Material imaging system and method

A spectral light detection and ranging (Lidar) imaging system for earthen material, comprising:

• a. a spectral Lidar unit directed towards a target location and operable to image the target location containing the earthen material by emitting pulses of light at a plurality of wavelengths from a light source and capturing spatial data and spectral data at the plurality of wavelengths, the spectral data including an intensity of a return of the light from the target location for each of a plurality of wavelength bands;
• and
• b. a controller communicatively coupled to the spectral Lidar unit to control operations of the spectral Lidar unit and receive data from the spectral Lidar unit, the controller including at least one processor and at least one data storage device communicatively coupled to the at least one processor and having stored thereon emission characteristics of the light and computer-executable instructions for operating the at least one processor to:
• i. direct the spectral Lidar unit to image earthen material at the target location to generate spatial data and spectral data of the earthen material at each of the plurality of wavelengths,
• ii. receive the spatial data and spectral data of the earthen material,
• iii. determine a reflectance at the plurality of wavelengths of the earthen material using the spectral data of the earthen material and the emission characteristics of the light,
• iv. characterize the earthen material to detect a foreign object or a tramp metal, and
• v. generate an output signal, the output signal indicating the foreign object or tramp metal has been detected.