Abstract
Satellite laser altimetry can obtain sub-meter or even centimeter-scale surface elevation data over large areas, but it is inevitably affected by scattering caused by clouds, aerosols, and other atmospheric particles. This laser ranging error caused by scattering cannot be ignored. In this study, we systematically combined existing atmospheric scattering identification technology used in satellite laser altimetry and observed that the traditional algorithm cannot effectively estimate the laser multiple scattering of the GaoFen-7 (GF-7) satellite. To solve this problem, we used data from the GF-7 satellite to analyze the importance of atmospheric scattering and propose an identification scheme for atmospheric scattering data over land and water areas. We also used a look-up table and a multi-layer perceptron (MLP) model to identify and correct atmospheric scattering, for which the availability of land and water data reached 16.67% and 26.09%, respectively. After correction using the MLP model, the availability of land and water data increased to 21% and 30%, respectively. These corrections mitigated the low identification accuracy due to atmospheric scattering, which is significant for facilitating satellite laser altimetry data processing.
Highlights
Satellite laser altimetry, a subclass of spaceborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), has developed into a novel Earth observation technology
The GF-7 satellite was successfully launched on 3 November 2019, and the first orbital laser data were obtained on 5 November 2019
Centimeter-scale elevation data can be obtained using satellite laser altimetry, and the forward scattering effect caused by single/multiple atmospheric scattering leads to deviations in altimetry that cannot be ignored
Summary
A subclass of spaceborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), has developed into a novel Earth observation technology. Brenner et al [21] compared radar altimetry data from the Envisat and GLAS systems and observed that atmospheric multiple scattering effects comprise an important factor that affects laser ranging accuracy. Based on a semi-analytical Monte Carlo simulation, Chen et al [22] investigated the influence of cloud multiple scattering on the accuracy of laser height measurements under specific conditions. It is necessary to correct height measurement deviations using real-time atmospheric observation parameters and the semi-analytical Monte Carlo method to improve the ranging values. The 3-D Monte Carlo simulations based on ATLAS parameters conducted by Yang et al [26] indicated that clouds with a COD of 1 will cause height deviations of 4–6 cm [27]. We proposed an atmospheric scattering error correction scheme according to the characteristics of the data, providing new ideas for subsequent technical developments related to laser altimetry satellites
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
