Introduction

High-resolution elevation data for Kansas inform decision making to improve the State’s economy. Existing elevation data coverage is used to support State water planning initiatives, facilitate infrastructure management, and improve resilience to natural disasters. The expanding availability of current and more accurate elevation data helps better support natural resources conservation, agriculture and precision farming, flood risk management, water supply planning, infrastructure and construction management, and geologic resource assessment and hazard mitigation. 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 Kansas. The status of available and in-progress 3DEP baseline lidar data in Kansas 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 $14.41 million in new benefits annually to the State. The top nine Kansas 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 Kansas

The State of Kansas has statewide lidar coverage consisting mostly of quality level 2 (QL2) lidar collected between 2010 and 2018. Quality level 1 (QL1) projects that are existing or underway in 2024 will provide QL1 coverage for approximately one-third of the State. Future acquisitions will be needed as older QL2 data age beyond the eight-year 3DEP guideline, and as the need for QL1 data becomes more widespread for change detection and in areas of low relief that are predominant in much of the State. Kansas participated in the 3D Nation study (Dewberry Engineers, Inc., 2022) to help define needs for the next generation of lidar data for the State and the Nation.

Water Supply and Quality

The Kansas Water Vision (Kansas Water Office, 2015) and the Kansas Water Plan (Kansas Water Office, 2022) are in place to evaluate water supplies and future water-use demands. Lidar data play a key part in the work to support these plans, including conducting sedimentation analyses upstream of water-supply reservoirs, evaluating geomorphic changes, identifying actively eroding streambanks, calculating lost sediment volumes and impacts to downstream public water-supply reservoirs, analyzing erosion from agriculture sites, and identifying sources of nutrients and upstream erosion that cause harmful algal blooms.

Flood Risk Management

High-resolution elevation data are the basis for flood mapping by the Kansas Department of Agriculture and the Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research. Accurate mapping of flood plains provides citizens information on the dangers of development in these high-risk areas, and to subsequently reduce financial costs and loss of human life due to flooding. Higher quality elevation data such as quality level 1 can provide significant benefits for flood inundation modeling.

Geologic Resource Assessment and Hazard Mitigation

Geologic mapping, including the assessment of mineral deposits and geologic hazards, can be performed more efficiently and accurately using lidar data. Geologic maps depict bedrock—the solid rock at the Earth’s surface or directly beneath vegetation, soil, and thin deposits of unconsolidated material—and thick layers of sediment. These maps are essential for basic geologic research, evaluating natural resources, and land-use planning. Lidar data also are essential for geoarchaeology investigations of sediments, soils, and landforms to help identify areas of potential cultural deposits and assess prehistoric environments.

Natural Resources Conservation

Conservation of natural resources is assisted by lidar data for a variety of applications including soil conservation techniques, stream bank stabilization, point-source and non-point-source pollution modeling, and identification of wetlands for wildlife habitat and recreational purposes. A Topographic Wetland Identification Process (Kastens and others, 2016) was developed by the Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research in collaboration with the Kansas Water Office to develop a standardized methodology and tool for wetland assessment and prioritization (Kansas Water Office, 2019) that can be used for wetland protection and restoration efforts by all agencies, watershed planners, and stakeholder groups in the State (fig. 2).

Infrastructure and Construction Management

State and regional agencies in Kansas use high-resolution elevation data for infrastructure and construction planning and management. Primary lidar uses include highway safety improvement, airspace protection near airports and air ambulance sites, emergency response planning, and bridge and road design, construction, and maintenance.