Introduction

Oregon’s physical environments and vegetation are diverse. The State has wet coastal and dry interior mountain ranges, divided by the volcanic peaks of the Cascade Range; a long coastline; interior valleys and basins; and high desert and semi-arid steppe. The varied geologic and climatic conditions combined with increasing population have created the need for high-quality elevation data that can be used for infrastructure management, forestry and wildfire management, agriculture, natural resources conservation, and other business uses. Critical applications that meet the State’s management needs depend on light detection and ranging (lidar) data that provide a highly detailed three-dimensional (3D) model of the Earth’s surface and aboveground features.

The 3D Elevation Program (3DEP; see sidebar) is managed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in partnership with Federal, State, Tribal, U.S. territorial, and local agencies to acquire consistent lidar coverage at quality level 2 or better (table 1) to meet the many needs of the Nation and Oregon. The status of available and in-progress 3DEP baseline lidar data in Oregon is shown in figure 1. 3DEP baseline lidar data include quality level 2 or better, 1-meter or better digital elevation models, and lidar point clouds, and must meet the Lidar Base Specification version 1.2 (https://www.usgs.gov/3dep/lidarspec) or newer requirements. The National Enhanced Elevation Assessment (Dewberry, 2012) identified user requirements and conservatively estimated that availability of lidar data would result in at least $45.7 million in new benefits annually to the State. The top 10 Oregon business uses for 3D elevation data, which are based on the estimated annual conservative benefits of 3DEP, are shown in table 2.

Infrastructure and Construction Management

The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has been using lidar for a variety of project purposes since 2005 (Luccio, 2015). ODOT has found lidar to be valuable in saving project time and in enhancing employee safety in rugged or remote areas. For example, after the Hooskanaden landslide disrupted U.S. Route 101 in southwestern Oregon in 2019 (fig. 2), ODOT used lidar for hydraulic engineering design, in analysis for dewatering the slide zone, and in determining earthwork for redesign of the highway.

Flood Risk Management

The Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries uses lidar data to generate precise, accurate, and credible flood maps to help in assessing and mitigating flood risk throughout Oregon. As a result, the State can more accurately and rapidly determine flood risk to the population and implement remedial measures to improve the safety of dams and levees, thereby reducing the risk of loss of life as well as the expenses associated with property damage.

Wildfire Management, Planning, and Response

Oregon has experienced record-setting wildfires in the last several years and there is concern that the trend may continue; thus, the benefits of including lidar data in wildfire management, planning, and response may increase significantly. Firefighting costs in Oregon now exceed $500 million during high-fire seasons. As of November 2019, this was 11 times more than the cost of preventing wildfires (Governor’s Council on Wildfire Response, 2019). High-resolution 3D elevation data support fire behavior modeling, fire response, vegetation-load appraisal, and post-fire assessment for slope instability, leading to improved public safety.

Geologic Resource Assessment and Hazard Mitigation

Geologic mapping, including assessing mineral deposits and geologic hazards, can be performed more efficiently and accurately using lidar data. According to Ian Madin (Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries), “Lidar has become an essential tool for geologic mapping in Oregon. From planning fieldwork to identifying surficial deposits and making base maps, lidar is used in every step of the process” (written commun., August 30, 2019).