Celebrating Global Lidar Day: Revolutionizing Remote Sensing Technology Worldwide

Inaugural World Lidar Day was celebrated on February 12, marking an annual celebration of the expanding world enabled by Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR). Lidar is a remote sensing technology that uses pulsed lasers to determine the distance to an object. Lidar data can be collected via air, land, and sea vessels, and the capability is now available on some smartphones. The founding members of World Lidar Day include various public and private organizations such as the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Geodetic Survey, and the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing.