NASA’s CASALS Instrument Bridges Gaps in 3D Maps of Earth’s Surface

From orbit, today’s space-based laser instruments measure Earth’s forests and terrain one narrow line at a time. Between those lines are enormous gaps that include millions of acres of land scientists never directly measure. NASA’s CASALS instrument will blend machine learning with an ultra-compact lidar instrument to adaptively ‘sweep’ large swaths of Earth’s surface.

NASA’s CASALS Instrument Bridges Gaps in 3D Maps of Earth’s Surface. This new capability for space-based remote sensors allows CASALS to create truly three-dimensional (3D) topographical renderings. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Video from a CASALS flight over the Great Cypress Swamp in Delaware on Nov.

12, 2024, showing tree canopy tops in green, the ground in purple, and near-ground vegetation in blue. Built with support from NASA’s Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO), the Concurrent Artificially-intelligent Spectrometry Lidar System (CASALS) could help researchers map the features of Earth’s surface with record-setting detail. Rather than mechanically steering a laser with moving mirrors, CASALS steers light using wavelength itself, generating a continuous, 3D swath of the ground below.

John Yorks, a physical research scientist at GSFC and Principal Investigator for CASALS, explained that the instrument features a novel transmitter and optical grating system that manipulates laser pulses without heavy, failure-prone motorized mirrors.