The 3D Elevation Program: summary for Tennessee

Introduction

Elevation data are essential to a broad range of applications, including forest resources management, wildlife and habitat management, national security, recreation, and many others. For the State of Tennessee, elevation data are critical for agriculture and precision farming, flood risk management, natural resources conservation, infrastructure and construction management, forest resources management, aviation navigation and safety, and other business uses. Today, high-density light detection and ranging (lidar) data are the primary sources for deriving elevation models and other datasets. Federal, State, Tribal, and local agencies work in partnership to (1) replace data that are older and of lower quality and (2) provide coverage where publicly accessible data do not exist. A joint goal of State and Federal partners is to acquire consistent, statewide coverage to support existing and emerging applications enabled by lidar data.

The National Enhanced Elevation Assessment (NEEA; Dewberry, 2011) evaluated multiple elevation data acquisition options to determine the optimal data quality and data replacement cycle relative to cost to meet the identified requirements of the user community. The evaluation demonstrated that lidar acquisition at quality level 2 (table 1) for the conterminous United States and quality level 5 ifsar data (table 1) for Alaska with a 6- to 10-year acquisition cycle provided the highest benefit/cost ratios. The 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) initiative (Snyder, 2012a,b) selected an 8-year acquisition cycle for the respective quality levels. 3DEP, managed by the U.S. Geological

3DEP in Tennessee by the Numbers 3D Elevation Program

Figure 1. Map of Tennnessee showing the extent of existing and planned publicly available lidar data. Information source: United States Interagency Elevation Inventory, August 2013, updated annually. Quality level 2 or better data meet 3DEP and partnerships. 3DEP can conservatively provide new benefits of $1.2 billion/year requirements. See table 1 for quality level and has the potential to generate $13 bilinformation. lion/year in new benefits through improved government services, reductions in crop and homeowner losses resulting from floods, more efficient routing of vehicles, and a host of other government, corporate, and citizen activities (Dewberry, 2011). A shared, common elevation dataset would foster cooperation and improve decisionmaking among all levels of government and other stakeholders.

Survey (USGS), the Office of Management and Budget Circular A–16 lead agency for terrestrial elevation data, responds to the growing need for highquality topographic data and a wide range of other 3D representations of the Nation’s natural and constructed features.

3D Elevation Program Benefits for Tennessee

Benefits of a Funded National Program

The top 10 Tennessee business uses for 3D elevation data, which are based on the estimated annual conservative benefits of the 3DEP initiative, are shown in table 2. The NEEA survey respondents in the State of Tennessee estimated that the national 3DEP initiative would result in at least $6.3 million in new benefits annually to the State. The cost for such a program in Tennessee is approximately $14 million, resulting in a payback period of 2.2 years and a benefit/cost ratio of 3.6 to 1 over an 8-year period. Because monetary estimates were not provided for all reported benefits, the total benefits of the 3DEP to Tennessee are likely much higher. On the basis of the NEEA survey results, all levels of government and many organizations in Tennessee could benefit from access to statewide high-resolution elevation data.

For Tennessee, approximately 83 percent of the identified business use requirements will be met in agriculture and precision farming, flood risk management, and natural resources conservation uses alone, as shown in table 2. The status of publicly available lidar data in Tennessee is shown in figure 1. By enhancing coordination between 3DEP and various government and private organizations in Tennessee, it may be possible to realize more than the cited conservative benefits and attain the higher potential benefits for many business uses.

The following examples highlight how 3DEP data can support business uses in Tennessee: (1) Approximately 44 percent of the land area of Tennessee is devoted to agricultural uses. Enhanced elevation data could dramatically improve precision farming. A more accurate depiction of the terrain could help determine a more precise application of agricultural chemicals, thereby likely yielding significant cost savings, a reduction in agricultural pollution, and a potential increase in crop production. (2) The availability of more accurate statewide elevation data would reduce onsite data collection costs and the amount of time required to complete some phases of a flood risk project that help protect lives and

3D Elevation Program—Continued

property (fig. 2). The quality of analyses and study results would be improved as a result of the more accurate elevation data. Overall, the project completion time and cost would be reduced and the savings could be applied to other priority flood risk projects.

References Cited

Dewberry, 2011, Final report of the National Enhanced Elevation Assessment (revised 2012): Fairfax, Va., Dewberry, 84 p. plus appendixes, http://www.dewberry.com/Consultants/GeospatialMapping/FinalReport-Nation alEnhancedElevationAssessment.

Table 1. Data quality levels used in the

Snyder, G.I., 2012a, National Enhanced Elevation Assessment at a glance: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2012–3088, 2 p., http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2012/3088/.

Snyder, G.I., 2012b, The 3D Elevation Program—Summary of program direction: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2012–3089, 2 p., http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2012/3089/.

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