Method and system for swath width normalization during airborne collection of terrain data

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to terrain mapping, and more particularly to a method and system for maintaining a normalized view of a terrain during an airborne data collection process. Embodiments include an intelligent sensing methodology that, on a near-real time basis, continually monitors the geometry and instantaneous height of the immediate region (voxel) under collection by an airborne sensor, thus maintaining complete, continual situational awareness of the topography under investigation. In this manner, swath asymmetries and occlusions resulting from pronounced elevation peaks can be fully assessed, quantified, and remedied at the terminus of and/or during each scan. In some embodiments, this is done by adjusting the platform's collection system scan parameters (e.g. by adjusting a scan angle for the affected direction) on a scan-by-scan basis to eliminate such asymmetries and occlusions from each collection swath.