The USGS Elevation Contours service from The National Map (TNM) consists of contours generated for the conterminous United States from 1- and 1/3 arc-second elevation data. Small scale contours derived from 1 arc-second data are displayed at scales ranging from 1:577K to 1:72K in The National Map viewer. Contour intervals are 100 foot between 1:577K and 1:144K, and 50 foot at 1:72K. Large scale contours derived from 1/3 arc-second data are displayed at 1:50K (and larger). Large scale contour intervals are variable across the United States depending on complexity of topography. The National Map viewer allows free downloads of public domain contour data in either Esri File Geodatabase or Shapefile formats. The 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) provides elevation data for The National Map and basic elevation information for earth science studies and mapping applications. Scientists and resource managers use elevation data for global change research, hydrologic modeling, resource monitoring, mapping and visualization, and many other applications. For additional information on 3DEP, go to https://nationalmap.gov/3DEP/.

The geospatial data of this layer is comprised of elevation contours derived from 1/3 arc-second 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) data.

The USGS 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) Index service from The National Map shows two general categories of downloadable elevation data: (1) digital elevation model (DEM) datasets at standardized horizontal resolutions, and (2) elevation source data including that used to produce standard DEMs, and additional datasets derived from ifsar in Alaska only. Distributable DEM products include: 2 arc-second (in Alaska only); 1 arc-second; 1/3 arc-second; 1/9 arc-second; 5 meter (in Alaska only); and 1 meter. The 2-, 1-, and 1/3-arc-second products are staged for download in 1x1 degree tiles in ArcGrid, GridFloat, or IMG formats, while 1/9 arc-second products are staged in 15x15 minute tiles in IMG format only. The 5-meter products are staged for download in ArcGrid only as a single mosaicked raster to each project extent. The 1-meter products are staged in 10,000 x 10,000 meter tiles in IMG format only. Distributable elevation source data include: lidar point clouds (LPC) in LAS format for various parts of the U.S., and ifsar-derived digital surface models (DSM) and orthorectified radar images (ORI) in TIFF format in Alaska only. For additional information on the 3DEP, go to http://nationalmap.gov/3DEP/index.html.

The USGS 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) Bare Earth DEM Dynamic service is based on multi-resolution USGS DEM sources and provides dynamic functions for visualization. These functions include: Hillshade, Aspect Map, Hillshade Stretched, Multi-directional Hillshade, Slope Map, Elevation Tinted Hillshade, Contour. In addition the OGC Web Map Service (WMS) and Web Coverage Service (WCS) interfaces are enabled.

This data collection of the 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) consists of Lidar Point Cloud (LPC) projects as provided to the USGS. These point cloud files contain all the original lidar points collected, with the original spatial reference and units preserved. These data may have been used as the source of updates to the 1/3-arcsecond, 1-arcsecond, and 2-arcsecond seamless 3DEP Digital Elevation Models (DEMs). 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. Lidar (Light detection and ranging) discrete-return point cloud data are available in LAZ format. The LAZ format is a lossless compressed version of the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) LAS format. Point Cloud data can be converted from LAZ to LAS or LAS to LAZ without the loss of any information. Either format stores 3-dimensional point cloud data and point attributes along with header information and variable length records specific to the data. Millions of data points are stored as a 3-dimensional data cloud as a series of geo-referenced x, y coordinates and z (elevation), as well as other attributes for each point. Please refer to https://www.asprs.org/Committee-General/LASer-LAS-File-Format-Exchange-Activities.html for additional information on the .LAS file format. All 3DEP products are public domain.

This data collection of the 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) consists of Lidar Point Cloud (LPC) projects as provided to the USGS. These point cloud files contain all the original lidar points collected, with the original spatial reference and units preserved. These data may have been used as the source of updates to the 1/3-arcsecond, 1-arcsecond, and 2-arcsecond seamless 3DEP Digital Elevation Models (DEMs). 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. Lidar (Light detection and ranging) discrete-return point cloud data are available in LAZ format. The LAZ format is a lossless compressed version of the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) LAS format. Point Cloud data can be converted from LAZ to LAS or LAS to LAZ without the loss of any information. Either format stores 3-dimensional point cloud data and point attributes along with header information and variable length records specific to the data. Millions of data points are stored as a 3-dimensional data cloud as a series of geo-referenced x, y coordinates and z (elevation), as well as other attributes for each point. Additonal information about the las file format can be found here: https://www.asprs.org/divisions-committees/lidar-division/laser-las-file-format-exchange-activities. All 3DEP products are public domain.

The USGS and the NGA have collaborated on the development of a notably enhanced global elevation model named the GMTED2010 that replaces GTOPO30 as the elevation dataset of choice for global and continental scale applications. The new model has been generated at three separate resolutions (horizontal post spacings) of 30 arc-seconds (about 1 kilometer), 15 arc-seconds (about 500 meters), and 7.5 arc-seconds (about 250 meters). This new product suite provides global coverage of all land areas from lat 84°N to 56°S for most products, and coverage from 84°N to 90°S for several products. Some areas, namely Greenland and Antarctica, do not have data available at the 15- and 7.5-arc-second resolutions because the input source data do not support that level of detail. An additional advantage of the new multi-resolution global model over GTOPO30 is that seven new raster elevation products are available at each resolution.

The Global Multi-resolution Terrain Elevation Data 2010 (GMTED2010) provides a new level of detail in global topographic data. Previously, the best available global DEM was GTOPO30 with a horizontal grid spacing of 30 arc-seconds. The GMTED2010 product suite contains seven new raster elevation products for each of the 30-, 15-, and 7.5-arc-second spatial resolutions and incorporates the current best available global elevation data. The new elevation products have been produced using the following aggregation methods: minimum elevation, maximum elevation, mean elevation, median elevation, standard deviation of elevation, systematic subsample, and breakline emphasis. Metadata have also been produced to identify the source and attributes of all the input elevation data used to derive the output products. Many of these products will be suitable for various regional continental-scale land cover mapping, extraction of drainage features for hydrologic modeling, and geometric and radiometric correction of medium and coarse resolution satellite image data. The global aggregated vertical accuracy of GMTED2010 can be summarized in terms of the resolution and RMSE of the products with respect to a global set of control points (estimated global accuracy of 6 m RMSE) provided by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). At 30 arc-seconds, the GMTED2010 RMSE range is between 25 and 42 meters; at 15 arc-seconds, the RMSE range is between 29 and 32 meters; and at 7.5 arc-seconds, the RMSE range is between 26 and 30 meters. GMTED2010 is a major improvement in consistency and vertical accuracy over GTOPO30, which has a 66 m RMSE globally compared to the same NGA control points. In areas where new sources of higher resolution data were available, the GMTED2010 products are substantially better than the aggregated global statistics; however, large areas still exist, particularly above 60 degrees North latitude, that lack good elevation data. As new data become available, especially in areas that have poor coverage in the current model, it is hoped that new versions of GMTED2010 might be generated and thus gradually improve the global model.

The Global Multi-resolution Terrain Elevation Data 2010 (GMTED2010) provides a new level of detail in global topographic data. Previously, the best available global DEM was GTOPO30 with a horizontal grid spacing of 30 arc-seconds. The GMTED2010 product suite contains seven new raster elevation products for each of the 30-, 15-, and 7.5-arc-second spatial resolutions and incorporates the current best available global elevation data. The new elevation products have been produced using the following aggregation methods: minimum elevation, maximum elevation, mean elevation, median elevation, standard deviation of elevation, systematic subsample, and breakline emphasis. Metadata have also been produced to identify the source and attributes of all the input elevation data used to derive the output products. Many of these products will be suitable for various regional continental-scale land cover mapping, extraction of drainage features for hydrologic modeling, and geometric and radiometric correction of medium and coarse resolution satellite image data. The global aggregated vertical accuracy of GMTED2010 can be summarized in terms of the resolution and RMSE of the products with respect to a global set of control points (estimated global accuracy of 6 m RMSE) provided by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). At 30 arc-seconds, the GMTED2010 RMSE range is between 25 and 42 meters; at 15 arc-seconds, the RMSE range is between 29 and 32 meters; and at 7.5 arc-seconds, the RMSE range is between 26 and 30 meters. GMTED2010 is a major improvement in consistency and vertical accuracy over GTOPO30, which has a 66 m RMSE globally compared to the same NGA control points. In areas where new sources of higher resolution data were available, the GMTED2010 products are substantially better than the aggregated global statistics; however, large areas still exist, particularly above 60 degrees North latitude, that lack good elevation data. As new data become available, especially in areas that have poor coverage in the current model, it is hoped that new versions of GMTED2010 might be generated and thus gradually improve the global model.

The Global Multi-resolution Terrain Elevation Data 2010 (GMTED2010) provides a new level of detail in global topographic data. Previously, the best available global DEM was GTOPO30 with a horizontal grid spacing of 30 arc-seconds. The GMTED2010 product suite contains seven new raster elevation products for each of the 30-, 15-, and 7.5-arc-second spatial resolutions and incorporates the current best available global elevation data. The new elevation products have been produced using the following aggregation methods: minimum elevation, maximum elevation, mean elevation, median elevation, standard deviation of elevation, systematic subsample, and breakline emphasis. Metadata have also been produced to identify the source and attributes of all the input elevation data used to derive the output products. Many of these products will be suitable for various regional continental-scale land cover mapping, extraction of drainage features for hydrologic modeling, and geometric and radiometric correction of medium and coarse resolution satellite image data. The global aggregated vertical accuracy of GMTED2010 can be summarized in terms of the resolution and RMSE of the products with respect to a global set of control points (estimated global accuracy of 6 m RMSE) provided by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). At 30 arc-seconds, the GMTED2010 RMSE range is between 25 and 42 meters; at 15 arc-seconds, the RMSE range is between 29 and 32 meters; and at 7.5 arc-seconds, the RMSE range is between 26 and 30 meters. GMTED2010 is a major improvement in consistency and vertical accuracy over GTOPO30, which has a 66 m RMSE globally compared to the same NGA control points. In areas where new sources of higher resolution data were available, the GMTED2010 products are substantially better than the aggregated global statistics; however, large areas still exist, particularly above 60 degrees North latitude, that lack good elevation data. As new data become available, especially in areas that have poor coverage in the current model, it is hoped that new versions of GMTED2010 might be generated and thus gradually improve the global model.