Data Analysis of a Two-Lidar Experiment
Abstract
Lidar is a promising method for evaluating the optical and physical density distributions of obscurant clouds with high spatial and temporal resolution. However, single-lidar techniques may not completely penetrate dense obscurant clouds, and optical parameter assumptions necessary for inversion of lidar data can introduce unacceptable uncertainties in evaluated quantities. A two-lidar technique with each lidar observing the same optical path from opposite ends of the path may provide the means to quantitatively evaluate obscurant density parameters without the assumptions needed for analysis of single-lidar measurements. To test the two-lidar technique, SRI International (SRI) operated two van-mounted 1.06-mm wavelength lidar systems at White Sands Missile-Range (WSMR) during the period 6 May 1988 in conjunction with the Characterization, Evaluation, and Comparison of Army Transmissometer Systems (CECATS) program. The two lidars were positioned at opposite ends of a near-common propagation path, and each laser path was terminated by a target with near-uniform reflection properties.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 01, 1990
- Accession Number
- ADA220289
Entities
People
- Edward E. Uthe
- John M. Livingston
Organizations
- SRI International