Sharma, AmeethSivakumar, VenkataramanBollig, C.Van der Westhuizen, C.Moema, D.2010-01-252010-01-252009-11Sharma, A, Sivakumar, V, Bollig, C, Van der Westhuizen, C & Moema, D 2009, 'System description of the mobile LIDAR of the CSIR, South Africa', South African Journal of Science, vol. 105, no. 11, pp. 456-462. [http://www.sajs.co.za/]0038-2353http://hdl.handle.net/2263/12735South Africa's first mobile LIDAR (LIght Detection And Ranging) system is being developed at the National Laser Centre (NLC) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in Pretoria (25°45'S; 28°17'E). The system is designed primarily for remote sensing of the atmosphere. At present, the system is being optimised for measuring vertical atmospheric backscatter profiles of aerosols and clouds. In this paper, we describe the complete LIDAR system, including laser transmission, telescope configuration, data acquisition, data archival and post-processing.enAcademy of Science of South AfricaLIDAR measurementsLaser transmissionOptical radiometry -- South AfricaAtmosphere -- Laser observationsBackscatteringRemote sensingScientific surveys -- South AfricaSouth African Council for Scientific and Industrial ResearchArticle