Introduction

Florida has the longest coastline of any State in the contiguous United States, and its coastal resources are one of the main drivers of its economic growth, with 80 percent of the State’s population living in the coastal zone (Hapke and others, 2019). High-quality elevation data are beneficial for use in emergency management, especially for hurricane response, recovery, and mitigation, as well as for coastal zone management, flood risk management, infrastructure planning, agriculture, forestry, and natural resources management. Having regional or statewide elevation data coverage that was collected at about the same time allows for improved results from in-depth modeling and more meaningful analysis to support the State’s Chief Science Officer, Geographic Information Officer, State agencies, water management districts, and local governments that will use these data for decision making. 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; refer to 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 Florida. The status of available and in-progress 3DEP baseline lidar data in Florida 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 (NEEA) (Dewberry, 2012) identified user requirements and conservatively estimated that availability of lidar data would result in at least $10.88 million in new benefits annually to the State. The top six Florida business uses for 3D elevation data, which are based on the estimated annual conservative benefits of 3DEP, are shown in table 2. The Florida Statewide Lidar Assessment (Dewberry, 2017), conducted in 2017, exceeded the NEEA-identified benefits by almost $10 million; it reported at least $20 million in new benefits annually to the State, with a need for topographic lidar coverage at quality level 1 (table 1). To meet this need, 3DEP in 2018 provided funding in partnership with the Florida Division of Emergency Management to acquire quality level 1 topographic lidar data over most of peninsular Florida to complement the existing lidar data available in the State.

Natural Resources Conservation

From restoring and protecting ecosystems of the Everglades to managing and protecting water resources, high-quality elevation data enable State, regional, Tribal, and local governments to better implement natural resources conservation practices while providing additional cost saving to the public. With increased lidar data availability statewide, public and private organizations can expand their use of lidar for planning and site-level engineering to reduce fieldwork for conservation ponds, grassed waterways, pipelines, and terracing, as well as accurately calculating runoff, identifying historical (drained) wetlands, and planning wetland restoration.

Flood Risk Management

Florida has a critical, ongoing requirement for high-resolution elevation data to support the mapping, monitoring, management, and protection of water resources for flood control, water supply, water quality, and natural systems. These efforts are of high priority for Florida’s water management districts and counties in supporting the safety of Florida residents during hazardous events. Lidar data provide the baseline for many flood and inundation models that can be used by the public to better understand their home’s flood risk, in addition to supporting advanced hydrologic and hydraulic modeling.

Infrastructure and Construction Management

When high-quality lidar data are readily available, the need for traditional topographic land surveys (including infrastructure and construction-site planning and estimates) may be minimized. Reducing the time required for project planning provides cost saving to the public. Lidar data can be used for preliminary highway alignment and design, for evaluating existing roadway conditions, as input to hydraulic modeling for the design of structures to accommodate runoff and flooding from large rain events, and for detecting subsidence (fig. 2). A statewide elevation dataset would facilitate communication and interoperability among transportation organizations and enhance cooperation at all levels of government.

Coastal Zone Management

Florida’s Office of Economic and Demographic Research conducted a study in January 2015 determining that nine features make up the “state brand.” Of those nine features, beaches are considered the most important, with investments to the Beach Management and Restoration Program generating a 5.4-to-1 return on investment (Florida Office of Economic and Demographic Research, 2015). Comprehensive lidar coverage enables the development of detailed modeling for protection of Florida’s coastlines by helping scientists and planners better understand the risks of sea-level rise, the impacts of storm surges, and the vulnerability of shallow tidal-water habitats—especially as those data relate to climate change and annual or post-hurricane beach nourishment efforts.