar
Ray tracing
Remote sensing
Shape measurement
Stands
Sun
Supports
Surface emitting lasers
Surface topography
Teledetection and vegetation maps
Vegetation
Vegetation mapping
Waveforms
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Summary:Remote sensing techniques that utilize light detection and ranging (lidar) provide unique data on canopy geometry and subcanopy topography. This type of information will lead to improved understanding of important structures and processes of Earth's vegetation cover. To understand the relation between canopy structure and the lidar return waveform, a three-dimensional (3D) model was developed and implemented. Detailed field measurements and forest growth model simulations of forest stands were used to parameterize this vegetation lidar waveform model. In the model, the crown shape of trees determines the vertical distribution of plant material and the corresponding lidar waveforms. Preliminary comparisons of averaged waveforms from an airborne lidar and model simulations shows that the shape of the measured waveform was more similar to simulations using an ellipsoid or hemi-ellipsoid shape. The observed slower decay of the airborne lidar waveforms than the simulated waveforms may indicate the existence of the understories and may also suggest that higher order scattering from the upper canopy may contribute to the lidar signals. The lidar waveforms from stands simulated from a forest growth model show the dependence of the waveform on stand structure.
ISSN:0196-2892
1558-0644
DOI:10.1109/36.885208