Slide Menu
Search Help Show/Hide Menu
Short Citation:
OCM Partners, 2024: 2015 USGS Lidar DEM: Mt. Baker, WA, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/67791.

Item Identification

Title: 2015 USGS Lidar DEM: Mt. Baker, WA
Status: Completed
Creation Date: 2022
Abstract:

No metadata record was provided with the data. This record is populated with information from the Quantum Spatial, Inc. (QSI) technical report downloaded from the Washington Dept. of Natural Resources Washington Lidar Portal. The technical report is available for download from the link provided in the URL section of this metadata record.

In August 2015, Quantum Spatial (QSI) was contracted by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) to collect Quality Level 1 (8ppsm) Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data in the fall of 2015 for the Mt. Baker site in Whatcom County, Washington. Mount Baker is the third highest peak in the state of Washington and is the second most thermally active mountain in the Cascade Range, surpassed only by Mt. Saint Helens. Data were collected to aid USGS in assessing the topographic and geophysical properties of the study area to support increased seismic monitoring and volcanic hazard assessment to neighboring communities and infrastructure.

Purpose:

Data were collected to aid USGS in assessing the topographic and geophysical properties of the study area to support increased seismic monitoring and volcanic hazard assessment to neighboring communities and infrastructure.

Keywords

Theme Keywords

Thesaurus Keyword
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
EARTH SCIENCE > LAND SURFACE > TOPOGRAPHY > TERRAIN ELEVATION
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
EARTH SCIENCE > LAND SURFACE > TOPOGRAPHY > TERRAIN ELEVATION > DIGITAL ELEVATION/TERRAIN MODEL (DEM)
ISO 19115 Topic Category
elevation

Spatial Keywords

Thesaurus Keyword
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords
CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords
CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > UNITED STATES OF AMERICA > WASHINGTON
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords
VERTICAL LOCATION > LAND SURFACE

Instrument Keywords

Thesaurus Keyword
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Instrument Keywords
LIDAR > Light Detection and Ranging

Platform Keywords

Thesaurus Keyword
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Platform Keywords
Airplane > Airplane

Physical Location

Organization: Office for Coastal Management
City: Charleston
State/Province: SC

Data Set Information

Data Set Scope Code: Data Set
Data Set Type: Elevation
Maintenance Frequency: None Planned
Data Presentation Form: Model (digital)
Distribution Liability:

Any conclusions drawn from the analysis of this information are not the responsibility of NOAA, the Office for Coastal Management or its partners.

Data Set Credit: Quantum Spatial, Inc., USGS, Washington Dept. of Natural Resources

Support Roles

Data Steward

CC ID: 1182812
Date Effective From: 2022
Date Effective To:
Contact (Organization): NOAA Office for Coastal Management (NOAA/OCM)
Address: 2234 South Hobson Ave
Charleston, SC 29405-2413
Email Address: coastal.info@noaa.gov
Phone: (843) 740-1202
URL: https://coast.noaa.gov

Distributor

CC ID: 1182811
Date Effective From: 2022
Date Effective To:
Contact (Organization): NOAA Office for Coastal Management (NOAA/OCM)
Address: 2234 South Hobson Ave
Charleston, SC 29405-2413
Email Address: coastal.info@noaa.gov
Phone: (843) 740-1202
URL: https://coast.noaa.gov

Metadata Contact

CC ID: 1182813
Date Effective From: 2022
Date Effective To:
Contact (Organization): NOAA Office for Coastal Management (NOAA/OCM)
Address: 2234 South Hobson Ave
Charleston, SC 29405-2413
Email Address: coastal.info@noaa.gov
Phone: (843) 740-1202
URL: https://coast.noaa.gov

Point of Contact

CC ID: 1182814
Date Effective From: 2022
Date Effective To:
Contact (Organization): NOAA Office for Coastal Management (NOAA/OCM)
Address: 2234 South Hobson Ave
Charleston, SC 29405-2413
Email Address: coastal.info@noaa.gov
Phone: (843) 740-1202
URL: https://coast.noaa.gov

Extents

Currentness Reference: Ground Condition

Extent Group 1

Extent Group 1 / Geographic Area 1

CC ID: 1298406
W° Bound: -122.008733
E° Bound: -121.59796
N° Bound: 48.914427
S° Bound: 48.61497

Extent Group 1 / Time Frame 1

CC ID: 1298405
Time Frame Type: Range
Start: 2015-08-26
End: 2015-09-27

Spatial Information

Spatial Representation

Representations Used

Grid: Yes

Reference Systems

Reference System 1

CC ID: 1298403

Coordinate Reference System

CRS Type: Projected
EPSG Code: EPSG:2927
EPSG Name: NAD83(HARN) / Washington South (ftUS)
See Full Coordinate Reference System Information

Reference System 2

CC ID: 1298402

Coordinate Reference System

CRS Type: Vertical
EPSG Code: EPSG:6360
EPSG Name: NAVD88 height (ftUS)
See Full Coordinate Reference System Information

Access Information

Security Class: Unclassified
Data Access Procedure:

Data is available online for bulk and custom downloads.

Data Access Constraints:

None

Data Use Constraints:

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.

Distribution Information

Distribution 1

CC ID: 1182815
Start Date: 2021-07-15
End Date: Present
Download URL: https://coast.noaa.gov/dataviewer/#/lidar/search/where:ID=9575/details/9575
Distributor: NOAA Office for Coastal Management (NOAA/OCM) (2022 - Present)
File Name: Customized Download
Description:

Create custom data files by choosing data area, product type, map projection, file format, datum, etc. A new metadata will be produced to reflect your request using this record as a base. Change to an orthometric vertical datum is one of the many options.

File Type (Deprecated): Zip
Compression: Zip

Distribution 2

CC ID: 1182816
Start Date: 2021-07-15
End Date: Present
Download URL: https://noaa-nos-coastal-lidar-pds.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/dem/WA_Baker_DEM_2015_9575/index.html
Distributor: NOAA Office for Coastal Management (NOAA/OCM) (2022 - Present)
File Name: Bulk Download
Description:

Bulk download of data files in GeoTiff format, WA State Plane South NAD83(HARN) US survey feet coordinates and orthometric heights in feet.

File Type (Deprecated): GeoTIFF
Distribution Format: GeoTIFF

URLs

URL 1

CC ID: 1182817
URL: https://coast.noaa.gov/dataviewer/
Name: NOAA's Office for Coastal Management (OCM) Data Access Viewer (DAV)
URL Type:
Online Resource
File Resource Format: HTML
Description:

The Data Access Viewer (DAV) allows a user to search for and download elevation, imagery, and land cover data for the coastal U.S. and its territories. The data, hosted by the NOAA Office for Coastal Management, can be customized and requested for free download through a checkout interface. An email provides a link to the customized data, while the original data set is available through a link within the viewer.

URL 2

CC ID: 1182818
URL: https://lidarportal.dnr.wa.gov/download?ids=665
Name: Lidar Report
URL Type:
Online Resource
File Resource Format: pdf
Description:

Link to the Quantum Spatial, Inc. Technical Lidar Report from the Washington Lidar Portal.

Data Quality

Vertical Positional Accuracy:

Non-vegetated Vertical Accuracy (NVA) was assessed according to guidelines presented in the USGS LiDAR Base Specifications Version 1.2, November 2014. NVA compares known ground check point data collected on open, bare earth surfaces with level slope (less than 20 degrees) to the raw LiDAR point cloud and to the digital elevation model (DEM). NVA is a measure of the accuracy of LiDAR point data in open areas where the LiDAR system has a high probability of measuring the ground surface and is evaluated at the 95% confidence interval (1.96 * RMSE). Specifications for this project require that the NVA be 19.6 cm or better AccuracyZ (1.96*RMSE) at a 95 percent confidence level.

The mean and standard deviation (sigma) of divergence of the ground surface model from ground check point coordinates are also considered during accuracy assessment. These statistics assume the error for x, y and z is normally distributed, and therefore the skew and kurtosis of distributions are also considered when evaluating error statistics. For the Mt. Baker, 94 ground check points were withheld in total resulting in a non-vegetated vertical accuracy of 0.036 meters RMSE computed from the raw LiDAR point cloud and 0.041 meters RMSE computed from the DEM.

QSI also assessed vertical accuracy using Vegetated Vertical Accuracy (VVA) reporting. VVA compares known ground check point data within all vegetated land cover class categories to the digital elevation model (DEM) created from the ground classified LiDAR points. VVA is evaluated at the 95th percentile, and is 0.123 meters.

Data Management

Have Resources for Management of these Data Been Identified?: Yes
Approximate Percentage of Budget for these Data Devoted to Data Management: Unknown
Do these Data Comply with the Data Access Directive?: Yes
Actual or Planned Long-Term Data Archive Location: NCEI-CO
How Will the Data Be Protected from Accidental or Malicious Modification or Deletion Prior to Receipt by the Archive?:

Data is backed up to tape and to cloud storage.

Lineage

Lineage Statement:

The NOAA Office for Coastal Management (OCM) downloaded the GeoTiff files from the Washington Lidar Portal.

Sources

Washington Dept of Natural Resources

CC ID: 1298396
Contact Role Type: Originator
Contact Type: Organization
Contact Name: Washington Dept of Natural Resources
Citation URL: https://lidarportal.dnr.wa.gov/
Citation URL Name: Washington Lidar Portal

Process Steps

Process Step 1

CC ID: 1298397
Description:

Planning:

In preparation for data collection, QSI reviewed the project area and developed a specialized flight plan to ensure complete coverage of the QL1 Mt. Baker LiDAR study area at the target point density of greater than or equal to 8.0 points/m2. Acquisition parameters including orientation relative to terrain, flight altitude, pulse rate, scan angle, and ground speed were adapted to optimize flight paths and flight times while meeting all contract specifications.

Factors such as satellite constellation availability and weather windows must be considered during the planning stage. Any weather hazards or conditions affecting the flights were continuously monitored due to their potential impact on the daily success of airborne and ground operations. In addition, logistical considerations including private property access and potential air space restrictions were reviewed.

Process Step 2

CC ID: 1298398
Description:

Ground Survey Points

Ground survey points were collected using real time kinematic, post-processed kinematic (PPK), and fast-static (FS) survey techniques. A Trimble R7 and Trimble R10 base unit was positioned at a nearby monument to broadcast a kinematic correction to a roving Trimble R8 and Trimble R10 GNSS receiver. All GSP measurements were made during periods with a Position Dilution of Precision (PDOP) of less than or equal to 3.0 with at least six satellites in view of the stationary and roving receivers. When collecting RTK and PPK data, the rover records data while stationary for five seconds, then calculates the pseudorange position using at least three one-second epochs. FS surveys record observations for up to fifteen minutes on each GSP in order to support longer baselines for post-processing. Relative errors for any GSP position must be less than 1.5 cm horizontal and 2.0 cm vertical in order to be accepted.

GSPs were collected in areas where good satellite visibility was achieved on paved roads and other hard surfaces such as gravel or packed dirt roads. GSP measurements were not taken on highly reflective surfaces such as center line stripes or lane markings on roads due to the increased noise seen in the laser returns over these surfaces. GSPs were collected within as many flightlines as possible; however the distribution of GSPs depended on ground access constraints and monument locations and may not be equitably distributed throughout the study area.

Monumentation

The spatial configuration of ground survey monuments provided redundant control within 13 nautical miles of the mission areas for LiDAR flights. Monuments were also used for collection of ground survey points using real time kinematic (RTK), post processed kinematic (PPK), and fast-static (FS) survey techniques.

Monument locations were selected with consideration for satellite visibility, field crew safety, and optimal location for GSP coverage. QSI utilized four existing monuments and established six new monuments for the Mt. Baker LiDAR project. New monumentation was set using 5/8 inch x 30 inch rebar topped with stamped 2 1/2 inch aluminum caps. QSI's professional land surveyor, Christopher Glantz (WA PLS #48755) oversaw and certified the establishment of all monuments.

To correct the continuously recorded onboard measurements of the aircraft position, QSI concurrently conducted multiple static Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) ground surveys (1 Hz recording frequency) over each monument. During post-processing, the static GPS data were triangulated with nearby Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS) using the Online Positioning User Service (OPUS1) for precise positioning. Multiple independent sessions over the same monument were processed to confirm antenna height measurements and to refine position accuracy.

Monuments were established according to the national standard for geodetic control networks, as specified in the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) Geospatial Positioning Accuracy Standards for geodetic networks.2 This standard provides guidelines for classification of monument quality at the 95% confidence interval as a basis for comparing the quality of one control network to another.

For the Mt. Baker LiDAR project, the monument coordinates contributed no more than 5.4 cm of positional error to the geolocation of the final ground survey points and LiDAR, with 95% confidence.

Process Step 3

CC ID: 1298399
Description:

Airborne Survey

The LiDAR survey was accomplished using a Leica ALS80 system mounted in a Cessna Caravan 208B. The settings werer used to yield an average pulse density of greater than or equal to 8 pulses/m2 over the Mt. Baker project area. The Leica ALS80 laser system can record unlimited range measurements (returns) per pulse. It is not uncommon for some types of surfaces (e.g., dense vegetation or water) to return fewer pulses to the LiDAR sensor than the laser originally emitted. The discrepancy between first return and overall delivered density will vary depending on terrain, land cover, and the prevalence of water bodies. All discernible laser returns were processed for the output dataset.

All areas were surveyed with an opposing flight line side-lap of greater than or equal to 50 percent (greater than or equal to 100 percent overlap) in order to reduce laser shadowing and increase surface laser painting. To accurately solve for laser point position (geographic coordinates x, y and z), the positional coordinates of the airborne sensor and the attitude of the aircraft were recorded continuously throughout the LiDAR data collection mission. Position of the aircraft was measured twice per second (2 Hz) by an onboard differential GPS unit, and aircraft attitude was measured 200 times per second (200 Hz) as pitch, roll and yaw (heading) from an onboard inertial measurement unit (IMU). To allow for post-processing correction and calibration, aircraft and sensor position and attitude data are indexed by GPS time.

Process Step 4

CC ID: 1298400
Description:

Upon completion of data acquisition, QSI processing staff initiated a suite of automated and manual techniques to process the data into the requested deliverables. Processing tasks included GPS control computations, smoothed best estimate trajectory (SBET) calculations, kinematic corrections, calculation of laser point position, sensor and data calibration for optimal relative and absolute accuracy, and LiDAR point classification. Processing methodologies were tailored for the landscape. Brief descriptions of these tasks are shown below.

Lidar Processing Steps

Resolve kinematic corrections for aircraft position data using kinematic aircraft GPS and static ground GPS data. Develop a smoothed best estimate of trajectory (SBET) file that blends post-processed aircraft position with sensor head position and attitude recorded throughout the survey. Software used - Waypoint Inertial Explorer v.8.6

Calculate laser point position by associating SBET position to each laser point return time, scan angle, intensity, etc. Create raw laser point cloud data for the entire survey in *.las (ASPRS v. 1.2) format. Convert data to orthometric elevations by applying a geoid 03 correction. Software used - Waypoint Inertial Explorer v.8.6, Leica Cloudpro v. 1.2.2

Import raw laser points into manageable blocks (less than 500 MB) to perform manual relative accuracy calibration and filter erroneous points. Classify ground points for individual flight lines.. Software used - TerraScan v.15

Using ground classified points per each flight line, test the relative accuracy. Perform automated line-to-line calibrations for system attitude parameters (pitch, roll, heading), mirror flex (scale) and GPS/IMU drift. Calculate calibrations on ground classified points from paired flight lines and apply results to all points in a flight line. Use every flight line for relative accuracy calibration. Software used - TerraMatch v.15

Classify resulting data to ground and other client designated ASPRS classifications (Table 8). Assess statistical absolute accuracy via direct comparisons of ground classified points to ground control survey data. Software used - TerraScan v.15, TerraModeler v.15

Generate bare earth models as triangulated surfaces. Generate highest hit models as a surface expression of all classified points. Export all surface models in EDRAS Imagine (.img) format at a 1 meter pixel resolution. Software used - TerraScan v.15, TerraModeler v.15, ArcMap v. 10.1

Process Step 5

CC ID: 1298401
Description:

The NOAA Office for Coastal Management (OCM) downloaded 14 raster DEM files in GeoTiff format from the Washington Lidar Portal. The data were in Washington State Plane South NAD83(HARN), US survey feet coordinates and NAVD88 (Geoid03) elevations in feet. The bare earth raster files were at a 3 feet grid spacing. No metadata record was provided with the data. This record is populated with information from the Quantum Spatial, Inc. technical report downloaded from the Washington Dept. of Natural Resources Washington Lidar Portal.

OCM performed the following processing on the data for Digital Coast storage and provisioning purposes:

1. Used internal an script to assign the EPSG codes (Horizontal EPSG: 2927 and Vertical EPSG: 6360) to the GeoTiff formatted files.

2. Copied the files to https.

Process Date/Time: 2022-08-30 00:00:00
Process Contact: Office for Coastal Management (OCM)

Catalog Details

Catalog Item ID: 67791
GUID: gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:67791
Metadata Record Created By: Rebecca Mataosky
Metadata Record Created: 2022-08-30 17:16+0000
Metadata Record Last Modified By: Kirk Waters
Metadata Record Last Modified: 2024-01-10 19:27+0000
Metadata Record Published: 2024-01-10
Owner Org: OCMP
Metadata Publication Status: Published Externally
Do Not Publish?: N
Metadata Last Review Date: 2022-08-30
Metadata Review Frequency: 1 Year
Metadata Next Review Date: 2023-08-30