Topographic Change Detection using Full-waveform Imaging Lidar

The capability of wide-footprint (i.e. 10 m or greater), full-waveform laser altimeters to penetrate beneath dense vegetation to directly measure the sub-canopy topography provides us with a unique capability for sensing topographic change in the presence of vegetation. We evaluate the feasibility of using a geolocated laser altimeter return waveform instead of individual elevation measurements to measure vertical elevation change within a laser footprint. The method, dubbed the return pulse correlation method, maximizes the shape similarity of near-coincident, vertically-geolocated laser return waveforms from two observation epochs as they are vertically-shifted relative to each other. First, we evaluate the inherent accuracy of the pulse correlation method using models and simulations under "bare-Earth" conditions. We then analyze the effects of vegetation and vegetation growth on the change detection capability. The use of this method, combined with order of magnitude improvements to laser altimeter swath widths (from 1 km to 10 km) and the potential for a future spaceborne imaging lidar, may provide sub-centimeter level relative change detection beneath vegetation to complement IFSAR's ability to make similar measurements in low or vegetation-free conditions.