Today, autonomous vehicles (AVs) and advanced driver assistance systems (ADASs) are rapidly growing research avenues aimed at increasing vehicle and road safety. Both technologies minimize human error by enabling cars to "perceive" their surroundings and act accordingly. This is achieved using light detection and ranging (lidar) technology, one of the most important and versatile components in AVs. Lidars provide a three-dimensional map of all objects around the vehicle regardless of external lighting conditions. This map, updated hundreds of times per second, can be used to estimate the position of the vehicle relative to its surroundings in real time.
source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-technology-news/development-of-standardized-tests-for-assessing-lidars-in-autonomous-vehicles