Matthew Hospodar is a geologist and avid gold prospector currently residing in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He is currently working on obtaining his professional geologist license. Matt became interested in gold prospecting in 2014 when he was living in Virginia and learned that there was gold in that state. It wasn’t long before his little hobby turned into a a larger part of his overall life. Within a year of beginning his journey into prospecting, he bought a 4-inch proline dredge, learned how to build dredges and other types of prospecting equipment. The same year he heard of the gold, he found his first gold nugget. After conducting lots of research and gaining permission for a number of private properties, he located a section of creek that produced almost 16 oz of coarse crystalline gold in 2015.
About LIDAR
Lidar, which stands for Light Detection and Ranging, is a remote sensing method that uses light in the form of a pulsed laser to measure ranges (variable distances) to the Earth. These light pulses—combined with other data recorded by the airborne system — generate precise, three-dimensional information about the shape of the Earth and its surface characteristics.
A lidar instrument principally consists of a laser, a scanner, and a specialized GPS receiver. Airplanes and helicopters are the most commonly used platforms for acquiring lidar data over broad areas. Two types of lidar are topographic and bathymetric. Topographic lidar typically uses a near-infrared laser to map the land, while bathymetric lidar uses water-penetrating green light to also measure seafloor and riverbed elevations.
Lidar systems allow scientists and mapping professionals to examine both natural and manmade environments with accuracy, precision, and flexibility. NOAA scientists are using lidar to produce more accurate shoreline maps, make digital elevation models for use in geographic information systems, to assist in emergency response operations, and in many other applications. https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/lidar.html