LIDAR - A great resource for Ohio Environmental Scientists

Did you know that Ohio is one of only 5 states to have complete LIDAR coverage? Did you also know that it is available for free?

LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) is a technology used to create detailed topographic maps known as digital elevation models (DEMs). In Ohio, these data were collected during the creation of detailed, orthographically-corrected aerial photography. The DEMs, aerial photography, and LIDAR raw data files are available through Ohio's OGRIP and OSIP sites. A simple google search will get you there.

I commonly download DEMs for the 7.5 minute quads associated with my environmental sites. I then use the TatukGIS viewer (see my March 2009 blog) to do color renderings or shading. The renderings show an amazing amount of detail and can be easily draped over the associated topographic map revealing buried valleys, geomorphic features, etc. It is really a powerful tool for environmental scientists and the great part is that it's all there for free.