PHOTOGRAMMETRIC ENGINEERING & REMOTE SENSING
May 2016
311
efficient and smart filtering algorithm is paramount to
the success of Geiger mode and single photon lidar data
acquisition. The results from the right filtering algorithms
were evident when the data from either Geiger mode
or single photon lidar was evaluated during the U.S.
Geological Survey (USGS) evaluation project.
Geiger mode and single photon lidar are in their infancy,
and great development is expected in the coming years.
A Star is Born
The two events that marked the new era in the aerial
lidar technology (or the birth of the Geiger mode and
single photon lidar) were the highlighting of the new lidar
technology during the ILMF2016 Conference and the
announcement by Hexagon for acquiring Sigma Space, the
primary manufacturer of single photon systems.
Figure 4. Sample point clouds from single photon lidar with density of 30 pts./m2 , size: about 260m x 145m (courtesy of Sigma Space Co.).
During ILMF2016, Geiger mode and single photon lidar
systems were presented as not just conceptual designs but
productive systems with giant capabilities. During the
conference, the USGS briefed attendees on the results of
evaluating both technologies and their suitability for the
3D Elevation Program (3DEP). Through the four sessions
that focused on the manufacturers’ and users’ perspectives
of the Geiger mode and the single photon lidar, attendees
walked away with a better understanding of the new
lidar technology and capabilities. They understood this
technology is real and here to stay and it is not replacing
the current linear lidar but to complement it and coexist
with it to make us more efficient and capable.
The New Lidar: Threats or
Opportunities?
Both linear and new lidar technologies have strengths and
weaknesses, and having an option is a win-win situation
for users. It only will get better since one of the main
lidar manufacturers, Hexagon, has embraced the new
technology. By acquiring a major manufacturer of the single
photon lidar, Hexagon must be planning to manufacture
single photon systems to complement the firm’s current
offering of linear lidar. The market needed such a move, as
it will accelerate the adoption of the new lidar technology
“This technology is real and here to
stay and it is not replacing the current
linear lidar but to complement it
and coexist with it to make us more
efficient and capable.”
