Keynote: Changes in Mapping Lidar Over the Past 20 Years

This is not meant to be an exhaustive review of all the changes and advancements in lidar for the past 20 years, but rather some observations of a user of lidar technology. Lidar sensors in the early days were either set to first or last returns, then eventually allowed both first and last returns to be captured. Terrestrial lidar evolved into mobile mapping systems where advanced navigation systems allows data to be collected with direct georeferencing, thus improving the collection efficiency dramatically. The latest SLAM (Simultaneous Location and Mapping) has allowed lidar on drones to be used in GPS denied environments like mines and tunnels. Given the rapid evolution and innovations in this space, the future is bright and exciting for lidar moving forward.