The American landscape changes constantly. Rapid land development and environmental forces make outdated elevation data irrelevant for current analysis. Advances in technology have exposed inaccuracies in older data, making it a poor resource for critical future planning.
That’s why the US Geological Survey is revolutionizing the country’s understanding of its terrain with the 3D Elevation Program, or 3DEP. USGS brings together government partners with LiDAR mapping technology leaders like Quantum Spatial. 3DEP provides federal, state, local, and private sector organizations with the accurate data they need to address climate change risks, plan emergency response, mitigate flooding, secure infrastructure, manage natural resources, and improve agricultural productivity at a price everyone can afford.
A fully funded and implemented 3DEP would provide more than $690 million annually in benefits to government entities, the private sector, and citizens, resulting in a nearly 5:1 return on investment.
In the latest issue of LiDAR magazine, USGS’ Vicki Lukas describes how 3DEP aids infrastructure and construction managment by providing valuable planning intelligence such as:
⦁ Terrain and other obstruction identification for aviation
⦁ Dam, levee, and coastal-structure failure modeling and mitigation
⦁ Hydraulic and hydrologic modeling
⦁ Evaluations of geologic, coastal, and other natural hazards, and geotechnical evaluations
⦁ Permit application and construction plan development and evaluation
⦁ Drainage issues and cut-and-fill estimate requirements
⦁ Vegetation, topographic, and geomorphologic feature analysis
⦁ As-built model development
⦁ Preliminary engineering, estimate development, and quantity estimation activities
⦁ Base-map and elevation model creation
CLICK HERE to read the full LiDAR Magazine article.
