NOAA Topobathy Lidar for Virginia Rivers, 2023-2024

195 square miles of combined topographic and bathymetric lidar data collected along five Virginia rivers from October 2023 to November 2024. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration commissioned this survey, which resulted in 9,548 individual 500-meter tiles. Data points are classified into categories including ground, water surface, bathymetric bottom, and submerged objects.

Use Cases

• Modeling riverine and coastal erosion based on classified ground and bathymetric bottom points
• Assessing flood risk and inundation using detailed topographic and water surface elevation data
• Mapping submerged aquatic vegetation and infrastructure from submerged object classifications
• Creating digital elevation models (DEMs) for watershed analysis from the dense point cloud

Strengths

• Covers approximately 195 square miles across five major Virginia river systems
• Provides 9,548 discrete, consistently sized tiles (500m x 500m) for manageable processing
• Includes specific point classifications for features like bridge decks, water surfaces, and submerged objects

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Data freshness should be verified as the last metadata update is from 2026

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Collected by Dewberry using a CZMIL Super Nova airborne lidar system.

Time Range

2023-10-18 to 2024-11-27

Freshness

Data collected from 2023-10-18 to 2024-11 27; metadata last updated 2026-03-13.

Geography

Shorelines of the Roanoke, Rappahannock, Shenandoah, Appomattox, and James Rivers in Virginia, USA.