"Look-down" radar and terrain mapping

[Hotel26]

[Might be related to the needs expressed in: https://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/index.php?/topic/176273-is-there-a-mod-for-terrain-levelling/]

Is there a mod, or is there any interest in making a mod, that performs the function of "look-down" radar.  I'm always on the lookout for terrestrial "flat spots" that could potentially be used as a landing strip or an airfield.  Not too bumpy and no precipitous grade changes.  Nothing that would break a heavy landing or leaving.

This facility would be applicable to Laythe and Duna as well (and Eve for anyone who cares about flying there).

It's no easy matter to reconnoiter from the air to identify likely airfields!

A device fitted to a plane or low-orbiting vehicle (coz "flat spots" on lunar surfaces are useful too) that automatically collected elevation samples and alerted the pilot could be very useful.

Big question before doing this is, really, how many people would find this useful enough to use?

Just a wild thought...

[linuxgurugamer]

I believe that the Rat Pack mod has a look down radar

[Rocket In My Pocket]

Stock Kerbnet has a Terrain scanner mode, with an elevation map; what's wrong with that? Just slap a probe core on your plane and good to go.

https://wiki.kerbalspaceprogram.com/wiki/KerbNet

"Terrain Mode is the most basic of the three modes, displaying a simple monochrome elevation map of the surface directly under the craft-lighter areas are at a higher elevation, darker areas are lower. While not particularly useful on its own, Terrain Mode can be used to assess flat landing sites for craft, pick out areas at a high elevation for potential ΔV savings on subsequent takeoffs from atmospheric planets (notably Eve), place waypoints for future reference and scan for anomalies without the clutter of Biome Mode."

[DMagic]

KerbNet is way too low resolution to pick out areas that are actually flat, it also does a lot of interpolation, so much of the terrain data you see isn't real. If you want to find something flat on a scale that is meaningful for a plane or small craft then you need something that can zoom in very far or with a very limited field of view.

SCANsat can zoom in very far to show you the terrain or slope, though it's meant for orbital scanning, not something you would fly around with on a plane.

[Hotel26]

Thanks and I will take a look at these.  Since a small but sharp kink in a strip can be a deal-breaker, I'm betting that a layer of code will have to do the assessment.  But if the graphical resolution isn't sufficient for the Kerbish eyeball, those mods will have very relevant code, methinks.

Update: I've downloaded SCANsat; thanks.

Edited November 12, 2018 by Hotel26

[Tyko]

ScanSat has low and high res terrain scanners and a great interface. You can also use it to mark landing points and those markers show up in Map mode so you can aim for them.

 

[dlrk]

Scansat will tell you slope in the instrument window below 1000m

[Chel]

I would use this as like a rudimentary bomb sight or targeting system for my war save.