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U.S. Coastal Lidar Elevation Data Archive - Including the Great Lakes and Territories, 1996 - present (NCEI DSI 2068_01)

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The coastal lidar archive includes data from both topographic and bathymetric lidar surveys along U.S. coasts. Data in the archive span from the mid-1990s to the present and are collected using a variety of different lidar systems. The extent of individual lidar surveys varies, ranging from shoreline strips to full county coverage. Many different organizations have contributed to the lidar data collection, including federal, state and local partners. Data are available for all U.S. coastal states and include multiple U.S. territories such as Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa. NCEI is the long-term archive for U.S. coastal lidar data distributed publicly through the NOAA Office for Coastal Management.
  • Cite as: NOAA Office for Coastal Management (2007): U.S. Coastal Lidar Elevation Data - Including the Great Lakes and Territories, 1996 - present (NCEI DSI 2068_01). [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. NCEI DSI 2068_01. [access date].
  • NCEI DSI: 2068_01
  • NCEI Metadata ID: gov.noaa.ngdc:USCoastalLidarElevationData
gov.noaa.ngdc:USCoastalLidarElevationData
XML
Other Access
  • Contact NCEI (offlineAccess)
    The NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) serves as the archive for this LIDAR dataset. NCEI should only be contacted for the data if it cannot be obtained from the NOAA Office of Coastal Management.
Distribution Formats
  • LAZ
  • LAS
  • ASCII Text
Ordering Instructions The NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) serves as the archive for this LIDAR dataset. NCEI should only be contacted for the data if it cannot be obtained from the NOAA Office of Coastal Management.
Distributor NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
ncei.info@noaa.gov
Dataset Point of Contact NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
ncei.info@noaa.gov
Dataset Point of Contact Marine Geology and Geophysics
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
ncei.info@noaa.gov
Time Period 1996-01-01 to Present
Spatial Bounding Box Coordinates
West:134.0
East:-64.0
South:-15.0
North:72.0
West:-180
East:-64.56
South:-14.38
North:71.39
West:144.61
East:180
South:13.23
North:53.02
Spatial Coverage Map
General Documentation
Associated Resources
Publication Dates
  • publication: 2007
Dataset Progress Status Ongoing - data is continually being updated
Historical archive - data has been stored in an offline storage facility
Data Update Frequency As needed
Purpose These topographic/bathymetric lidar data are made available to the public and coastal management community for a wide variety of uses, such as morphologic change analyses, inundation mapping, habitat classification, and visualization. NOTE: These data are NOT to be used for navigation.
Use Limitations
  • These data depict the elevations at the time of the survey and are only accurate for that time. Users should be aware that temporal changes may have occurred since this data set was collected and some parts of this data may no longer represent actual surface conditions. Users should not use this data for critical applications without a full awareness of its limitations. Any conclusions drawn from analysis of this information are not the responsibility of NOAA or any of its partners. These data are NOT to be used for navigational purposes.
  • Lidar data arrive in various forms, which are standardized for storage purposes by format, datum, and projection. Some data are further processed to generate bare-earth products. Errors are removed when possible. Coverage varies from location to location?some areas have multiple years while others have none. Users should not use the data for critical applications without a full awareness of their limitations. NOAA reviews these data but does not guarantee reported vertical or horizontal accuracies. Survey reports are linked in the metadata where they exist.
  • otherRestrictions
Dataset Citation
  • Cite as: NOAA Office for Coastal Management (2007): U.S. Coastal Lidar Elevation Data - Including the Great Lakes and Territories, 1996 - present (NCEI DSI 2068_01). [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. NCEI DSI 2068_01. [access date].
Cited Authors
  • NOAA Office for Coastal Management
Distributors
  • NOAA Office for Coastal Management
Publishers
  • NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
Theme keywords Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
  • Earth Science > Land Surface > Topography
  • Earth Science > Land Surface > Topography > Terrain Elevation
  • Earth Science > Land Surface > Geomorphology > Coastal Landforms/Processes
  • Earth Science > Solid Earth > Geomorphic Landforms/Processes > Coastal Landforms
  • Earth Science > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coastal Elevation
  • Earth Science > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Shoreline
  • Earth Science > Oceans > Bathymetry/Seafloor Topography > Bathymetry
  • Earth Science > Oceans > Bathymetry/Seafloor Topography > Seafloor Topography
  • Earth Science > Oceans > Bathymetry/Seafloor Topography > Water Depth
Data Center keywords Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Data Center Keywords
  • DOC/NOAA/NOS/OCM > Office of Coastal Management, National Ocean Service, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce
  • DOC/NOAA/NOS/CSC > Coastal Services Center, National Ocean Service, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce
  • DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI > National Centers for Environmental Information, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce
  • DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NGDC > National Geophysical Data Center, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce
Instrument keywords Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Instrument Keywords
  • Earth Remote Sensing Instruments > Active Remote Sensing > Altimeters > Lidar/Laser Altimeters > LIDAR ALTIMETERS > Light Detection and Ranging Altimeters
Place keywords Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords
  • Continent > North America > United States Of America
  • Vertical Location > Land Surface
  • Vertical Location > Sea Floor
Provider Keywords
  • U.S. shoreline
  • U.S. Great Lakes shoreline
  • U.S. Territories shoreline
Use Constraints
  • Use liability: NOAA and NCEI cannot provide any warranty as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of furnished data. Users assume responsibility to determine the usability of these data. The user is responsible for the results of any application of this data for other than its intended purpose.
Access Constraints
  • Distribution liability: NOAA and NCEI make no warranty, expressed or implied, regarding these data, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty. NOAA and NCEI cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in these data. If appropriate, NCEI can only certify that the data it distributes are an authentic copy of the records that were accepted for inclusion in the NCEI archives.
Other Constraints Cite as: NOAA Office for Coastal Management (2007): U.S. Coastal Lidar Elevation Data - Including the Great Lakes and Territories, 1996 - present (NCEI DSI 2068_01). [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. NCEI DSI 2068_01. [access date].
Fees
  • In most cases, electronic downloads of the data are free. However, fees may apply for custom orders, data certifications, copies of analog materials, and data distribution on physical media.
Lineage information for:repository
Processing Steps
  • 2015-04-22T00:00:00 -NOAA created the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) by merging NOAA's National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC), and National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), including the National Coastal Data Development Center (NCDDC), per the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015, Public Law 113-235. NCEI launched publicly on April 22, 2015.
Acquisition Information (collection)
Instrument
  • Topographic Lidar Mapping System
  • Bathymetric Lidar Mapping System
Last Modified: 2025-04-25T15:07:10
For questions about the information on this page, please email:ncei.info@noaa.gov