Early results from a high-resolution hybrid terrestrial and bathymetry mapping LiDAR

Over the last two decades airborne terrestrial and bathymetric LiDAR systems have experienced exponential development. However, the design criteria for either terrestrial or bathymetric systems have created a gap where these systems are not operational. This gap is in the interface and overlap of land surface and very shallow water (<; 5 m) bodies such as lakes, lagoons, rivers, intracoastal waterways, and the surf zone. These areas are of high interest for geoscientists and engineers, and mapping this topography at high resolution in a single pass with a single system until now has been unachievable. In this paper we present a new LiDAR system that integrates design characteristics of terrestrial and bathymetric systems which enables the high resolution topographic mapping of land and shallow water bathymetry in a single pass. We will also present early results from test flights of the system under different conditions and outline future work.