OpenTopography Blog

Information and discussion related to high-resolution LiDAR topography for the Earth sciences

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Posts from April 2009

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GEON Cyperinfrastructure Summer Institute for Geoscientists

Posted on Wed, April 29, 2009 by C. Crosby in News • Resources • Workshops

For the 6th year in a row, GEON will be hosting the Cyberinfrastructure Summer Institute for Geoscientists at San Diego Supercomputer Center, August 10-14.  Of particular interest to the OpenTopography community, CSIG ‘09 will feature a day devoted specifically to OpenTopo.  We will discuss the technology that makes OpenTopography work as well as brainstorm opportunities for integrating high-resolution LiDAR topography into the classroom.  CSIG is a great chance for earth scientists to gain exposure to the emerging information technology trends and resources that make community, web-based, systems like the OpenTopography Portal possible.

GEON is pleased to announce the 6th Cyberinfrastructure Summer Institute for Geoscientists (CSIG) to be held August 10-14 at the San Diego Supercomputer Center on the University of California, San Diego campus.  General and program information, as well as online registration is available at: http://www.geongrid.org/csig09

CSIG‘09 will expose participants to emergent Geoinformatics approaches to 3D and 4D integration of geoscience data.  Given the diverse interests of past CSIG participants, and the feedback that they provided, this year’s program will feature two “tracks” of instruction:

“Build”:  Overview of the technologies utilized to develop earth science cyberinfrastructure.
“Education”:  Utilization of cyberinfrastructure-based data systems and tools for earth science education and research.

Interested applicants at all levels are encouraged to apply, including graduate students, postdocs, faculty, and professionals in earth science and related disciplines. 

Course registration and accommodations are paid for with support received from the National Science Foundation (http://www.nsf.gov).  Selected participants will be responsible for funding their own travel to San Diego for the Institute. 

The Registration Deadline for the CSIG ’09 is June 7th.  Registration can be found at http://www.geongrid.org/csig09.

Please forward this information to anyone that may be interested in this year’s CSIG.

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USGS to receive $14.6 million in Recovery Act funding for high resolution LiDAR elevation data

Posted on Wed, April 29, 2009 by C. Crosby in Data • News

The U.S. Department of Interior Recovery Investments site breaks down how the U.S. Geological Survey will be spending the approximately $140 million they are receiving as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  Among the various USGS programs that will be receiving funding is $14.6 million devoted to “Imagery and Elevation Maps”.  Specifically, this funding will go towards acquisition of high resolution LiDAR topography and orthoimagery to enhance the National Elevation Dataset component of the The National Map.

The National Elevation Dataset (NED), one of eight base layers of The National Map, provides basic elevation information for earth science studies and mapping applications for the United States. Lidar (light detection and ranging) technology allows the creation of contours down to increments as low as 1-foot with great accuracy and precision, permitting more accurate mapping of flood zones and inundation areas. The addition of highly accurate elevation data acquired with lidar will greatly improve the NED, both in the enhanced quality of the data and in the range of science and data applications that it will enable.

I have not yet seen information on how the USGS will determine which portions of the US are to be targeted for LiDAR acquisitions with this funding, but it is clear that coastal regions and floodplains are likely to be high priority targets. 

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Report from the Workshop on Studying Earth Surface Processes with High-Resolution Topographic Data

Posted on Fri, April 17, 2009 by C. Crosby in Meetings • News

The National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping (NCALM) has released the report from the workshop organized by their steering committee last summer (June 15-18, 2008) in Boulder, CO on Studying Earth Surface Processes with High-Resolution Topographic Data.  The workshop, attended by 50 researchers, provided an opportunity for discussion of current research activities utilizing LiDAR as well as to identify emerging research opportunities, community challenges, and technological and education needs.

This report, prepared by members of the NCALM steering committee with contributions from participants at the WSESP, highlights key scientific opportunities presented at the workshop, and identifies some of the challenges for maximizing the scientific potential of research with high-resolution topographic data. During the final day of the workshop, participants identified key areas emerging in this field, new ways to detect and characterize processes, and approaches to detect changes in dynamic systems.  Three areas that attracted particular attention were 1) the connections between ecosystems and topography, 2) the flux of water, sediment, and other substances down hill slopes and through drainage networks, and 3) the use of repeat LiDAR surveys to study landscape change in response to geological and biological disturbances (e.g., earthquakes, fires, dam breaching, and timber harvest).

OpenTopography was represented at the workshop by Ramon Arrowsmith and I.  It was quite apparent during the workshop that there is a need in the Earth science LiDAR community for better access to datasets as well as a centralized repository for sharing software and tools.

The rapid emergence of new technology, datasets, and ideas poses challenges as well as opportunities for the Earth science community. Foremost among the challenges are the needs to 1) better facilitate sharing of public-domain LiDAR databases and tools for analysis and visualization, and 2) maximize dissemination of new ideas and discoveries.

The workshop attendees appreciated the need for a system such as the OpenTopography Portal and the report nicely articulates this need in sections III. Software, Tools, Tutorials, and Education and IV. Improvements in Gathering and Disseminating High-Resolution Topographic Data

I have posted the full Workshop report in the Documents portion of the OpenTopography Portal (under Resources).  Directly download the report (PDF) HERE

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Global Shaded Relief for Google Earth

Posted on Mon, April 06, 2009 by C. Crosby in Data • Google Earth • Resources

The SRTM KML Project has released a very nice network-linked KML which displays shaded relief images derived from Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) digital elevation models in Google Earth.  Their website reports:

This version covers the entire SRTM dataset (80% of the land on the Earth).  It is based on the SRTM V2 product.  A new “fill” algorithm was developed at CCIC, which significantly improved the cartographic quality of the layer without compromising the accuracy.

The global SRTM shaded relief KML file can be downloaded from: http://srtmkml.googlepages.com/

Via Google Earth blog

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Lidar Session at 2009 Portland GSA meeting

Posted on Mon, April 06, 2009 by C. Crosby in Meetings

Abstract submission is now open for the 2009 GSA Annual Meeting in Portland, OR.  Ian Madin of DOGAMI is convening a session on LiDAR applications to geologic, geomorphic and geohazard mapping.

T145. Use of High-Resolution Lidar DEMs for Geologic, Geomorphic and Geohazards Mapping
High resolution lidar DEMs are becoming widely available, and can revolutionize geomorphic, geohazards and geologic mapping. This session will provide current examples of the use of this data

Abstracts are due by 11 August 2009.

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