Review: optimizing LiDAR technology for enhanced 3D remote sensing

Remote sensing is a very promising technology and technique for gathering data about whatever is under consideration. It has become indispensable for various applications like physical geography, bathymetry, forestry, archeology, agriculture, and autonomous vehicles. This technology uses diversified instruments, sensors, and imaging devices to accomplish its goal. There are different types of remote sensing, in which our focus is active remote sensing. Active remote sensing involves the emission of pulses and the capturing of their returns. One of the state-of-the-art technology used for such types of sensing is LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging). LiDAR technology is a key player in measuring distances and creating a 3D illustration. In the past, multiple works have been published on LiDAR for various applications to get a large field of view, smaller spot size, and high spatial resolution. The focus of this review paper is to describe the development of a LiDAR system through cutting-edge simulation tools, such as Zemax. To cope with the exclusive demands of remote sensing, the tools provide us the opportunity to refine the LiDAR designs and enhance the methods of data collection, accuracy, speed, and spatial resolution. The internal components like scanners, detectors, and sources can also be optimized for better performance. The outcome of this review work is to help researchers enhance the LiDAR performance for a range of applications in remote sensing, specifically in the fields that require precise and high 3D resolution for monitoring and decision-making.