Simulation and visualization of echo signals from forest for iLOVE

Takahiro Endo; Takashi Kobayashi; Yohei Satoh; Yoshito Sawada; Nobuo Sugimoto; Kohei Mizutani; Haruo Sawada; Kazuhiro Asai

doi:10.1117/12.981582

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19 November 2012 Simulation and visualization of echo signals from forest for iLOVE

Takahiro Endo, Takashi Kobayashi, Yohei Satoh, Yoshito Sawada, Nobuo Sugimoto, Kohei Mizutani, Haruo Sawada, Kazuhiro Asai

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Proceedings Volume 8526, Lidar Remote Sensing for Environmental Monitoring XIII; 85260L (2012) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.981582
Event: SPIE Asia-Pacific Remote Sensing, 2012, Kyoto, Japan

Abstract

This paper describes the method and process of developing a forest echo signal simulator to be applied in “iLOVE” : Issjem LiDAR Observation of Vegetation Environment. The goal of this study was to develop an echo signal simulation model and to visualize the generation process of echo signals. The simulator consists of four components: 1) terrain and features, 2) sensor configuration, 3) echo signal generation and 4) visualization. Terrain and feature data were defined to be full polygon object in 3D space. A laser beam refers to numerous sub laser beams, with each sub laser beam featuring specific intensity based on TEM₀₀. The time-series intensity change of sub laser beams was based on Gaussian distribution. At the start of the echo signal generating process, intersections between sub laser beams and target objects were calculated. Then, echo signal of sub laser beams was calculated from the position of intersections, pulse width and specific reflectance of target objects. Finally, an echo signal suitable for footprint size was calculated by synthesizing echo signals of sub laser beams. Meanwhile, intersections were drawn in 3D on the surface of target objects. The results indicated that the simulator was highly useful for understanding the relationship between the echo signal and the structure of target objects, and also for developing algorism for forest applications.

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Takahiro Endo, Takashi Kobayashi, Yohei Satoh, Yoshito Sawada, Nobuo Sugimoto, Kohei Mizutani, Haruo Sawada, and Kazuhiro Asai "Simulation and visualization of echo signals from forest for iLOVE", Proc. SPIE 8526, Lidar Remote Sensing for Environmental Monitoring XIII, 85260L (19 November 2012); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.981582

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