A probabilistic model for simulating the effect of airborne dust on ground-based LIDAR

Field and laboratory measurements of Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) sensor interactions with dust have been performed for two types of common ground-based LIDAR sensors. A strong correlation (R2 > 0.95) between the probability for a return from the dust and the optical depth of the dust was found in the analysis. Based on the experimental correlation, a probabilistic model for LIDAR interactions with dust was developed and verified in field experiments. Finally, the model was integrated into a high-fidelity ray-tracing simulation of LIDAR systems.