This is a tiled collection of the 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) covering Alaska only, and is 5-meter resolution. The 3DEP data holdings serve as the elevation layer of The National Map, and provide foundational elevation information for earth science studies and mapping applications in the United States. Scientists and resource managers use 3DEP data for hydrologic modeling, resource monitoring, mapping and visualization, and many other applications. The elevations in this DEM represent the topographic bare-earth surface. USGS standard 5-meter DEMs are produced exclusively from interferometric synthetic aperture radar (Ifsar) source data of 5-meter or higher resolution. Five-meter DEM surfaces are seamless within collection projects, but, not necessarily seamless across projects. This DEM is delivered in the original resolution, with the original spatial reference. All elevation units have been converted to meters. These data may be used as the source of updates to the seamless 1/3 arc-second DEM layer, which serves as the elevation layer of The National Map. Other 3DEP products are nationally seamless DEMs in resolutions of 1 and 2 arc seconds. These seamless DEMs were referred to as the National Elevation Dataset (NED) from about 2000 through 2015 at which time they became the seamless DEM layers under the 3DEP program and the NED name and system were retired. Other 3DEP products in Alaska include lidar point cloud and interferometric synthetic aperture radar (Ifsar) digital surface models and intensity images. All 3DEP products are public domain.

These data are Digital Surface Models (DSM) derived from interferometric synthetic aperture radar (ifsar) data. A DSM is a 3 dimensional representation of surface elevations in an area, including elevations of man-made structures and vegetation. The USGS performs minimal quality assurance and no reprocessing of the DSM data. USGS distributes the DSM data as received from the contractors, partners or contributing entities.

This is a tiled collection of the 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) and is 2 arc-second (approximately 60 m) resolution covering Alaska. The elevations in this Digital Elevation Model (DEM) represent the topographic bare-earth surface. The 3DEP data holdings serve as the elevation layer of The National Map, and provide foundational elevation information for earth science studies and mapping applications in the United States. Scientists and resource managers use 3DEP data for hydrologic modeling, resource monitoring, mapping and visualization, and many other applications. The seamless 2 arc-second DEM layers are derived from diverse source data that are processed to a common coordinate system and unit of vertical measure. These data are distributed in geographic coordinates in units of decimal degrees, and in conformance with the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD 83). All elevation values are in meters and, over the continental United States, are referenced to the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD88). The seamless 2 arc-second DEM layer provides coverage of the Alaska only. The seamless 2 arc-second DEM is available as pre-staged current and historical products tiled in GeoTIFF format. The seamless 2 arc-second DEM layer is updated continually as new data become available in the current folder. Previously created 1 degree blocks are retained in the historical folder with an appended date suffix (YYYYMMDD) when they were produced. Other 3DEP products are nationally seamless DEMs in resolutions of ⅓ and 1 -arc-second. These seamless DEMs were referred to as the National Elevation Dataset (NED) from about 2000 through 2015 at which time they became the seamless DEM layers under the 3DEP program and the NED name and system were retired. Other 3DEP products include one-meter DEMs produced exclusively from high resolution light detection and ranging (lidar) source data and five-meter DEMs in Alaska as well as various source datasets including the lidar point cloud and interferometric synthetic aperture radar (Ifsar) digital surface models and intensity images. All 3DEP products are public domain.

The 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) is managed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Geospatial Program to respond to growing needs for high-quality topographic data and for a wide range of other three-dimensional (3D) representations of the Nation's natural and constructed features. 3DEP informs critical decisions that are made across our Nation every day that depend on elevation data, ranging from immediate safety of life, property, and environment to long term planning for infrastructure projects. Lidar, an airborne laser detection technology for mapping features on the ground, is being collected nationwide, while Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (IfSAR) is being collected over Alaska. Assessing the accuracy of the lidar point cloud data collected for 3DEP is defined in the Lidar Base Specification (https://www.usgs.gov/ngp-standards-and-specifications/lidar-base-specification-online). The vertical accuracy of the lidar and IfSAR data and the derived Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) is the most scrutinized accuracy metric. 3DEP data are assessed and reported in accordance with the American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) Positional Accuracy Standards for Digital Geospatial Data. Vegetated vertical accuracy (VVA) and non-vegetated vertical accuracy (NVA) are assessed for absolute vertical accuracy compared to survey-grade checkpoints collected with Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers by professional land surveyors. These checkpoints are published with 3DEP projects (https://rockyweb.usgs.gov/vdelivery/Datasets/Staged/Elevation/metadata/) and represent tens of millions of dollars of high accuracy data that can be used to assess both 3DEP and other endeavors such as the Seamless 1-m DEM that the National Geospatial Technical Operations Center is producing to support the USGS 3D National Topography Model. However, these checkpoints were not standardized until Lidar Base Specification 2022 rev. A. All checkpoints prior to this revision were delivered by contractors in XML, PDFs, excel spreadsheets, CSVs, shapefiles, and geodatabase feature classes depending on the preference of the lidar contractors and 3DEP partners. In 2021, the National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) consolidated the checkpoints in the 3DEP and older lidar/IfSAR data holdings gathered between 2010-2017 to support research for and the eventual publication of a journal article called “The Accuracy and Consistency of 3D Elevation Program Data: A Systematic Analysis” (https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14040940). In 2024, NGTOC enriched and standardized the points used in that paper to match the current survey point delivery schema. This included re-projecting the data horizontally to North American Datum of 1983 (NAD83) (2011) geographic, deleting duplicate points, identifying the point type as NVA or VVA, identifying matching work unit and project ID numbers within the Work Unit Extent Spatial Metadata, verifying the correct geoid models, using National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Geodetic Survey (NGS) VDatum tool to update the Z elevation values in the conterminous United States (CONUS) and Puerto Rico into meters and GEOID18 and everything in Hawaii and Alaska into meters and GEOID12B, determining the collection date and the publication date, and finding the URL to the source information where possible. The first version of the 3DEP checkpoints database, which included 41,958 survey-grade points from 205 lidar and IfSAR projects covering 710 published work units, was published in October 2024. NGTOC updated this database with additional checkpoints in December 2025. Version 2 of the checkpoints database includes 145,299 checkpoints from 551 lidar projects covering 1,874 published work units.

The 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) is managed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Geospatial Program to respond to growing needs for high-quality topographic data and for a wide range of other three-dimensional (3D) representations of the Nation's natural and constructed features. 3DEP informs critical decisions that are made across our Nation every day that depend on elevation data, ranging from immediate safety of life, property, and environment to long term planning for infrastructure projects. Lidar, an airborne laser detection technology for mapping features on the ground, is being collected nationwide, while Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (IfSAR) is being collected over Alaska. Assessing the accuracy of the lidar point cloud data collected for 3DEP is defined in the Lidar Base Specification (https://www.usgs.gov/ngp-standards-and-specifications/lidar-base-specification-online). The vertical accuracy of the lidar and IfSAR data and the derived Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) is the most scrutinized accuracy metric. 3DEP data are assessed and reported in accordance with the American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) Positional Accuracy Standards for Digital Geospatial Data. Vegetated vertical accuracy (VVA) and non-vegetated vertical accuracy (NVA) are assessed for absolute vertical accuracy compared to survey-grade checkpoints collected with Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers by professional land surveyors. These checkpoints are published with 3DEP projects (https://rockyweb.usgs.gov/vdelivery/Datasets/Staged/Elevation/metadata/) and represent tens of millions of dollars of high accuracy data that can be used to assess both 3DEP and other endeavors such as the Seamless 1-m DEM that the National Geospatial Directorate is producing to support the USGS 3D National Topography Model. However, these checkpoints were not standardized until Lidar Base Specification 2022 rev. A. All checkpoints prior to this revision were delivered by contractors in XML, PDFs, excel spreadsheets, CSVs, shapefiles, and geodatabase feature classes depending on the preference of the lidar contractors and 3DEP partners. In 2021, the National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) consolidated the checkpoints in the 3DEP and older lidar/IfSAR data holdings gathered between 2010-2017 to support research for and the eventual publication of a journal article called “The Accuracy and Consistency of 3D Elevation Program Data: A Systematic Analysis” (https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14040940). In 2024, NGTOC enriched and standardized the points used in that paper to match the current survey point delivery schema. This included re-projecting the data horizontally to North American Datum of 1983 (NAD83) (2011) geographic, deleting duplicate points, identifying the point type as NVA or VVA, identifying matching work unit and project ID numbers within the Work Unit Extent Spatial Metadata, verifying the correct geoid models, using National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Geodetic Survey (NGS) VDatum tool to update the Z elevation values in the conterminous United States (CONUS) and Puerto Rico into meters and GEOID18 and everything in Hawaii and Alaska into meters and GEOID12B, determining the collection date and the publication date, and finding the URL to the source information where possible. This is the first version of the 3DEP checkpoints database which includes 41,958 survey-grade points from 205 lidar and IfSAR projects covering 710 published work units. NGTOC will update this database with additional checkpoints in 2025.

This dataset provides one orthorectified aerial photo mosaic and one digital elevation model derived from airborne fodar data acquired in 2021 on August 31 over the Totatlanika River in central Alaska. The term "fodar" is a portmanteau of foto and lidar, coined by Matt Nolan, which describes a method of quantifying the color and elevation of Earth's surface via airborne small-format digital camera photography.

This dataset provides one orthorectified aerial photo mosaic and one digital elevation model derived from airborne fodar data acquired in 2021 on August 31 over the Totatlanika River in central Alaska. The term "fodar" is a portmanteau of foto and lidar, coined by Matt Nolan, which describes a method of quantifying the color and elevation of Earth's surface via airborne small-format digital camera photography.

BLM 3DEP LIDAR Priority Planning Areas map service for viewing BLM’s participation to the USGS 3DEP (3D Elevation Program) to collaborate to acquire high-resolution LiDAR data that is available through the USGS National Map. The implementation of this map service allows the BLM to have more flexibility for tracking ongoing BLM 3DEP acquisition through this USGS and BLM partnership. Additionally, BLM high, medium, and low priorities are included, as well as areas where BLM projects have been completed and are available on the USGS National Map.

BLM Priority areas that include the following. High – These areas include BLM managed lands within the larger collaborative multi-agency LiDAR acquisition areas that are ongoing. Medium – These include PHMA – BLM administered lands identified as having the highest value to maintaining sustainable greater sage-grouse populations and Salinity project boundary – that provides a framework for improving the effectiveness of the Colorado River Basin of BLM managed lands. Low – These include GHMA – BLM administered lands identified that are occupied seasonally or year old and are outside of PHMA and all remaining BLM managed lands. Complete – Areas of BLM administered lands of where LiDAR acquisitions is complete and is available at the USGS National Map.

This interactive map was designed to view known public-domain elevation datasets (LiDAR and InSAR) in Alaska. The map offers zoom and scroll options, and multiple base map layers. We provide an easy point and click interface to show data originators and, when available, a link to download the digital data. Users are also able to bookmark and share areas of interest. DGGS is actively developing a comprehensive repository of Alaska's public-domain elevation data. The application will be periodically updated to incorporate our complete collection.