Looking at the world in 3-D

摘要

Lidar—accurate, three-dimen-sional_and georeferenced laser surveying—is not just for mapping any more. That's because people from different walks of life are finally beginning to appreciate the benefits of viewing the world in three dimensions. Archeologists were among the first to see the "lidar light" in science: rather than going in blind and disturbing a site with potentially priceless ancient structures and artifacts, they are using LIDAR data to model their locations before the digging begins. While they were early adopters, scientists were not the first to discover the full potential of LIDAR for virtual representation of terrain. Three-dimensional surface models have been used by the military for advance terrain reconnaissance for a very long time, and new applications are proving equally valuable in homeland security. For critical infrastructure security in particular, lidar can provide significantly improved coverage and scope of existing security measures.