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 Alabama, elevation data are critical for flood risk
management; infrastructure and construction management; wildfire management, planning,
and response; natural resources conservation; geologic resource assessment and hazards
mitigation; and other business uses. Today, high-density light detection and ranging
(lidar) data are the primary sources for deriving elevation models and other datasets.
Federal, State, and local agencies work in partnership to (1) replace data that are
older 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 National Enhanced Elevation Assessment evaluated multiple
elevation data acquisition options to determine the optimal data quality
and data replacement cycle relative to cost to meet the identified
requirements of the user community. The evaluation demonstrated that
lidar acquisition at quality level 2 for the conterminous United States
and quality level 5 ifsar data for Alaska with a 6- to 10-year
acquisition cycle provided the highest benefit/cost ratios. The new
3D Elevation Program (3DEP) initiative selected an 8-year acquisition
cycle for the respective quality levels. 3DEP, managed by the
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Office of Management and Budget
Circular A-16 lead agency for terrestrial elevation data, responds to
the growing need for high-quality topographic data and a wide range of
other 3D representations of the Nation’s natural and constructed
features.
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First posted November 19, 2013
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