| Summary: | Airborne Light Detection and Ranging [LiDAR] is a promising tool for obtaining precise information on surface geophysical features over remote areas, able to measure the range between an aircraft and earth surface very accurately [~2cm at 600m flight altitude] in a wide swath along a flight path. This allows detection of low-elevation features like Antarctic pack ice freeboard or small coastal topography changes. For these applications the instrument must be positioned very accurately, using survey-grade Global Positioning System [GPS] receivers and inertial measurement units. Unfortunately, the applications mentioned are often worst-cases for accurate GPS positioning. Over Antarctic pack ice, fixed ground reference stations usually required for precise GPS positioning are absent. Baseline length dependencies are also prevalent, since surveys take place hundreds of kilometres from GPS reference stations which may also be moving [ship-based]. These factors may also apply for LiDAR surveys over remote islands. This project aims to optimize long-range LiDAR surveying using GPS and inertial data processing; metrics derived from LiDAR data; and photogrammetric positioning techniques. The end product of this research will be the means to generate geophysical data products at accuracies approaching that of the LiDAR instrument from long-range aerial surveys.
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