OT Blog
Information and discussion related to high-resolution lidar topography for the Earth sciences
Aug 16, 2023
By Emily Zawacki
3D prints of landscapes provide a three-dimensional tactile way to explore the Earth’s surface and learn about the geologic processes that shape it. We can use topography data and create 3D prints of landscapes from digital elevation models. With 3D printing technologies, there is the potential for exploring areas of topographic change in a three-dimensional tactile way by creating 3D prints from pre- and post-event topography.
To demonstrate the potential of exploring topographic change with 3D prints, we created 3D prints of pre- and post-event topography from the... more
Jul 10, 2023
By Emily Zawacki
In regions with a high earthquake hazard, determining where and how Earth’s surface may move and break in an earthquake is crucial in hazard analysis and risk mitigation. While certain regulations may prohibit structures from being built along or near active faults, not all faults are known, and some structures may be required to cross faults, putting them at risk from displacement at Earth’s surface.
Traditionally, geologists use clues and features on Earth’s surface that are indicative of past earthquake activity to map and determine where Earth’s surface may break... more
Jun 9, 2023
by Emily Zawacki and Chelsea Scott
OpenTopography periodically highlights new research results that demonstrate the use and reuse of data from OpenTopography. These four publications highlight topographic research applications in geomorphology, earthquakes, coastal processes, and ecology and conservation.
Controls and thresholds on steep mountain streams
Small streams at the top of mountains are often steep and prone to generating debris flows—fast-moving masses of unconsolidated rocky material. These steep streams play an important role in storing and transporting sediment from... more
Feb 1, 2023
by Emily Zawacki and Chelsea Scott
OpenTopography periodically highlights new research results that demonstrate the use and reuse of data from OpenTopography. These four publications highlight topographic research applications in seismology/earthquakes, geomorphology, and wildlife management.
Calculating fault slip rates on New Zealand’s South Island
New Zealand lies at the boundary between the converging Australian and Pacific tectonic plates, resulting in a long earthquake record on both the north and south islands. Griffin et al. evaluated the slip rate of two faults in Otago,... more
Jan 23, 2023
Primary support for OpenTopography comes from the Division of Earth Sciences at the U.S. National Science Foundation, and thus, our principal emphasis is on facilitating access to topographic data oriented towards Earth science research. In the context of academic research, publications are a crucial metric for measuring impact and sustaining support for initiatives such as OpenTopography. We actively monitor references to OpenTopography in the published literature using web-based searches of online journal databases, and annually compile this information for our use and for the benefit... more
Dec 31, 2022
OpenTopography conducted a survey of its user community to gain feedback on existing services, prioritize new development and to enhance existing services, and track evolving community needs. The survey was developed by the OpenTopography Advisory Committee, and was distributed to OpenTopography users via our email newsletter. A total of 523 users responded to the survey. The results of the survey are summarized as follows.
Of the respondents, approximately 40% work in academia, 34% work in the private sector or industry, and 13% work in government.
Of the academic respondents, 37... more
Nov 15, 2022
We recently released a completely new version of OpenTopography's raster (i.e., digital elevation models (DEM)) visualization service. Raster visualization was one of the oldest processing services in OpenTopography, and it's very valuable for quickly and easily getting an overview of the requested topographic data. We're happy to announce that the new version was rewritten to improve performance and expand the number of derivative products and visualizations that are available. The new raster visualization service will generate hillshade and color-relief maps, with user control over... more
Sep 28, 2022
Emily Zawacki
OpenTopography periodically highlights new research that demonstrates the use and reuse of data hosted on or accessed from OpenTopography. All of the results we highlight in this blog post are from Open Access publications.
The impact of river flow on tide dynamics
Many large cities are built in coastal regions, which are impacted by tides and rivers. The tide-river interactions can affect flooding, erosion, and water quality of nearby cities, impacting significant populations. Dykstra et al. evaluated how river flow (discharge) impacts tide-river interactions along the... more
Aug 10, 2022
Relative elevation model (REM) of Birch Creek, a tributary to the Yukon River, Alaska, USA. (NW to the left)
Introduction: DEM vs. REM
Topographic data are often represented in the form of a digital elevation model (DEM), where an elevation value is defined at each pixel in a rectangular grid. Spatially, the grid is defined with respect to a local (or geographic) coordinate system, and elevation values are given with respect to a particular datum (typically sea level).
Because rivers flow downhill, DEMs of river corridors will always have a decreasing trend in elevations from the... more