Lidar Elevation Data and Florida's Economy: The USGS 3D Elevation Program

Why Florida needs elevation data

Florida has the longest coastline in the contiguous United States, and 80% of its people live in the coastal zone, where much of its economy is driven. High-quality elevation data help with emergency management — especially hurricane response, recovery and mitigation — and with coastal management, flood risk, infrastructure, agriculture, forestry and natural resources. Data collected statewide at about the same time allow better modeling for the state's Chief Science Officer, Geographic Information Officer, agencies, water management districts and local governments.

The key tool is lidar (light detection and ranging), which produces a highly detailed 3D model of the ground and everything on it.

The 3D Elevation Program

The 3D Elevation Program (3DEP), run by the U.S. Geological Survey with federal, state, tribal, territorial and local partners, aims to complete the first national baseline of consistent, high-resolution elevation data — bare-earth elevation models and 3D point clouds, from lidar (and radar in Alaska). Baseline data must meet quality level 2 or better and the USGS Lidar Base Specification, with elevation models at 1 meter or finer.

The data join The National Map and are free, with no restrictions on use — download them here.

Figure 1. Status of 3DEP baseline lidar data in Florida, May 2023: available or in progress statewide except the Tampa and Pensacola regions and areas north of Lake Okeechobee and Daytona Beach, where contributions are pending. USGS.

The benefits for Florida

The National Enhanced Elevation Assessment conservatively estimated at least $10.88 million a year in new benefits for Florida:

Against an estimated $0.88 million to finish quality level 2 coverage, that pays back in 0.08 year. A 2017 Florida Statewide Lidar Assessment went further — at least $20 million a year, with a need for quality level 1. So in 2018, 3DEP and the Florida Division of Emergency Management funded QL1 lidar over most of peninsular Florida.

How the data are used

• Conservation — from restoring the Everglades to protecting water, lidar helps plan conservation ponds, grassed waterways, pipelines and terraces, calculate runoff, find drained historical wetlands and plan their restoration — with less fieldwork.
• Flood risk — water management districts and counties rely on lidar for flood and inundation models, including tools that show residents their home's flood risk, and for detailed hydrologic and hydraulic modeling.
• Infrastructure — lidar can reduce the need for traditional surveys, speeding highway design, road assessment, drainage structure design and detection of subsidence; a statewide dataset helps transportation agencies work together.
• Coasts — a 2015 state study named beaches the most important of nine features of Florida's "state brand," with the Beach Management and Restoration Program returning 5.4 to 1 on investment. Lidar helps model sea-level rise, storm surge and vulnerable shallow tidal habitats, and plan beach nourishment after hurricanes.

Nationally

3DEP offers economies of scale, predictable federal investment, consistent coverage across boundaries and simplified acquisition — conservatively $690 million a year in national benefits, with potential for $13 billion a year more. Federal, state, tribal, territorial, local and private partners can join, contribute funds or data, or get cooperative funding through an annual Data Collaboration Announcement. More: 3DEP partnerships and the Lidar Explorer.

Sources

Based on "The 3D Elevation Program—Supporting Florida's economy," U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet, citing Dewberry (2012, 2017), Hapke and others (2019) and the Florida Office of Economic and Demographic Research (2015); a work of the United States government in the public domain.