Resources
OpenTopography has developed a wealth of resources for researchers, educators and students to better interrogate, interpolate and research with topography data.
OpenTopography Open Source Software
All open source software algorithms and tools developed by OpenTopography are distributed via our GitHub. OpenTopography’s GitHub is also available to host software developed by our partners and the Earth science user community.
OpenTopography APIs and resources for developers are described on our Developers page.
The OpenTopography Tool Registry provides a community populated clearinghouse of software, utilities, and tools oriented towards high-resolution topography data (e.g. collected with lidar technology) handling, processing, and analysis. Registered tools range from source code to full-featured software applications.
Educational Resources
OpenTopography Community Publications
OpenTopography maintains a list of peer reviewed publications that have used OpenTopography data or services, you can browse this list via our OpenTopography Google Scholar page. Publications about OpenTopography can be found here.
For educators, OpenTopography provides curriculum modules that include lesson outlines, sample datasets, and student activities to integrate topograpahic data into the classroom.
Workshop/Short Courses Educational Materials
Short courses that have been offered over the years have generated many materials relevant to lidar data users. A list of past workshops and short courses that OpenTopography team members have led or collaborated with, along with corresponding educational materials (lectures, tutorials, exercises, and sample data) is available.
Community Resources
NCALM Seed Grants
Many datasets available on OpenTopography were collected for graduate students via the National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping's (NCALM) Seed program. Each year, NCALM surveys up to ten projects (generally covering ~40 square kilometers) for graduate student PIs who need Airborne Laser Swath Mapping (ALSM) data. For more information about the program and how to submit a proposal, visit NCALM's Seed Program.
Student Internship Opportunities
- SCEC Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SCEC/SURE) : The Southern California Earthquake Center/Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SCEC/SURE) pairs a students with a preeminent earthquake scientist or specialist to conduct research.
- SCEC Undergraduate Studies in Earthquake Information Technology (SCEC/USEIT): SCEC/UseIT interns work on multi-disciplinary, collaborative teams to tackle a scientific "Grand Challenge" posed by SCEC director Dr. Thomas Jordan.
- IRIS Internships: 8 to 10 weeks working on a seismological research project with researchers at an IRIS member intuition.
- Keck Geology Consortium Internships: The Keck Geology Consortium is focused on enriching undergraduate education through high-quality research experiences.
- Research Experiences in Solid Earth Sciences for Students (RESESS): RESESS is a summer internship program dedicated to increasing the diversity of students entering the geosciences. The goal of the RESESS Internship program is to increase the number of students from minority groups that are underrepresented in the geosciences relative to their proportions in the general population.