Product Chain Analysis of Three-Dimensional Imaging Laser Radar Systems employing Geiger-mode Avalanche Photodiodes

Image chain analysis is a systems engineering tool which allows imaging system designers to understand how different components of the imaging chain affect the quality and derivable information of generated data products. In this paper, we apply image chain analysis techniques to formulate a product chain for airborne three-dimensional (3D) imaging laser radar systems that employ arrays of Geiger-mode avalanche photodiode detectors. The processes involved in 3D data generation and subsequent information extraction are described. These processes are grouped into five groups (Data Capture, Raw Point Cloud Formation, Noise Filtering, Advanced Post-Processing and Data Analysis) to form the proposed product chain. For each group, key parameters that affect 3D data quality are identified along with synthetic data examples of their respective impact to 3D data quality and information extraction. In addition, we discuss on-going and future work intended to continue our understanding o3 3D data quality and interpretability.