Geologic interpretations of remote sensing data through ground truth data collection.
Dr. Catherine Neish’s Radar Remote Sensing Lab at the University of Western Ontario uses high-resolution topography data to ground-truth remote sensing data acquired from aircraft and satellite. This information is used to make inferences about the geology occurring in hard-to-access regions.
The lab’s backpack LiDAR system can be used to quickly acquire cm-scale topography data over large areas. Traditional tripod-mounted LiDAR scanners would require more time to acquire similar data sets, while drone-mounted LiDAR systems typically produce data with lower spatial resolution.
Although our primary research focus is on geologic surfaces, we are open to collaborations in other sectors. Applications up to this point have included scanning of lava flows and impact craters, change detection in actively saltating sand surfaces, scanning of vegetation in urban environments, and morphologic data of stream systems.
Rapid acquisition of high-resolution (cm-scale) topographic data of any solid surface.
- Construction (including building, civil engineering, specialty trades)
- Forestry and forest-based industries
- Mining, minerals and metals
- Professional and technical services (including legal services, architecture, engineering)
- Transportation
Specialized labs and equipment
| Equipment | Function |
|---|---|
| PHOENIX Backpack LiDAR System with KVH P-1775 IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) and Riegl VUX-1HA LiDAR sensor | Provides cm-scale topography data of solid surfaces. |
Private and public sector research partners
- The University of Arizona
- NASA Marshall Space Flight Center