LiDARsäde

LiDARsäde refers to the emitted laser beam of a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) system. In Nordic-language usage, säde means beam, and LiDARsäde denotes the radiation component that leaves the sensor to illuminate a scene. The properties of the LiDARsäde—such as wavelength, pulse duration, energy, and beam divergence—influence how the environment is illuminated and how returns are measured.

Technically, LiDARsäde is typically produced in wavelengths around 905 nanometers or 1550 nanometers. 905 nm systems are compact and can deliver high data rates at shorter ranges, while 1550 nm systems offer greater eye safety for higher power and longer ranges at the cost of more specialized optics. The beam’s divergence determines the footprint on the target and affects spatial resolution; narrower divergence yields finer detail at distance. Pulse duration and repetition rate govern range resolution and point density, with modern systems capable of collecting tens to hundreds of thousands of points per second. Eye-safety classifications and environmental conditions, such as atmospheric scattering, influence practical performance.

In operation, the LiDARsäde is steered across a scene by scanners or rotating prisms, producing a three-dimensional point cloud from the time-of-flight or phase-shift measurements of returning light. The resulting data are commonly processed into georeferenced datasets and stored in standard formats (for example LAS/LAZ). LiDARsäde characteristics thus determine the accuracy, resolution, and range of the sensing task, impacting applications from topographic mapping to autonomous navigation.