KAGAKU SCIENTIFIC

LiDAR & RaDAR

Light Detection and Ranging & Radio Detection and Ranging are scientific tools  that use the electromagnetic spectrum, typically microwave and infrared light. However we are not limited to just these energy bands and any frequency that can bounce or create an echo can be used to produce an image of something. Lets look at the 10MHz frequency band for example, which is popular for long distance amature radio communication. Surprisingly, this is nearly the same frequency used for ultrasound imaging. So when we increase the frequency from megahertz to terahertz with a wavelength around 1000nm we are now using infrared light instead of radio, and this is how we make LiDAR images. 

LiDAR is used to measure area and volume of terrain and structures for AEC (architecture, engineering and construction) applications. It can also be overlaid with photographs to create digital twin 3D fly throughs, or impressive 3D views that can be rotated around the screen and measurements taken from any point.

RaDAR used for imaging is known as SAR (synthetic aperture radar) and uses a range of frequencies much lower that LiDAR. Using pulsed frequencies between 3MHz and 300 GHz it is able to penetrate through cloud, smoke, dust and haze either day or night. This is used for broad-area imaging at high resolutions like environmental monitoring, earth-resource mapping, and military systems.