A spatial profiling system including: a light source configured to provide outgoing light having at least one time-varying attribute at a selected one of multiple different wavelength channels, each wavelength channel represented by a respective centre wavelength, the at least one time-varying attribute includes either or both of (a) a time-varying intensity profile and (b) a time-varying frequency deviation; a beam director configured to spatially direct the outgoing light into one of multiple directions in two dimensions into an environment having a spatial profile, the one of the multiple directions corresponding to the selected one of the multiple wavelength channels; a light receiver configured to receive at least part of the outgoing light reflected by the environment; and a processing unit configured to determine at least one characteristic associated with the at least one time-varying attribute of the reflected light for estimation of the spatial profile of the environment associated with the corresponding one of the multiple directions, wherein the light receiver is configured to inhibit detection of non-reflected light based on a difference in wavelength or modulation between the outgoing light and the non-reflected light, said system being characterized in that the processing unit is further configured to: operate in a first mode in which it controls the light source to provide the outgoing light as a sequence of wavelength channels that causes the beam director to spatially direct the outgoing light over a first field of view; and operate in a second mode in which it controls the light source to provide the outgoing light as a predetermined sequence of wavelength channels that causes the beam director to spatially direct the outgoing light over a second field of view, wherein the second field of view covers only a portion of the first field of view. a light source configured to provide outgoing light having at least one time-varying attribute at a selected one of multiple different wavelength channels, each wavelength channel represented by a respective centre wavelength, the at least one time-varying attribute includes either or both of (a) a time-varying intensity profile and (b) a time-varying frequency deviation; a beam director configured to spatially direct the outgoing light into one of multiple directions in two dimensions into an environment having a spatial profile, the one of the multiple directions corresponding to the selected one of the multiple wavelength channels; a light receiver configured to receive at least part of the outgoing light reflected by the environment; and a processing unit configured to determine at least one characteristic associated with the at least one time-varying attribute of the reflected light for estimation of the spatial profile of the environment associated with the corresponding one of the multiple directions, wherein the light receiver is configured to inhibit detection of non-reflected light based on a difference in wavelength or modulation between the outgoing light and the non-reflected light, said system being characterized in that operate in a first mode in which it controls the light source to provide the outgoing light as a sequence of wavelength channels that causes the beam director to spatially direct the outgoing light over a first field of view; and operate in a second mode in which it controls the light source to provide the outgoing light as a predetermined sequence of wavelength channels that causes the beam director to spatially direct the outgoing light over a second field of view, wherein the second field of view covers only a portion of the first field of view.