Southwestern US Earthworks Inventory from LiDAR and Aerial Imagery

Southwestern USA earthworks inventory includes point features for berms, tanks, and other structures built for water diversion and retention. The dataset was created by researchers from the USDA-ARS Southwest Watershed Research Center and the University of Arizona using 1-meter LiDAR-derived DEM hillshades and aerial imagery. It was last updated in April 2026.

Use Cases

• Classify earthwork types (e.g., berms vs. tanks) from point geometry and associated attributes.
• Analyze spatial distribution of water retention features across the southwestern USA.
• Validate or augment hydrological models using the locations of documented water diversion structures.
• Assess human landscape modification by correlating earthwork point locations with land cover data.

Strengths

• Data derived from 1-meter resolution LiDAR Digital Elevation Models.
• Cross-checked using aerial imagery for validation.
• Released under a permissive CC0-1.0 public domain license.

Limitations

• Inventory completeness is uncertain as some earthworks may have been missed due to size, topography, or obstacles.
• The dataset size of 124.7 MB suggests a medium-scale inventory, but the exact feature count is unknown.
• Data is specific to the southwestern USA, limiting geographic generalizability.

Provenance

Source

USDA-ARS Southwest Watershed Research Center and University of Arizona.

Collection Method

Manual inventory completed using 1-meter LiDAR-derived DEM hillshades and aerial imagery.

Freshness

Last updated in April 2026.

Geography

Southwestern USA.