2023 NOAA Topobathy Lidar: Whitefish Point Lake Superior, MI
Data Set (DS) | Office for Coastal Management (OCM)GUID: gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:79406 | Updated: March 20, 2026 | Published / External
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Summary
Short Citation
Office for Coastal Management, 2026: 2023 NOAA Topobathy Lidar: Whitefish Point Lake Superior, MI, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/79406.
Full Citation Examples
These lidar are processed Classified LAS 1.4 files, formatted to 983 individual 500 m x 500 m tiles. The project AOI covers approximately 161.5 square kilometers, and includes the area from Whitefish Point to Bay Mills, MI in Eastern Lake Superior, the eastern portion of which falls within and EPA's St. Marys River area of concern. Lidar was collected in August 2023. Tetra Tech established 4 ground control points that were used to calibrate the lidar to known ground positions.
The purpose of this proposed bathymetric lidar collection is to build upon existing high resolution coastal and nearshore bathymetry to expand coverage and support benthic habitat mapping in critical priority areas. The importance of high resolution bathymetry in this area of Lake Superior was also identified by multiple regional partners through various need assessments and reporting mechanisms including the Great Lakes prioritization study.
Data Access & Downloads
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Format: Not Applicable
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.
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LAS/LAZ - LASer
Bulk download of data files in LAZ format, UTM Zone 16N NAD83 meters coordinates and elevations in NAVD88(GEOID18) meters. Note that the vertical datum (hence elevations) of the files here are different than described in this document. They will be in an orthometric datum.
None
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be aware that temporal changes may have occurred since this data set was collected and some parts of this data may no longer represent actual surface conditions.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.
Controlled Theme Keywords
COASTAL BATHYMETRY, COASTAL ELEVATION, elevation, TERRAIN ELEVATION
URLs
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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.
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Link to the Tetra Tech lidar report.
Child Items
No Child Items for this record.
Contact Information
Point of Contact
NOAA Office for Coastal Management (NOAA/OCM)
coastal.info@noaa.gov
(843) 740-1202
https://coast.noaa.gov
Metadata Contact
NOAA Office for Coastal Management (NOAA/OCM)
coastal.info@noaa.gov
(843) 740-1202
https://coast.noaa.gov
Extents
-84.999516° W,
-84.500963° E,
46.631652° N,
46.431611° S
2023-08-08 - 2023-08-26
Item Identification
| Title: | 2023 NOAA Topobathy Lidar: Whitefish Point Lake Superior, MI |
|---|---|
| Short Name: | mi2023_whitefish_m10249_metadata |
| Status: | Completed |
| Creation Date: | 2023 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Abstract: |
These lidar are processed Classified LAS 1.4 files, formatted to 983 individual 500 m x 500 m tiles. The project AOI covers approximately 161.5 square kilometers, and includes the area from Whitefish Point to Bay Mills, MI in Eastern Lake Superior, the eastern portion of which falls within and EPA's St. Marys River area of concern. Lidar was collected in August 2023. Tetra Tech established 4 ground control points that were used to calibrate the lidar to known ground positions. |
| Purpose: |
The purpose of this proposed bathymetric lidar collection is to build upon existing high resolution coastal and nearshore bathymetry to expand coverage and support benthic habitat mapping in critical priority areas. The importance of high resolution bathymetry in this area of Lake Superior was also identified by multiple regional partners through various need assessments and reporting mechanisms including the Great Lakes prioritization study. |
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 > OCEANS > BATHYMETRY/SEAFLOOR TOPOGRAPHY > BATHYMETRY > COASTAL BATHYMETRY
|
| Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords |
EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > COASTAL PROCESSES > COASTAL ELEVATION
|
| 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 > MICHIGAN
|
| 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 |
| 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: | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office for Coastal Management |
Support Roles
Data Steward
| Date Effective From: | 2026 |
|---|---|
| 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
| Date Effective From: | 2026 |
|---|---|
| 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
| Date Effective From: | 2026 |
|---|---|
| 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
| Date Effective From: | 2026 |
|---|---|
| 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
| W° Bound: | -84.999516 | |
|---|---|---|
| E° Bound: | -84.500963 | |
| N° Bound: | 46.631652 | |
| S° Bound: | 46.431611 |
Extent Group 1 / Time Frame 1
| Time Frame Type: | Range |
|---|---|
| Start: | 2023-08-08 |
| End: | 2023-08-26 |
Spatial Information
Spatial Resolution
| Horizontal Distance: | 0.28 Meter |
|---|
Spatial Representation
Representations Used
| Grid: | No |
|---|---|
| Vector: | Yes |
| Text / Table: | No |
| TIN: | No |
| Stereo Model: | No |
| Video: | No |
Vector Representation 1
| Point Object Present?: | Yes |
|---|---|
| Point Object Count: | 399317927 |
Reference Systems
Reference System 1
Coordinate Reference System |
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Access Information
| Data License: | Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication |
|---|---|
| Data License URL: | https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ |
| Data License Statement: |
To the extent possible under law, the U.S. Government has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this dataset. |
| 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
| Download URL: | https://coast.noaa.gov/dataviewer/#/lidar/search/where:ID=10249 /details/10249 |
|---|---|
| Distributor: | NOAA Office for Coastal Management (NOAA/OCM) (2026 - 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. |
| Distribution Format: | Not Applicable |
| Compression: | Zip |
Distribution 2
| Download URL: | https://noaa-nos-coastal-lidar-pds.s3.amazonaws.com/laz/geoid18/10249/index.html |
|---|---|
| Distributor: | NOAA Office for Coastal Management (NOAA/OCM) (2026 - Present) |
| File Name: | Bulk Download |
| Description: |
Bulk download of data files in LAZ format, UTM Zone 16N NAD83 meters coordinates and elevations in NAVD88(GEOID18) meters. Note that the vertical datum (hence elevations) of the files here are different than described in this document. They will be in an orthometric datum. |
| Distribution Format: | LAS/LAZ - LASer |
| Compression: | LAZ |
URLs
URL 1
| 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
| URL: | https://noaa-nos-coastal-lidar-pds.s3.amazonaws.com/laz/geoid18/10249/supplemental/Lake_Superior_Project_Report.pdf |
|---|---|
| Name: | Lidar Report |
| URL Type: |
Online Resource
|
| File Resource Format: | |
| Description: |
Link to the Tetra Tech lidar report. |
Data Quality
| Vertical Positional Accuracy: |
Calibration was performed using Bayesmap Stripalign. For every individual lidar swath, all 9 channels of the SuperNova were calibrated in unison. The only differentiation being forward vs backward laser look angles with respect to flight direction. Any swath edge or tail mismatches were rectified using two iterative rounds of swath alignment. Calibrated swaths were shifted vertically to the four ground control points (GCPs) for improved absolute accuracy. A control report for final calibrated LAS was run in TerraScan after the points were shifted. The average Dz compared to the GCPs revealed a mean value of 0.034 m with a Standard Deviation and the NVA RMSE of 0.051 m and 0.044 m respectively. |
|---|---|
| Completeness Report: |
These LAS data files include all data points collected. A visual review was performed to ensure complete coverage. |
| Conceptual Consistency: |
Data covers the entire AOI of the specific project. |
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-NC |
| How Will the Data Be Protected from Accidental or Malicious Modification or Deletion Prior to Receipt by the Archive?: |
Data is backed up to cloud storage. |
Lineage
| Lineage Statement: |
This dataset was collected for the NOAA Office for Coastal Management (OCM) by Tetra Tech and was processed to the NOAA Digital Coast Data Access Viewer to make the data available for custom and bulk downloads. |
|---|
Sources
LAZ Files
| Contact Role Type: | Originator |
|---|---|
| Contact Type: | Organization |
| Contact Name: | NOAA Office for Coastal Management |
Process Steps
Process Step 1
| Description: |
The initial point cloud was generated from raw waveforms using CARIS BASE Editor. This software uses machine learning to identify water surface and bathymetric bottom from the waveforms, then classifies the point cloud as such. Data are processed on a per mission basis then exported to raw, uncalibrated swaths in LAS 1.4 format. Before moving on to subsequent processing steps, coverage and density were reviewed according to project specifications. Reasonable effort was made to identify candidate areas for reflights in an attempt to obtain better bathymetric bottom coverage. The calibrated point cloud was processed through a series of automated classification routines to obtain consistent water surface and ground classes. Additionally, excessive noise was moved to the appropriate classes in order to create a cleaner point cloud product. Tetra Tech completed automated and manual editing of the lidar dataset, performed a QA/QC review, and created final products for delivery. |
|---|---|
| Process Date/Time: | 2023-10-20 00:00:00 |
Process Step 2
| Description: |
The NOAA Office for Coastal Management (OCM) processed 983 LAS files collected by Tetra Tech. The files were in UTM Zone 16N NAD83 meters coordinates and the elevations were in NAVD88 (GEOID18) meters. The LAS files had these classifications: 1 = unclassified; 2 = ground (or Bare Earth); 7 = low point (withheld); 18 = high noise (withheld); 40 = bathymetric bottom, 41 = water surface; 42 = derived water surface (synthetic); 43 = submerged object; 45 = water column. NOAA OCM processed the 1, 2, 7, 18, 40, 41, 42, 43 and 45 point classes to the Digital Coast Data Access Viewer (DAV). OCM performed the following processing on the data for Digital Coast storage and provisioning purposes: 1. Internal OCM scripts were run to check the number of points by classification and by flight ID and the gps, elevation, and intensity ranges. 2. Internal OCM scripts were run on the laz files to: a. Convert from orthometric (NAVD88) elevations to ellipsoid elevations using the GEOID18 model b. Convert from UTM Zone 16N NAD83 meters coordinates to geographic coordinates c. Assign the geokeys, to sort the data by gps time and zip the data to database and to AWS S3. |
|---|---|
| Process Date/Time: | 2026-03-11 00:00:00 |
| Process Contact: | NOAA Office for Coastal Management (NOAA/OCM) |
| Email Address: | coastal.info@noaa.gov |
| Phone (Voice): | (843) 740-1202 |
Related Items
| Item Type | Relationship Type | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Data Set (DS) | Cross Reference |
2023 NOAA Topobathy Lidar DEM: Whitefish Point Lake Superior, MI |
Catalog Details
| Catalog Item ID: | 79406 |
|---|---|
| GUID: | gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:79406 |
| Metadata Record Created By: | Rebecca Mataosky |
| Metadata Record Created: | 2026-03-11 20:08+0000 |
| Metadata Record Last Modified By: | Rebecca Mataosky |
| Metadata Record Last Modified: | 2026-03-20 13:43+0000 |
| Metadata Record Published: | 2026-03-12 |
| Owner Org: | OCM |
| Metadata Publication Status: | Published Externally |
| Do Not Publish?: | N |
| Metadata Last Review Date: | 2026-03-12 |
| Metadata Review Frequency: | 1 Year |
| Metadata Next Review Date: | 2027-03-12 |