LIDAR Composite DSM 2017: 50cm Resolution Elevation Model for England

2017 LIDAR Composite Digital Surface Model for England at 50cm spatial resolution, produced by the Environment Agency. The dataset is derived from a merged and re-sampled archive, using the newest and best resolution data from repeat surveys, and is updated annually. Data is available as ASCII files in 5km grids, with heights in meters and a vertical accuracy of +/-15cm RMSE.

Use Cases

• Modeling 3D urban environments based on building and vegetation heights included in the DSM.
• Analyzing terrain and surface features for flood risk assessment based on high-resolution elevation data.
• Training computer vision models for object detection (e.g., buildings, vehicles) from elevation models.
• Creating shaded relief visualizations for cartographic purposes using the available WMS feed.

Strengths

• High spatial resolution of 50cm.
• Vertical accuracy of +/-15cm RMSE.
• Annual updates incorporate the latest survey data.
• Coverage includes the best available data from a full time-stamped archive.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Row count and file size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data is specific to England, which may limit geographic applicability.

Provenance

Source

Environment Agency, United Kingdom.

Collection Method

Airborne LIDAR mapping, with data merged and re-sampled from a time-stamped archive.

Time Range

2017 (composite version).

Freshness

Updated on an annual basis; the specific dataset version is from 2017.

Geography

England.