Advancements in Airborne Shallow Water Topo-Bathymetric Lidar in Riverine Environments

Over the past three years, airborne topo-bathymetric LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensors designed to measure topography in shallow-water environments have entered the commercial markets.  These sensors have the potential to provide a more complete understanding of river channel morphology, benthic habitat, and riparian condition at high spatial resolution.  Quantum Spatial, Inc. (formerly Watershed Sciences, Inc.) has deployed this technology on a number of rivers in the Western United States and on over 10,000 miles of the Atlantic Coastline.   We will present the results and lessons learned from our utilization of topo-bathymetric LiDAR and the advancements we can expect in future deployment of this technology in a riverine environment.