arrow
Return

Characterizing the System Impulse Response Function From Photon-Counting LiDAR Data

delete2019-09-01
delete9
PRE
AI
A
A. Greeley *
T
T. Neumann
N
N. T. Kurtz
T
T. Markus
A
Anthony J. Martino
DOI:10.1109/TGRS.2019.2907230delete
deleteOriginal
deleteOriginal request for help
deleteShare
deleteSave
Abstract

Abstract

En 中文
NASA's Multiple Altimeter Beam Experimental LiDAR (MABEL) is an aircraft-based photon-counting laser altimeter designed as a simulator to test measurement techniques and algorithms for Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS), the sole instrument on NASA's Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) mission. By measuring the time of flight, pointing angle, and absolute position for individual photons, ICESat-2 provides detailed elevation measurements of earth's surface. Calculating accurate and precise elevations requires an understanding of how photons interact with surfaces, and characterization of the photon distribution after returning from surfaces. Neither MABEL nor ATLAS records the transmitted laser pulse shape, relying instead on aggregating several pulses worth of photons, often using histograms, to characterize the pulse shape. In this paper, we assess the limitations of using histograms and propose a more robust method to describe MABEL's system impulse-response function using an exponentially modified Gaussian distribution. We also provide standard error estimates for the arithmetic mean and standard deviation calculations, and for exponentially modified Gaussian parameters using a Monte Carlo sensitivity analysis. We apply this method to photon returns from a sea ice lead and from a dry salt lake bed as case studies for estimating the standard error associated with sample size for the arithmetic mean and standard deviation, and for the exponentially modified Gaussian parameters. We use these standard errors to calculate the minimum number of photons required to find both Gaussian and exponentially modified Gaussian distribution parameters within 3 cm of their parent population values.
Keywords:
Data processing
Ice
Cloud
and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2)
laser altimetry
Multiple Altimeter Beam Experimental LiDAR (MABEL)
photoncounting
AI Summary

AI Summary

Key information extracted from the uploaded paper, including a brief overview, abstract, background, key highlights, visual analysis, and future outlook.

Journal

IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing cover
IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing
IF:
8.6
Papers:
2.1W
Citations:
10.7W

Organization

University System of Maryland cover
University System of Maryland
Scholars:
6.4W
Papers: 5.6W
Citations: 113