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The 3D Elevation Program—Supporting North Dakota’s Economy

Fact Sheet 2026-3006
Prepared in cooperation with the North Dakota Department of Water Resources, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and Natural Resources Conservation Service
By:
https://doi.org/10.3133/fs20263006

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Introduction 

As the northernmost Great Plains State encompassing two geomorphological areas divided by the Missouri River, North Dakota has varied needs for high-resolution elevation data. The top industry in North Dakota is agriculture and related products, and the fastest growing sector is natural resources led by oil and gas extraction and mining, all of which contribute to the State’s economy (U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service, 2024b). 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 North Dakota. The status of available and in-progress 3DEP baseline lidar data in North Dakota 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 2025 Rev. A (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 $12.39 million in new benefits annually to the State. The top nine North Dakota business uses for 3D elevation data, which are based on the estimated annual conservative benefits of 3DEP, are shown in table 2.

Suggested Citation

Guidero, E., 2026, The 3D Elevation Program—Supporting North Dakota's economy: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2026-3006, 2 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/fs20263006.

ISSN: 2327-6932 (online)

Table of Contents

  • Introduction
  • Status of 3DEP in North Dakota
  • Agriculture and Precision Farming
  • Flood Risk Management
  • Geologic Resource Assessment and Hazard Mitigation
  • References Cited
Publication type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Title The 3D Elevation Program—Supporting North Dakota's economy
Series title Fact Sheet
Series number 2026-3006
DOI 10.3133/fs20263006
Publication Date June 17, 2026
Year Published 2026
Language English
Publisher U.S. Geological Survey
Publisher location Reston, VA
Contributing office(s) National Geospatial Program
Description Report: 2 p.
Online Only (Y/N) Y
Additional Online Files (Y/N) N
Additional publication details