Recently, several ancient civilizations' structures have been discovered using LiDAR, showing the added value of novel LiDAR mapping techniques for historical, archeological, and anthropological research. Among those discoveries are ancient Roman roads located in northern England and huge Mayan cities hidden beneath the dense jungles of northern Guatemala.
The discoveries in the jungles of Central America that were made possible through novel LiDAR 3D terrain mapping tools revealed a huge number of Mayan structures buried deep beneath the jungle of Guatemala's Peten region. In addition to hundreds of previously unknown structures, the LiDAR images show raised highways connecting urban centers and quarries. Complex irrigation and terracing systems supported intensive agriculture capable of feeding masses of workers who dramatically reshaped the landscape. This discovery suggests that this 1200-year-old civilization was more advanced than previously imagined and was comparable to sophisticated cultures such as those in ancient Greece or China.
LiDAR is a rapidly growing technology that continues to advance in terms of power, accuracy, and speed. Such advancements should result in new application spaces for LiDAR technology. For example, reducing the cost-per-point through higher effective pulse rates is the best way to address large-area, high-point-density projects in the future. Most recent developments in LiDAR technology aim at increasing the pulse repetition rate either for a single scanner or by operating two scanners simultaneously. MKS Spectra-Physics lasers currently offer state-of-the-art performance with up to 2 MHz pulse repetition rates, while next generation LiDAR will require even higher repetition rate capabilities.
In addition to higher repetition rates, LiDAR applications will require higher power lasers while maintaining near-diffraction-limited beam quality to achieve higher altitudes and acquisition rates. Furthermore, shorter pulse durations (~1 ns) will be necessary to achieve higher precision. Together with improvements in pulsed fiber lasers, airborne LiDAR will continue to show remarkable advancements resulting in positive changes for various industries, such as increased efficiency in resource management, more effective infrastructure planning, and better preparation for natural disasters.