Arrow leftBack to Explore

Instrument

CULPIS
CU LIDAR Profilometer and Imaging System

The CU LIDAR Profilometer and Imaging System (CULPIS) is an airborne lidar mapping system developed at the University of Colorado at Boulder. It is designed to map land and sea ice surface topography and elevation from uncrewed aerial systems (UAS). It consists of a lidar system, an inertial measurement unit (IMU), a global positioning system (GPS), and digital cameras. The lidar system within CULPIS operates at the 905 nm wavelength and has a measurement rate of 400 Hz. It has a lidar footprint of 60 cm and an along-track spacing of 7.5 cm at a flight altitude of 200 m above ground level (AGL) and a flight speed of 30 meters per second.

NASA's DC-8 flying laboratory passes Antarctica's tallest peak, Mount Vinson, on Oct. 22, 2012, during a flight over the continent to measure changes in the massive ice sheet and sea ice. Credit: NASA/Michael Studinger (Photography courtesy NASA Images)

Instrument Details

Lidar
Earth Science > Terrestrial Hydrosphere > Glaciers/ice Sheets > Glacier Topography/ice Sheet Topography
Earth Science > Land Surface > Topography > Terrain Elevation
Earth Science > Cryosphere > Glaciers/ice Sheets > Glacier Topography/ice Sheet Topography
Earth Science > Spectral/engineering > Lidar
Earth Science > Oceans > Sea Ice > Sea Ice Elevation
Earth Science > Land Surface > Topography
Earth Science > Cryosphere > Sea Ice > Sea Ice Elevation
Sea/Ocean/Water Surface, Land Surface
400 Hz
60 cm at 200 m AGL
331.3 THz
Currently unavailble
  • Ian Crocker

  • Ian Crocker

  • University of Colorado

  • NASA

  • Overview PublicationExternal Link