The Slope Imaging Multi-polarization Photon-counting

• Main Authors: David Harding, Philip Dabney, James Abshire, Tim Huss, Gabriel Jodor, Roman Machan, Joe Marzouk, Kurt Rush, Antonios Seas, Christopher Shuman, Xiaoli Sun, Susan Valett, Aleksey Vasilyev, Anthony Yu, Yunhui Zheng
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ice Sheet; Sea ice
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.472.6443; http://esto.nasa.gov/conferences/estf2010/papers/Harding_David_ESTF2010.pdf

Abstract- The Slope Imaging Multi-polarization Photon-counting Lidar (SIMPL) is an airborne instrument developed to demonstrate laser altimetry measurement methods and components that enable efficient, high-resolution, swath mapping of topography and surface properties from space. The instrument was developed through the NASA Earth Science Technology Office Instrument Incubator Program with a focus on cryopshere remote sensing. The SIMPL transmitter is an 11 KHz, 1064 nm, plane-polarized micropulse laser transmitter that is frequency doubled to 532 nm and split into four push-broom beams. The receiver employs single-photon, polarimetric ranging at 532 and 1064 nm using Single Photon Counting Modules in order to achieve simultaneous sampling of surface elevation, slope, roughness and depolarizing scattering properties, the latter used to differentiate surface types. Data acquired over ice-covered Lake Erie in February, 2009 are used to documenting SIMPL’s measurement performance and capabilities, demonstrating differentiation of open water and several ice types. The NASA ICESat-2 mission scheduled for launch in 2015 has a focus on monitoring ice sheet elevation change and sea ice thickness. ICESat-2 will employ several of the technologies advanced by SIMPL, including micropulse, single photon ranging in a multi-beam, push-broom configuration operating at 532 nm.