About this ebook
LiDAR: Principles, Systems and Applications provides a comprehensive and practical introduction to Light Detection and Ranging, taking the reader from the fundamental principles of laser ranging through to advanced applications in intelligent sensing, autonomous systems and digital twins.
Beginning with laser and ranging fundamentals, the book explains how LiDAR systems generate three-dimensional measurements and how scanners, GNSS, inertial measurement units and other components work together to produce accurately positioned point clouds. It then follows the complete LiDAR workflow through survey platforms and data acquisition, point-cloud processing, registration, filtering and classification, terrain and surface modelling, visualisation and quality assessment.
Practical applications demonstrate how LiDAR is used across surveying, engineering, construction, roads and railways, infrastructure, mining, industrial facilities, forestry, hydrology, coastal environments, archaeology and natural-hazard assessment. Dedicated coverage of mobile robotics and autonomous systems introduces SLAM, object detection and tracking, sensor fusion, navigation and real-time processing.
The book also examines the issues that determine whether LiDAR information can be trusted, including accuracy, measurement uncertainty, calibration, quality assurance and quality control, laser safety, operational risk, standards and data governance. Emerging technologies, including solid-state and MEMS LiDAR, optical phased arrays, photon counting, waveform and multispectral sensing, artificial intelligence, edge computing and dynamic digital twins, provide a view of where the technology is heading.
A practical multi-sensor implementation project brings these concepts together by integrating LiDAR, cameras, radar, GNSS, IMUs and ultrasonic sensors with ROS 2, PDAL and CloudCompare, demonstrating the progression from sensor acquisition to processing, environmental perception and operational decision-making.
Written for students, surveyors, engineers, technicians, educators and professionals working with spatial and autonomous technologies, this book connects measurement principles with real-world implementation.
From laser ranging and point clouds to autonomous systems and digital twins, this book provides a practical foundation for understanding both what LiDAR measures and how those measurements can be transformed into meaningful information about the physical world.
