Aiding in a University of Maryland (College Park, MD) project,
researchers at NASAâ??s Goddard Space Flight Center (Greenbelt, MD) have
tapped their Laser Vegetation Imaging Sensor (LVIS) to map out what
might be remaining habitats of the ivory-billed woodpecker, assessed as
extinct in 1994 but possibly sighted in 2004. The instrument uses
lasers that send pulses of energy down toward the ground. Light from
the lasers bounce off leaves, branches, and the ground and reflect back
to the instrument. By analyzing these returned signals, scientists can
measure the height of the forest's leaf-covered tree tops, the ground
level below, and everything in between.

Data garnered from the LVIS result in 3D maps of the forest canopy that
can help narrow habitat possibilities for ground teams in their search
for the bird. The sensor sweep, done from an airplane, took place over
the lower Mississippi basin along the Cache River in Arkansas.