Jim DePasquale, of the The Nature Conservancy, shares his knowledge and experience of the USGS’ 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) and how the data is employed to improve communities in Alaska. Read the article at State Scoop.
Excerpt:
We believe our partnership’s work on Prince of Wales Island will be a game changer in a number of ways:
- Forestry — LiDAR provides forest metrics at the desktop, rather than requiring foresters to go out in the field to gather data, a dangerous and expensive prospect.
- Coastline management — Data collected along the island’s coast will be contributed to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Digital Coast program.
- Conservation — Mapping data will inform better decision-making about a wide variety of forest management practices including timber harvest, forest and salmon stream restoration, recreation opportunities, and subsistence use of fish and wildlife by local communities.
- Baseline data — LiDAR data collected under 3DEP can provide a baseline from which to make future comparisons, assisting in identifying geological hazards such as potential erosion, landslide and flood threats, as well as supporting disaster relief efforts and climate change-related studies and observations.