Coastal Maine Topobathymetric Lidar Survey, 2022-2023

Coastal Maine topobathymetric lidar data collected by NV5 for NOAA between October 2022 and December 2023. The dataset includes 120 missions flown with Leica Chiroptera Hawkeye 4X systems, providing point cloud data in LAS format with intensity, returns, and scan angle. NOAA reviewed the data, leading to corrections and normalized green laser intensity values for depth, with a full redelivery of LAS files and normalized intensity rasters.

Use Cases

• Model coastal erosion and sediment transport based on integrated topographic and bathymetric elevation data.
• Analyze seafloor morphology and habitat mapping based on bathymetric point cloud data.
• Create high-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) for flood risk assessment based on the classified lidar point cloud.
• Calibrate satellite-derived bathymetry algorithms based on the normalized green laser intensity values corrected for depth.

Strengths

• Data collection spanned 120 missions over more than a year, from 20221006 to 20231216.
• Includes post-collection review and correction by NOAA, with a full redelivery of corrected LAS files.
• Contains both topographic and bathymetric (topobathy) data in a single, integrated point cloud.
• Green laser intensity values were normalized for depth to improve data consistency.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and total file size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic and temporal bias inherent to the specific 120 flight missions.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Geodetic Survey (NGS), Department of Commerce.

Collection Method

Collected via airborne lidar using Leica Chiroptera Hawkeye 4X systems by contractor NV5.

Time Range

2022-10-06 to 2023-12-16

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 21:38:23.114486; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Coastal Maine, United States, North America.