Introduction

Because of its geography, Missouri is frequently subject to natural disasters. Ice storms, severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, and flooding are all common occurrences. Since 1990, Missouri has received 40 Federal major disaster declarations (Missouri State Emergency Management Agency, 2022). Floods and droughts severely affect the State’s agriculture, which is a leading industry. Another potential major hazard is the New Madrid seismic zone (NMSZ), located in southeastern Missouri. According to the Missouri Seismic Safety Commission (2007, p. 11, 12), “During the winter of 1811–1812, three earthquakes estimated to have been magnitude 7.5 or greater were centered in the southeastern part of Missouri. * * * Minor, but potentially damaging, earthquakes can occur anywhere in the State.” Because Missouri is a major producer of lead, manufacturing and mining are very important to the State’s economy, as are restoring and reclaiming lands damaged by historical mining activities. 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 Missouri. The status of available and in-progress 3DEP baseline lidar data in Missouri 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 $11.35 million in new benefits annually to the State. The top 10 Missouri business uses for 3D elevation data, which are based on the estimated annual conservative benefits of 3DEP, are shown in table 2.

Status of 3DEP in Missouri

The Missouri Department of Conservation and the Missouri Geological Survey, within the Department of Natural Resources, have a need for quality levels 1 and 2 lidar data, respectively. Lidar acquisitions by these agencies began in 2022 and are continuing.

Agriculture and Precision Farming

Missouri’s agribusiness and related industries produced $82.6 billion in annual revenue in 2021 (Missouri Agricultural and Small Business Development Authority, 2021). Soybeans, cattle, corn, hogs, poultry, dairy, cotton, and rice are the top agricultural commodities. Lidar data can provide a more accurate depiction of terrain and dramatically improve precision farming activities, which helps improve crop yields, prevent soil degradation, and reduce agricultural chemical runoff—factors that help farmers realize a larger return on their investments. The flood risk management business use is also very important to the agricultural community of Missouri because of farmland flooding.

Flood Risk Management

One of the hallmarks of Missouri’s 2018 Hazard Mitigation update plan (Missouri State Emergency Management Agency, 2018) has been the concerted effort to integrate as much available geospatial data as possible and to take advantage of emerging worldwide technologies for data display (fig. 2). Lidar is one of the emerging technologies that can be used to create flood inundation maps produced from flood-plain modeling software. These maps help users understand the geographic extent of flooding and associated water depths.

Geologic Resource Assessment and Hazard Mitigation

The flat-lying, southeasternmost section of Missouri—the “Bootheel”—is most susceptible to earthquakes because it overlies the NMSZ, an area that also covers parts of Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee. According to the Missouri Seismic Safety Commission (2007, p. 12), the Bootheel “has the highest risk because its subsurface conditions—loose sediments and a high water table—tend to amplify earthquake ground shaking. The immediate vicinity of the Ozarks is also at risk from earthquakes in the NMSZ. As in the Bootheel, subsurface conditions of the Mississippi and Missouri River valleys tend to amplify earthquake ground shaking. As a result, these areas, including much of metropolitan St. Louis, are also at high risk from earthquakes. Earthquake hazards in the western part of the State also exist because of historical earthquakes in eastern Kansas and Nebraska. No area of Missouri is immune from the danger of earthquakes.” The use of lidar data can assist in the creation of hazard maps, in identifying natural geologic features, and in monitoring ground surface changes.