WASHINGTON, Feb. 4, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The International Lidar Mapping Forum (ILMF) has announced that Dr. Michael Zanetti, Planetary Scientist at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, will give a keynote presentation titled Bringing Light (Detection and Ranging) into Shadow: The Role of Lidar in Exploring the Moon. This keynote is the second of several available to attendees of both ILMF and the co-located ASPRS Annual Conference, taking place March 23 – 25, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC.

Dr. Michael Zanetti, a lunar and planetary geologist, will discuss NASA's Artemis program, which aims to land the first woman and next man on the Moon by 2024, as well as their goal to have sustainable lunar exploration by 2028 in preparation for future Mars missions. The target is the Moon's South Pole, an area of strategic importance that presents significant benefits and challenges, both related to persistent sunlight and shadows. Dr. Zanetti will introduce the Artemis program and examine the role for lidar in reconnaissance, landing hazard avoidance, and terrain navigation and mapping in aiding exploration of the Moon and Mars. A full description of the keynote can be found here.

"We are honored to have Dr. Zanetti, a researcher leading the way in the development of lidar's use in planetary exploration, speak at ILMF this year," said Lisa Murray, Group Director at Diversified Communications. "It will be fascinating to learn about the future of this technology in helping us understand and map the Moon's South Pole."

Dr. Zanetti specializes in Comparative Planetology, using field investigations on Earth as analogs to better understand geologic processes and features seen in remote-sensing data from the Moon and Mars. He is currently the project manager and principal investigator for the Kinematic Navigation and Cartography Knapsack (KNaCK) lidar system, a mobile Doppler lidar terrain mapping and navigation technology development project funded by NASA's Science and Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) Early Career Initiative (ECI).

"We're thrilled to add Mike as a keynote speaker for ILMF," added Bill Emison, Conference Chair at Diversified Communications. "I'm looking forward to hearing about his research work using lidar for NASA's planned 2024 trip to the Moon, which presents many difficult challenges."

Registration for the 20th edition of ILMF, taking place with the ASPRS Annual Conference and the MAPPS Federal Programs Conference, as part of Geo Week 2020, is now open. Event organizers recommend registering early for the best price and to avoid lines onsite. To register, please visit: https://xpressreg.com/register/ilmf0320/landing.asp?sc=208910

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About International Lidar Mapping Forum

International Lidar Mapping Forum (ILMF) is a technical conference & exhibition focused on airborne, terrestrial, and underwater lidar as well as emerging remote-sensing and data collection tools and technology used for applications including Asset Management, Civil Infrastructure, Coastal Zone Mapping, Emergency Services & Disaster Response, Land and Natural Resource Management, and Urban Modeling.

ILMF is part of a network of events and media for the global geospatial market organized by Diversified Communications, a leading organizer of conferences, trade shows, and online media with 15 years in the geospatial arena, including Commercial UAV Expo Americas, Commercial UAV Europe, Commercial UAV News, International Lidar Mapping Forum, SPAR 3D Expo & Conference, SPAR3D.com, AEC Next Technology Expo + Conference and AEC Next News. For more information, visit International Lidar Mapping Forum (ILMF).

About Geo Week
Geo Week is a multi-event collaboration including participation from International Lidar Mapping Forum, ASPRS Annual Conference, and MAPPS Federal Programs Conference to accomplish a year of geospatial business in just one week.

Each of the three events will retain the distinct educational programs their respective attendees have come to rely upon for industry news and information as well as career development. Various conference pass options are available to allow attendees to take part in any or all programming and activities. For more information regarding Geo Week, please visit geo-week.com.

About Diversified Communications

Diversified Communications is a leading international media company with a portfolio of face-to-face exhibitions and conferences, online communities and digital and print publications. As producers of these market-leading products Diversified Communications connects, educates and strengthens business communities in over 14 industries including food and beverage, healthcare, natural and organic, business management and technology. Established in 1949 and headquartered in Portland, Maine, USA with divisions and offices around the world, Diversified Communications remains a privately held, third generation, family-owned business. For more information, visit http://www.divcom.com.

Contact:
Jason Lavigne, Diversified Communications
Email Contact | 207-842-5494

SOURCE International Lidar Mapping Forum