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Lidar

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  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Engineering Geology

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series ((EESS))

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Synonyms

Laser scanning

Definition

Lidar, sometimes written as LiDAR, is a distance measuring technology based on the reflection of pulses from a laser scanner, which is used to create highly detailed digital representations of topographic surfaces. The name originated during the 1960s as a combination of the words light and radar. Two kinds of lidar are commonly used in engineering geology applications: airborne and terrestrial (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1
figure 1

Comparison of leaf-off color orthophoto (0.5 m pixel size) with a bare earth airborne lidar digital elevation model rendering (2 m pixel size) of a landslide prone area along the Ohio River near Cincinnati, USA, illustrating the utility of airborne lidar digital elevation models in forested areas. Data source: Ohio Statewide Imagery Program

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References

  • Abellán A, Oppikofer T, Jaboyedoff M, Rosser NJ, Lim M, Lato MJ (2014) Terrestrial laser scanning of rock slope instabilities. Earth Surf Process Landf 39(1):80–97

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  • Haneberg WC, Cole WF, Kasali G (2009) High-resolution lidar-based landslide hazard mapping and modeling, UCSF Parnassus campus, San Francisco, USA. Bull Eng Geol Environ 68(2):263–276

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  • Jaboyedoff M, Oppikofer T, Abellán A, Derron MH, Loye A, Metzger R, Pedrazzini A (2012) Use of LIDAR in landslide investigations: a review. Nat Hazards 61(1):5–28

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  • Lan H, Martin CD, Zhou C, Lim CH (2010) Rockfall hazard analysis using LiDAR and spatial modeling. Geomorphology 118(1):213–223

    Article  Google Scholar 

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Kentucky Geological Survey, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA

    William C. Haneberg

Authors
  1. William C. Haneberg
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to William C. Haneberg .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Kanata, Ontario, Canada

    Peter T. Bobrowsky

  2. London, United Kingdom

    Brian Marker

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Haneberg, W.C. (2018). Lidar. In: Bobrowsky, P., Marker, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Engineering Geology. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-12127-7_187-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-12127-7_187-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-12127-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-12127-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Earth and Environm. ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Earth and Environmental Sciences

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