Introduction

High-quality elevation data are proving to be a resource of value in addressing many important economic issues in Michigan. The expanding statewide availability of current and accurate high-resolution elevation data can help support agriculture and precision farming, natural resource conservation, flood risk management, and geologic resource assessment and hazard mitigation. Water supply and quality assessment, coastal zone management, infrastructure and construction management, solar potential and other renewable energy programs, and identification of features of interest or concern such as archaeological and historical sites are other notable areas that are supported with accurate, high-resolution elevation data. 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 Michigan. The status of available and in-progress 3DEP baseline lidar data in Michigan 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 $10.19 million in new benefits annually to the State. The top 10 Michigan 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 Michigan

The State of Michigan, Department of Technology, Management and Budget (DTMB), Center for Shared Solutions coordinates funding and support for 3DEP from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (U.S. Department of Agriculture), the U.S. Forest Service, the USGS, and State and local agencies. Through the Michigan Statewide Authoritative Imagery & Lidar (MiSAIL) Program (Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget, 2020), Michigan has recently completed acquisition of statewide 3DEP data (fig. 1) at quality level 2. Updating the current data and improving resolution can help to support a variety of initiatives throughout Michigan.

In 2021, DTMB launched a program to update their statewide hydrography dataset using digital elevation models based on their completed quality level 2 dataset. This updated hydrography utilizes USGS specifications for terrain-based hydrography delineation (Terziotti and Archuleta, 2020; Archuleta and Terziotti, 2020). When completed, the project will provide an improved, consistently derived representation of Michigan’s hydrographic features.

Agriculture and Precision Farming

Approximately 28 percent of the land area of Michigan is devoted to agricultural uses. Lidar data can provide a more accurate depiction of terrain and 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.

Natural Resources Conservation

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is engaged in the conservation, protection, and management of the State’s natural and cultural resources for current and future generations. Lidar data enable State and local governments and planning and development regions to reduce fieldwork for conservation projects such as grade stabilization, ponds, grassed waterways, terracing, and wetland delineation and restoration, thus reducing costs to the public.

Flood Risk Management

Frequent flooding in the Midland area is a major concern (fig. 2). Following multiple dam failures on the Tittabawassee River and the related loss of two lakes in May 2020, new quality level 1 data were acquired for the area using MiSAIL lidar with support from State and local governments and planning and development regions. Lidar data provide high-quality terrain information as input for more accurate and less expensive hydrologic and hydraulic modeling for flood studies, retention-dam design, dam breach studies, and stormwater management and engineering. This information can be used to identify vulnerable properties within a flood plain, facilitate better flood-plain management decisions, and educate the public on flood risk zones by providing dynamic 3D models to show the potential impact of flooding from major storm events.

Geologic Resource Assessment and Hazard Mitigation

Subtle features not evident on conventional USGS topographic maps (or aerial photography) are often readily apparent on lidar images (fig. 3). The availability of lidar data has fundamentally changed how geological mapping and geological resource evaluations are conducted.