January and February 2026 Data Releases

Mar 6, 2026

OpenTopography provides easy, centralized access to a diverse collection of topographic data. We strive to simplify data discovery by providing a single, accessible platform that integrates data from a variety of sources including the USGS 3D Elevation Program (3DEP), NOAA Coastal Lidar, Natural Resources Canada, Polar Geospatial Center, and many more. Below are highlights of datasets that became available or were updated on the OpenTopography platform in January and February 2026.

A. Locations of new USGS 3DEP datasets (green polygons), and new NOAA datasets (blue polygon). B. A new Community Dataspace dataset over the Stromboli Volcano in Italy (purple marker), and 0.5 meter DSMs and DTMs available country-wide over the Netherlands (red polygon).

OpenTopography Hosted Datasets

In January 2026, OpenTopography provided access to the 0.5 meter Digital Terrain Model (DTM) and Digital Surface Model (DSM) of the Netherlands. Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland (AHN version 4) is a multi-year program and a collaboration between the water boards, provinces, and Rijkswaterstaat, with the aim of producing a country-wide digital elevation model of the Netherlands. This digital elevation model contains detailed and precise elevation data collected between 2020 and 2022, with at least 10 lidar-derived elevation measurements per square meter. For more information about AHN and its data products see AHN

New OpenTopography hosted data:

The Netherlands Digital Elevation Model (AHN4)

USGS 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) Datasets

The USGS is currently making 3DEP lidar point cloud data available via an Amazon Web Services (AWS) S3 Requester Pays Bucket, and as an AWS Public Dataset. To learn more about 3DEP and AWS see this USGS press release: USGS 3DEP Lidar Point Cloud Now Available as Amazon Public Dataset. Consistent with OpenTopography's mission of making high resolution topography data easier to discover and use, we provide a layer of value-added services that enable our users to subset, grid, download, and/or visualize any portion of the USGS 3DEP collection.

USGS 3DEP data is freely available to our core US academic user community (e.g. users who register with a .edu email domain). However, non-academics can access 3DEP data, as well as all other restricted datasets, by signing up for OpenTopography Plus (OT+). OT+ is a subscription service that enables one-stop, easy-to-use access to the highest quality lidar topography for the US. For more details about OT+, or to sign up, see the OT+ signup page.

New USGS 3DEP Datasets:

NOAA Coastal Lidar Datasets

The NOAA Coastal Lidar Data is a collection of lidar projects from many different sources and agencies, geographically focused on the coastal areas of the United States of America. The data are stored in the Entwine Point Tile format, and hosted on Amazon as part of the AWS Public Dataset Program. Consistent with OpenTopography's mission of making high resolution topography data easier to discover and use, we provide a layer of value-added services that enable our users to subset, grid, download, and/or visualize any portion of the NOAA Coastal Lidar collection.

NOAA Digital Coast data is freely available to our core US academic user community (e.g. users who register with a .edu email domain). However, non-academics can access NOAA data, as well as all other restricted datasets, by signing up for OpenTopography Plus (OT+). OT+ is a subscription service that enables one-stop, easy-to-use access to the highest quality lidar topography for the US. For more details about OT+, or to sign up, see the OT+ signup page.

New NOAA Coastal Lidar data:

OpenTopography Community Dataspace Datasets

The OpenTopography Community Dataspace allows users who are producing small to moderate sized topographic datasets (with technologies such as lidar and photogrammetry) to archive their data with OpenTopography via a simple drag and drop user interface. This feature is designed to support data publication and citation, academic data reuse, and educational applications. Each submission is reviewed by OpenTopography staff and approved on a case-by-case basis. Datasets in the OT Dataspace receive a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) and are displayed on the OpenTopography Find Data Map so they are discoverable and downloadable alongside data hosted by OpenTopography. The Dataspace is meant to complement standard OpenTopography data hosting for larger datasets produced by our data provider partners.

New Community Dataspace data:

High-Resolution SfM Topography of Stromboli volcano (Italy), 26-27 May 2021

Sample Graphics From Data Released in January and February 2026

An interactive hillshade slider over Rotterdam in the Netherlands. The Digital Terrain Model is on the left, and the Digital Surface Model is on the right. Click and drag the center line to the left or right to compare the DSM and DTM for this region. Data Source: The Netherlands Digital Elevation Model (AHN4)

3D Point cloud colored by intensity gradient over the Painted Hills in Oregon. The Painted Hills consist of alternating layers of volcanic ash, claystones, and soils with varying colors which respond differently to lidar, causing the bands of intensity in this image. Data Source: NOAA: 2022 ODF Lidar: Private Forest Accords, OR

Hillshade colored by elevation of South Deadman Dome near Mammoth Lakes, California. South Deadman Dome is a rhyolite lava dome and obsidian flow located in the eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains. Data Source: USGS 3DEP: CA SierraNevada 13 B22

3D point cloud colored by elevation of a section of a managed forest in the Sierra Nevadas in various stages of succession. Data Source: USGS 3DEP: CA SierraNevada 5 2022.

3D point cloud colored by elevation of the historic section of Charleston, South Carolina. Data Source: NOAA: 2025 SCDVA Lidar: Charleston County, SC.

Hillshade of the Lake Isabella dam and overflow structures in California. Data Source: USGS 3DEP: CA SierraNevada 10 2022

3D point cloud colored by elevation of a long, flat section of Kansas where the power lines are the highest point. Data Source: USGS 3DEP: KS 4Area 3 D23.