Many different partners and groups, and several Center-led data projects, have contributed to the lidar data collection housed and distributed by the NOAA Office for Coastal Management. The data span more than two decades and were collected using many different sensors. The collection includes data from topographic and bathymetric lidar sensors. Data are available for all of the coastal states and range from shoreline strips to full county coverage. The products have been delivered to the Center in various formats, projections, datums, and units. Once received, the data are reviewed, checked for errors, and standardized to LAZ format, geographic coordinates and ellipsoid heights in meters. Data are on a NAD83 or ITRF realization depending upon the collection specifics.

ASCII XYZ point cloud data for a portion of the environs of Anegada, British Virgin Islands, was produced from remotely sensed, geographically referenced elevation measurements collected March 19-20, 2014 by the U.S. Geological Survey. Elevation measurements were collected over the area using the second-generation Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL-B), a pulsed laser ranging system mounted onboard an aircraft to measure ground elevation, vegetation canopy, and coastal topography. The system uses high-frequency laser beams directed at the Earth's surface through an opening in the bottom of the aircraft's fuselage. The laser system records the time difference between emission of the laser beam and the reception of the reflected laser signal in the aircraft. The plane travels over the target area at approximately 55 meters per second at an elevation of approximately 300 meters, resulting in a laser swath of approximately 240 meters with an average point spacing of 0.5-1.6 meters. The nominal vertical elevation accuracy expressed as the root mean square error (RMSE) is 20 centimeters. A peak sampling rate of 15-30 kilohertz results in an extremely dense spatial elevation dataset. More than 100 kilometers of coastline can be surveyed easily within a 3- to 4-hour mission. When resultant elevation maps for an area are analyzed, they provide a useful tool to make management decisions regarding land development.

This part of the data release presents topography data from northern Monterey Bay, California collected in March 2015 with a terrestrial lidar scanner.

This part of the data release presents topography data from northern Monterey Bay, California collected in October 2016 with a terrestrial lidar scanner.

This part of the data release presents topography data from northern Monterey Bay, California collected in October 2016 with a terrestrial lidar scanner.

This part of the data release presents topography data from northern Monterey Bay, California collected in September 2015 with a terrestrial lidar scanner.

This part of the data release presents topography data from northern Monterey Bay, California collected in March 2017 with a terrestrial lidar scanner.

This part of the data release presents topography data from northern Monterey Bay, California collected in March 2017 with a terrestrial lidar scanner.

ASCII XYZ point cloud data for a portion of the submerged environs of Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, was produced from remotely sensed, geographically referenced elevation measurements collected on March 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, and 24, 2014 by the U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coral Reef Conservation Program. Elevation measurements were collected over the area using the second-generation Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL-B), a pulsed laser ranging system mounted onboard an aircraft to measure ground elevation, vegetation canopy, and coastal topography. The system uses high-frequency laser beams directed at the Earth's surface through an opening in the bottom of the aircraft's fuselage. The laser system records the time difference between emission of the laser beam and the reception of the reflected laser signal in the aircraft. The plane travels over the target area at approximately 55 meters per second at an elevation of approximately 300 meters, resulting in a laser swath of approximately 240 meters with an average point spacing of 0.5-1.6 meters. The nominal vertical elevation accuracy expressed as the root mean square error (RMSE) is 13.5 centimeters. A peak sampling rate of 15-30 kilohertz results in an extremely dense spatial elevation dataset. More than 100 kilometers of coastline can be surveyed easily within a 3- to 4-hour mission. When resultant elevation maps for an area are analyzed, they provide a useful tool to make management decisions regarding land development.

ASCII XYZ point cloud data for a portion of the submerged environs of Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, was produced from remotely sensed, geographically referenced elevation measurements collected on March 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, and 24, 2014 by the U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coral Reef Conservation Program. Elevation measurements were collected over the area using the second-generation Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL-B), a pulsed laser ranging system mounted onboard an aircraft to measure ground elevation, vegetation canopy, and coastal topography. The system uses high-frequency laser beams directed at the Earth's surface through an opening in the bottom of the aircraft's fuselage. The laser system records the time difference between emission of the laser beam and the reception of the reflected laser signal in the aircraft. The plane travels over the target area at approximately 55 meters per second at an elevation of approximately 300 meters, resulting in a laser swath of approximately 240 meters with an average point spacing of 0.5-1.6 meters. The nominal vertical elevation accuracy expressed as the root mean square error (RMSE) is 13.5 centimeters. A peak sampling rate of 15-30 kilohertz results in an extremely dense spatial elevation dataset. More than 100 kilometers of coastline can be surveyed easily within a 3- to 4-hour mission. When resultant elevation maps for an area are analyzed, they provide a useful tool to make management decisions regarding land development.