The 3D Elevation Program: summary for North Dakota

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 North Dakota, elevation data are critical for agriculture and precision farming, natural resources conservation, water supply and quality, infrastructure and construction management, flood risk management, geologic resource assessment and hazard mitigation, 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 Survey (USGS), the Office

3DEP in North Dakota by the Numbers 3D Elevation Program

Figure 1. Map of North Dakota showing the extent of existing and planned publicly available lidar data. Information source: United States Interagency Elevation operational by January 2015, and to have complete coverage of the United States Inventory, August 2013, updated annually. by the end of 2022, depending on funding Quality level 2 or better data meet 3DEP and partnerships. 3DEP can conservatively requirements. See table 1 for quality provide new benefits of $1.2 billion/year level information. and has the potential to generate $13 billion/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.

of Management and Budget Circular A–16 lead agency for terrestrial elevation data, responds to the growing need for high-quality topographic data and a wide range of other 3D representations of the Nation’s natural and constructed features.

3D Elevation Program Benefits for North Dakota

The top 10 North Dakota business uses for 3D elevation data, which are based

Benefits of a Funded National Program

on the estimated annual conservative benefits of the 3DEP initiative, are shown in table 2. The NEEA survey respondents in the State of North Dakota estimated that the national 3DEP initiative would result in at least $12.3 million in new benefits annually to the State. The cost for such a program in North Dakota is approximately $24 million, resulting in a payback period of 1.9 years and a benefit/cost ratio of 4.2 to 1 over an 8-year period. Because monetary estimates were not provided for all reported benefits, the total benefits of the 3DEP to North Dakota are likely much higher. On the basis of the NEEA survey results, all levels of government and many organizations in North Dakota could benefit from access to statewide high-resolution elevation data.

For North Dakota, approximately 87 percent of the identified business use requirements will be met in agriculture and precision farming and natural resources conservation uses, as shown in table 2. The status of publicly available lidar data in North Dakota is shown in figure 1. By enhancing coordination between 3DEP and various government and private organizations in North Dakota, 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 North Dakota: (1) Approximately 89 percent of the land area of North Dakota 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 and a reduction in agricultural pollution. (2) Enhanced elevation data could enable State, regional, and local governments to more effectively implement natural resources conservation practices while providing additional cost savings to the public. If lidar data were available nationally, public and private organizations would expand their use of lidar for planning and site-level engineering to reduce field work

3D Elevation Program—Continued

for conservation projects such as grade stabilization, ponds, grassed waterways, terracing, and wetland restoration.

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.

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/.

Table 1. Data quality levels used in the

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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