LiDAR for Scotland Phase 2: Digital Surface Model for 66 Sites

3,516 km² of airborne LiDAR data collected for 66 sites in Scotland between November 29, 2012 and April 18, 2014. The Scottish Public Sector LiDAR (Phase II) dataset was commissioned by the Scottish Government, SEPA, sportscotland, and 13 local authorities under the Flood Risk Management Act (2009). This Digital Surface Model (DSM) is derived from point cloud data and has been used for flood management, archaeology, and orienteering.

Use Cases

• Model local flood risk and water flow based on high-resolution terrain data.
• Identify potential archaeological sites based on subtle terrain features.
• Create detailed base maps for outdoor sports like orienteering.
• Analyze land cover and urban development from surface elevation models.

Strengths

• Covers a specific, sizable area of 3,516 km² across 66 targeted sites.
• Data collection was commissioned by multiple authoritative public bodies for a clear legislative purpose.
• The DSM product is derived from LiDAR point clouds, suggesting high spatial precision.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The dataset does not have full national coverage of Scotland.

Provenance

Source

Scottish Government, Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA), sportscotland, and 13 Scottish local authorities.

Collection Method

Airborne LiDAR collection.

Time Range

November 29, 2012 to April 18, 2014

Freshness

Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Geography

66 sites across Scotland, totaling 3,516 km².