Active spectral imaging and mapping

Active imaging and mapping using lasers as illumination sources have been of increasing interest during the last decades. Applications range from defense and security, remote sensing, medicine, robotics, and others. So far, these laser systems have mostly been based on a fix wavelength laser. Recent advances in lasers enable emission of tunable, multiline, or broadband emission, which together with the development of array detectors will extend the capabilities of active imaging and mapping. This paper will review some of the recent work on active imaging mainly for defense and security and remote sensing applications. A short survey of basic lidar relations and present fix wavelength laser systems is followed by a review of the benefits of adding the spectral dimension to active and/or passive electro-optical systems.