News
Mar 25, 2025
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 academic, private, and federal sources, including USGS 3DEP and NOAA Digital Coast. Below is a highlight of datasets that became available on the OpenTopography platform in February 2025.
Location of datasets released in February 2025 and accessible through OpenTopography. USGS 3DEP datasets are in green, OpenTopography-hosted data is in red, and Community DataSpace datasets are in purple.... more
Jan 15, 2025
The Yurok Tribe Fisheries Department Design and Technical Services Program, in conjunction with the United States Bureau of Reclamation Central Valley Project Improvement Act Habitat Restoration Program, conducted a system wide base-line data collection effort across 174 miles on the Sacramento River. High resolution aerial imagery, topography, bathymetry, and water surface elevations were collected and are intended to support the development of a hydrodynamic model framework for predicting habitat across a range of flows. The model will support measures needed to restore anadromous fish to... more
Jan 13, 2025
The ongoing Los Angeles wildfires, including the Palisades, Eaton and Hurst fires, are scorching parts of the city and have destroyed thousands of homes and other buildings. On January 7, California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency due to the fires.
In response to these devastating wildfires in southern California, OpenTopography is temporarily opening our services applied to all USGS 3D Elevation Project (3DEP) and NOAA Coastal lidar datasets covering Los Angeles County.
OpenTopography's easy to use web-based interfaces for accessing, processing, and visualizing high... more
Jan 9, 2025
The U.S. Department of the Interior Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement has provided access to lidar and aerial imagery over several mines throughout the US. The intended use of the data is to support the corresponding mine teams on current and future projects. Example use cases include: precise area and volumetric measurements, assisting with upcoming Termination of Jurisdictions and bond releases, change detection analysis, monitoring the progression and reclamation of mining, and visualizing 3D models.
Find the data here:
Lidar Survey of the Kayenta Mine, AZ 2023
Lidar... more
Jan 8, 2025
New and updated Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) datasets are now available through OpenTopography. These datasets collectively add over 22,000 km2 of high resolution topographic data over New Zealand (see areas in red on map below). These datasets are available through an ongoing collaboration between OpenTopography and LINZ as part of the LINZ National Elevation Program.
Find the data here:
West Coast, New Zealand 2020-2022 (addendum)
Hawke's Bay, New Zealand 2023 - 2024
Bay of Plenty, New Zealand 2024
Northland, New Zealand 2024
Spatial coverage of additional regions of LINZ... more
Dec 6, 2024
OpenTopography is excited to introduce OpenTopography Elevate, a new program designed to provide U.S.-based researchers and educators with personalized, expert assistance in working with digital elevation model and point cloud topography data. This program aims to empower participants with the technical skills necessary to use topography data effectively. Examples of projects include completing graduate-level research, teaching students in-demand knowledge about lidar, or creating museum exhibits that educate the public about Earth’s natural and built landscapes. Below we outline additional... more
Dec 6, 2024
OpenTopography invites you to join us for a series of weekly, hour-long webinars in March 2025. During the webinars, we will teach the basics of high resolution topography, including lidar and structure from motion photogrammetry, and demonstrate how to use OpenTopography's growing set of on-demand processing tools. The webinars will feature lectures on background material and hands-on demonstrations. Participants will have the opportunity to use OpenTopography's tools to access, process and visualize topography data.
The target audience for these webinars is graduate students and faculty who... more
Dec 2, 2024
Connect with OpenTopography at the 2024 American Geophysical Union meeting in Washington, DC! OpenTopography will be in booth #1108 in the "NSF Neighborhood" in the exhibit hall. Our booth is staffed by the OpenTopography team and is a great chance to ask questions, provide feedback, or to discuss lidar, high resolution topography, and cyberinfrastructure.
Exhibit hall hours are: Monday, 9 December, 3:00 P.M.-6:00 P.M., Tuesday-Wednesday, 10-11 December, 10:00 A.M.–6:00 P.M. Thursday, 12 December, 10 A.M.–1:00 P.M.
We'll also be giving away the always popular I heart lidar stickers. Please... more
Nov 8, 2024
OpenTopography is happy to announce that the National Science Foundation (NSF) has renewed support for the Facility for another four years.
OpenTopography is a science gateway that provides online access to Earth science oriented high resolution topography data, processing tools, and educational resources to support advancing our understanding of the Earth’s surface, vegetation, and built environment.
OpenTopography is guided by three advisory committees (AC) that represent OpenTopography’s users and ensure that the facility’s activities are aligned with the needs and initiatives of the... more
Nov 7, 2024
Six new NCALM (National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping) datasets covering portions of California, Colorado, Louisiana, and Wyoming are now available from OpenTopography. NCALM is an NSF-funded center that supports the use of airborne laser mapping technology (a.k.a. lidar) in the scientific community and is jointly operated by the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Cullen College of Engineering, University of Houston and the Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley. OpenTopography is the primary distributor of NCALM data.
Find the data... more
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