Monitoring Critical Infrastructure Using 3D LiDAR Point Clouds

Monitoring critical infrastructure is of great importance for resilience against current and emerging hazards. In Canada, at the national level, critical infrastructure is strategically classified into the following 10 sectors: energy and utilities, finance, food, transportation, government, information and communication technology, health, water, safety, and manufacturing. Many of these critical infrastructures may be effectively monitored using emerging technologies such as light detection and ranging (LiDAR). LiDAR technology enables active remote sensing from airborne and terrestrial systems. Accordingly, LiDAR can be used in a wide range of applications related to the monitoring of critical infrastructure to promote resilience. This survey provides a comprehensive, and structured literature overview of LiDAR technology currently available for commercial and research use, and also provides a detailed review of the relevant applications of LiDAR for critical infrastructure monitoring. Several LiDAR-based applications in areas of critical infrastructure such as terrestrial and air transportation, gas, oil, and water pipelines, energy generation and distribution, and security are discussed. A summary of the LiDAR data sets that are currently available for use is also presented.