Abstract
Elevation data are essential to a broad range of applications, including forest resources management,
wildlife and habitat management, national security, recreation, and many others. For the State of Minnesota,
elevation data are critical for agriculture and precision farming, natural resources conservation, flood risk
management, infrastructure and construction management, water supply and quality, coastal zone management, and
other business uses. Today, high-quality light detection and ranging (lidar) data are the sources for creating
elevation models and other elevation datasets. Federal, State, and local agencies work in partnership to
(1) replace data, on a national basis, that are (on average) 30 years old and of lower quality and
(2) provide coverage where publicly accessible data do not exist. A joint goal of State and Federal
partners is to acquire consistent, statewide coverage to support existing and emerging applications
enabled by lidar data. The new 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) initiative, managed by the
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), responds to the growing need for high-quality topographic
data and a wide range of other three-dimensional representations of the Nation’s natural and
constructed features.
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First posted September 18, 2013
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