NASA Tool Fills Missing Pieces in Earth’s 3D Maps

WHO:

Phys.org - A team of researchers at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) developed the Concurrent Artificially-intelligent Spectrometry Lidar System (CASALS).

NASA - NASA’s CASALS instrument is designed to use machine learning with an ultra-compact lidar instrument.

WHAT:

Phys.org - CASALS is designed to eliminate blind spots between lines of lidar data on Earth’s surface and help researchers map surface features in detail.

Phys.org - The instrument generates a continuous, 3D swath of the ground below.

NASA - Current space-based laser instruments measure Earth’s forests and terrain one narrow line at a time, leaving enormous gaps between measured lines.

NASA - Those gaps include millions of acres of land that scientists never directly measure.

NASA - CASALS will adaptively “sweep” large swaths of Earth’s surface.

WHY:

Phys.org - CASALS is intended to address gaps between lidar data lines and provide more detailed mapping of Earth’s surface.

HOW:

Phys.org - Unlike systems that mechanically steer a laser with moving mirrors, CASALS steers light using wavelength itself.

NASA - CASALS combines machine learning with an ultra-compact lidar instrument to adaptively sweep the surface.

Phys.org - NASA’s Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO) supported the instrument’s development.

(UPDATED October 21, 2026 20:25 UTC)

NASA researchers at Goddard Space Flight Center have developed a new laser instrument designed to map Earth’s surface without leaving the gaps common in current space-based measurements. Existing systems often scan forests and terrain in narrow lines, missing millions of acres between them. The Concurrent Artificially-intelligent Spectrometry Lidar System, or CASALS, combines machine learning with an ultra-compact lidar to adaptively sweep broad areas. It is designed to produce a continuous, three-dimensional swath of the ground below, helping scientists map surface features in greater detail. Instead of steering its laser with moving mirrors, CASALS directs light by changing its wavelength. That approach could help fill in the blind spots between conventional lidar tracks. NASA’s Earth Science Technology Office supported the instrument’s development.