NOAA Hurricane Irma Topobathymetric Lidar: Miami to Marquesas Keys, FL

2018-2019 NOAA NGS topobathymetric lidar data collected by Quantum Spatial, Inc. across 85 missions from November 2018 to March 2019. The project covers approximately 1,381,270 acres from Miami to the Marquesas Keys, Florida, and is delivered as 23,926 LAS tiles. Data includes point classifications for ground, water surface, bathymetric bottom, water column, and other features.

Use Cases

• Modeling coastal erosion and storm surge impact based on detailed ground and bathymetric elevation data.
• Analyzing changes in submerged topography and water column features based on point classifications.
• Creating high-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) for coastal zones using classified ground points.
• Studying temporal differences in bathymetry in overlapping survey areas based on automated classification layers.

Strengths

• Data collected across 85 missions, suggesting detailed spatial and temporal coverage.
• Includes approximately 1,381,270 acres of coastal and marine area.
• Provides multiple point classifications (e.g., ground, water surface, bathymetric bottom) per ASPRS standards.
• Delivered in 23,926 consistently sized 500m x 500m LAS tiles.

Limitations

• Specific classifications (46, 71, 72, 81, 85) for temporal bathymetric differences have only undergone automated classification and lack manual review.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and point density per tile are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Airborne lidar collected by Quantum Spatial, Inc. using Riegl VQ-880-G+, VQ-880-GII, and VQ-880-GH systems.

Time Range

2018-11-20 to 2019-03-23

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 21:31:37.444260; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Eastern coast of Miami, south and westward to the Marquesas Keys, Florida, USA.