Page 32: of Marine Technology Magazine (July 2021)

LIDAR

LIDAR

Helps to

Illuminate the Future of Oceans

Fugro

By Celia Konowe he statement that 80% of our world’s oceans re- the former and a water-penetrating green laser for the latter. main unexplored is well known—and possibly, Lidar data enables countless applications, including examin- overstated. Observance of United Nations World ing natural and manmade environments, transportation routes,

Oceans Day on June 8 underscored the determi- and maintenance inspection. In the marine world, lidar has

Tnation to better understand and protect our wa- gained a reputation for increasing our exploratory efforts and, ters. While limitations in the ocean still inhibit the same level more recently, for examining the coastal ecosystems, commu- of progress that we’ve achieved on Earth’s terrestrial surface, nities, and structures that grow increasingly sensitive to cli- some of the same technology is playing a role in the game of mate change and intensifying weather patterns.

marine catch-up.

Lidar, which stands for “light detection and ranging,” uti- Lasers: A Shore way to Protect the Coast lizes laser light to measure distances on Earth and produce 3D Velodyne Lidar, a lidar solutions company based in Califor- models of the surveyed area. The technology is either topo- nia, has recently partnered with Seabed B.V., a technical so- graphic or bathymetric, employing a near-infrared laser for lutions group from the Netherlands, to help complete a lidar 32 July/August 2021

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