Utah Statewide Elevation Contours from NED and LiDAR

Contour lines for Utah provide statewide 500-foot intervals from a 10-meter DEM and high-resolution 0.5-meter intervals from 2-meter LiDAR for Salt Lake County. The LiDAR-derived contours cover 4,000 x 4,000 meter blocks and are provided without smoothing. Data originates from the National Elevation Dataset and was processed by the organization SCIOPS.

Use Cases

• Generate topographic maps by plotting the 500-foot or 0.5-meter contour intervals.
• Calculate slope and aspect for hydrological modeling using the elevation values encoded in contour lines.
• Create 3D terrain models for Salt Lake County by interpolating the dense 2-meter LiDAR contour data.
• Assess flood risk zones by analyzing the contour intervals relative to water bodies and urban areas.
• Plan construction or infrastructure projects using the UTM NAD83 projection for accurate spatial alignment.

Strengths

• Statewide coverage provides a complete view of Utah's topography.
• High-resolution 0.5-meter contour intervals for Salt Lake County derived from 2-meter LiDAR.
• Data uses a consistent UTM NAD83 meters projection for spatial analysis.

Limitations

• Contour data for Salt Lake County is provided in unsmoothed shapefiles covering discrete 4,000m blocks, requiring manual merging.
• The description notes raw LiDAR contours may appear jagged and require smoothing in tools like ArcMap.

Provenance

Source

National Elevation Dataset (NED) Digital Elevation Model and 2-meter LiDAR.

Collection Method

Derived from source DEM and LiDAR data; contours generated without smoothing.

Geography

State of Utah, with detailed coverage for Salt Lake County.