What advantage does LIDAR have over traditional radar systems?

LIDAR has a significant advantage over traditional radar systems in terms of higher resolution. This is primarily due to the wavelength of the light used in LIDAR, which is much shorter than the electromagnetic waves used in radar. The shorter wavelength allows LIDAR systems to detect smaller objects and distinguish finer details. Consequently, LIDAR can create high-definition maps and models with precise measurements, which is particularly beneficial in applications such as autonomous vehicles, topographic mapping, and environmental monitoring.

This high resolution enables better accuracy in applications where detail is crucial, allowing for improved functionality in tasks like identifying individual trees in a forest or detecting the fine structures in urban environments. Traditional radar, while effective for broader detection tasks, cannot match the level of detail that LIDAR provides due to its longer wavelengths.