NOAA Topobathy Lidar for Northern Lake Michigan and Huron, 2023

8,981 individual 500-meter tiles of topobathymetric lidar data covering approximately 627 square miles of Michigan coastline. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration collected this data in September and October 2023 under specific ground conditions. Processed files are used to create intensity images and digital elevation models.

Use Cases

• Modeling coastal erosion and sediment transport based on detailed elevation data for land and underwater surfaces.
• Creating navigational charts and hazard maps based on high-resolution bathymetric and topographic models.
• Analyzing shoreline change and habitat connectivity based on the seamless land-water elevation dataset.
• Calibrating and validating hydrological models based on precise terrain data collected during specified river levels.

Strengths

• Data collection occurred during optimal ground conditions with no snow and rivers at or below normal levels.
• Covers three distinct project areas with a total of 8,981 tiles and a combined area of approximately 627 square miles.
• Specifications follow the U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Program Base Lidar Specification, Version 1.3.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for specific analytical tasks.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Airborne lidar acquisition and processing following USGS specifications.

Time Range

Data collected from September 14, 2023 to October -5, 2023.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 22:16:56.648058; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Michigan coastline along parts of northern Lake Michigan and northern Lake Huron, UTM zones 16N and 17N.