LIDAR is an array of rotating lasers and detectors that measure the distance to objects in the path of the laser beam. A pulse of laser light reflects off the object and returns to the detector. LIDAR measures the time difference between sending a pulse and returning it. The distance to the object is calculated from this time difference.
The high rotational speed of the matrix combined with the frequency of the pulse laser operation allows to obtain from several thousand to several million points per second. A backpack equipped with LIDAR is able to generate enough points to map the terrain in order to create a situational map. LIDAR enables accurate measurement independent of vegetation, because the detector registers the reflection from the ground, ignoring previous reflections from leaves or small branches.