OpenTopography datasets selected for NSF National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) Pilot

OpenTopography-hosted high-resolution raster topography datasets have been selected for integration into the National Science Foundation's (NSF) National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) Pilot Program. The goal of the NAIRR Pilot is to give researchers access to high-quality datasets that support the advancement of AI literacy, education, and innovation. Dataset selection was conducted through a competitive process led by NSF in collaboration with an interagency working group representing twelve federal agencies.

OpenTopography curates and provides open, citable topographic data at multiple scales—from high density lidar-derived point clouds to 30-meter global digital elevation models. These data are vital for advancing AI-enabled research across environmental science, geophysics, and related disciplines.

Applications of AI to geospatial data include hazard assessment and mitigation efforts for wildfires, landslides, earthquakes, and floods. High-resolution topography also enables the detection of landscape features such as tectonic faults, sink holes, impact craters, and mining-related valley fills. AI-driven feature detection accelerates and improves mapping accuracy, freeing researchers from time-intensive manual interpretation and enabling a deeper focus on understanding geologic and environmental processes.

Because OpenTopography datasets are formally published, open, and citable, the data can be repurposed for scientific applications beyond their original collection objectives. The inclusion of this data in the NAIRR Pilot will broaden access to these rich resources, empowering researchers nationwide to leverage AI methods for innovative analysis and discovery in Earth and environmental sciences.

NAIRR pilot resources page (Available open data and models)
https://nairrpilot.org/pilotresources#datasets

More information from the NSF press release:
https://www.nsf.gov/news/nsf-expanding-national-ai-infrastructure-new-data-systems