GEDI, or Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI), was successfully launched to the International Space Station (ISS) on-board a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on December 5, 2018 and is now in its commissioning phase.
GEDI is a full-waveform lidar instrument that will produce detailed observations of the 3D structure of the Earth’s surface. GEDI will precisely measure forest canopy height, canopy vertical structure, and surface elevation which will enhance our understanding of global carbon and water cycle processes, biodiversity, and habitat. GEDI is the first of its kind to provide high resolution laser ranging observations optimized for lidar measurements of the Earth’s forests and topography at the highest resolution and densest sampling of any other lidar instrument in orbit.
GEDI is scheduled for a two-year mission and data will be archived and distributed by the LP DAAC in the future. For more background information about GEDI, visit https://gedi.umd.edu.
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Please contact LP DAAC User Services (lpdaac@usgs.gov) with any questions.