2023-2024 NOAA NGS Topobathy Lidar DEM: Ozarks area (Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma River

From August 2023 to July 2024, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) contracted NV5 to collect topobathymetric lidar data for river sections in Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. The final data, covering approximately 745 square statute miles, were processed into Cloud Optimized GeoTIFF format Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) with 1-meter pixel resolution. The data represent both terrestrial and underwater elevations, transformed to geoidal height (Geoid18).

Use Cases

• Modeling flood inundation extents based on the 1-meter resolution topobathymetric elevation data.
• Analyzing river channel morphology and sediment transport using the combined above- and below-water elevation models.
• Creating high-resolution base maps for watershed management and conservation planning in the Ozarks region.
• Calibrating hydrodynamic models with precise elevation data for river sections in Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma.

Strengths

• Data collection covers approximately 745 square statute miles across three states.
• Final DEMs have a high 1-meter pixel resolution.
• Data integrates both topographic and bathymetric (topobathy) measurements.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to the specific river sections surveyed.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Airborne Light Detection and Ranging (lidar) data collection contracted to NV5.

Time Range

August 2023 to July 2024

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 21:40:24.786257; freshness should be verified.

Geography

River sections in Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma (Ozarks area).