A panoramic color light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system comprising: a stationary base ; a LIDAR system rotationally coupled to the stationary base and configured to perform a plurality of ranging measurements by transmitting light and detecting reflected light to acquire a LIDAR image including a plurality of LIDAR pixels distributed around an angular field of view; a plurality of color cameras fixedly coupled to the stationary base and disposed circumferentially around the LIDAR system, each camera having a respective camera field of view that is a portion of the angular field of view, the plurality of color cameras configured to acquire a plurality of color images comprising a plurality of color pixels; a memory storing a color-pixel lookup table that defines mappings between the plurality of LIDAR pixels and the plurality of color pixels; a controller operatively coupled to the memory and configured to: trigger an image capture of each of the plurality of color images based on a determined angular position of the LIDAR system relative to a respective camera field of view so as synchronize capturing of a portion of the LIDAR pixels with capturing of color pixels of a respective camera of the plurality of color cameras; and associate at least one of the plurality of color pixels with a corresponding LIDAR pixel of the plurality of LIDAR pixels using the color-pixel lookup table stored in the memory, thereby generating a colorized LIDAR pixel . a stationary base ; a LIDAR system rotationally coupled to the stationary base and configured to perform a plurality of ranging measurements by transmitting light and detecting reflected light to acquire a LIDAR image including a plurality of LIDAR pixels distributed around an angular field of view; a plurality of color cameras fixedly coupled to the stationary base and disposed circumferentially around the LIDAR system, each camera having a respective camera field of view that is a portion of the angular field of view, the plurality of color cameras configured to acquire a plurality of color images comprising a plurality of color pixels; a memory storing a color-pixel lookup table that defines mappings between the plurality of LIDAR pixels and the plurality of color pixels; a controller operatively coupled to the memory and configured to: trigger an image capture of each of the plurality of color images based on a determined angular position of the LIDAR system relative to a respective camera field of view so as synchronize capturing of a portion of the LIDAR pixels with capturing of color pixels of a respective camera of the plurality of color cameras; and associate at least one of the plurality of color pixels with a corresponding LIDAR pixel of the plurality of LIDAR pixels using the color-pixel lookup table stored in the memory, thereby generating a colorized LIDAR pixel . trigger an image capture of each of the plurality of color images based on a determined angular position of the LIDAR system relative to a respective camera field of view so as synchronize capturing of a portion of the LIDAR pixels with capturing of color pixels of a respective camera of the plurality of color cameras; and associate at least one of the plurality of color pixels with a corresponding LIDAR pixel of the plurality of LIDAR pixels using the color-pixel lookup table stored in the memory, thereby generating a colorized LIDAR pixel . <EOS>