New Generation of the Carnegie Airborne Observatory Launched

Friday, June 10, 2011

Launching the next generation Carnegie Airborne Observatory

Thursday, June 2, 2011 —Greg Asner and his team unveiled the latest version of the Carnegie Airborne Observatory (CAO-II), an aircraft that combines laser and spectrometer remote sensing technologies, along with high-tech inertial motion sensors to track the aircraft’s position and orientation to exacting tolerances. The CAO has provided high-resolution mapping of the 3-dimensional structure of vegetation and the terrain below. The new CAO-II showcases the next generation Airborne Taxonomic Mapping System (AToMS) that will provide higher resolution laser and spectroscopic information extending from the visible through the shortwave-infrared region of the spectrum. The dramatic increase in measurement capability provided by AToMS will provide a major leap forward for CAO science in support of Earth science and exploration, biological conservation, and resource policy development. more »