2010 Lidar Point Cloud for Midway Atoll, Northwestern Hawaiian Islands

Summer 2010 lidar-derived elevation data collected over low-lying areas of Midway Atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The U.S. Geological Survey and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration contracted Aerial Surveying, Inc. to collect the data using Riegl 140 and 240 systems on a Beechcraft Queen Air, with validation surveys conducted in April 2011. The dataset contains classified point clouds in LAS 1.2 format.

Use Cases

• Sea level rise modeling based on high-resolution digital elevation models.
• Tsunami inundation modeling based on coastal elevation data.
• Habitat assessments based on classified ground and water point data.
• Validating other remote sensing products based on survey-grade GPS validation points.

Strengths

• Data collected with specific Riegl 140 and 240 lidar systems and a Beechcraft Queen Air aircraft.
• Point clouds are classified to ASPRS standards (Class 1: Unclassified, Class 2: Ground, Class 9: Water).
• Validation was performed in April 2011 using survey-grade GPS receivers.

Limitations

• Accuracy statements are based on open terrain; derived products may be less accurate in areas of extreme terrain and dense vegetation.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and dataset size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce, via U.S. Geological Survey contract.

Collection Method

Airborne lidar survey conducted by Aerial Surveying, Inc., with subsequent processing and validation.

Time Range

Summer 2010, with validation in April 2011.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 22:18:25.540076; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Midway Atoll, Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.