Rigorous 3D error analysis of kinematic scanning LIDAR systems

Abstract

To date, LIDAR sensors have been primarily airborne, and utilized as a fast and efficient means of collecting topographic information. As a result, in research studies and in most commercial work the accuracy of the LIDAR information is primarily obtained by examining the vertical component of LIDAR error only. However, more and more end users are using LIDAR intensity to produce planimetric feature maps, and there are also emerging ground based kinematic laser scanning systems which are mounted on a van or truck platform. For both of these uses, the traditional vertical only error analysis of the LIDAR system is inadequate when defining the overall expected accuracy of the end-product received from the system. Therefore, in order to quantify the overall 3D expected accuracy of LIDAR systems (both land and air based) a rigorous 1^st order error analysis of the LIDAR georeferencing equations are undertaken. Typical error parameters are then placed into the error analysis to generate expected horizontal and vertical system accuracies for different LIDAR system configurations. Finally, the results obtained from the theoretical error analysis are independently verified using real world LIDAR data.