To make these data spatially relevant, the positions of the data points must be known. After the flight, the data are downloaded and processed using specially designed computer software. Flights are planned to maximize the number of elevation points collected at the lowest tide for the largest area possible. The aircraft flight path is always parallel to the beach. Four passes are flown over each section of the beach.
Flights generally last four hours.
Weather conditions must be monitored. The flights cannot be flown during times of rain or fog as the water vapor in the air could cause the laser beams to scatter and give a false reading. Additionally, the plane cannot fly during times of high winds as the returned laser pulse will not be recorded correctly. They serve as an effective means for visualizing data. Rather, they are digital images in which each image pixel represents a data point that is colored according to its value.