One of the challenges related to LiDAR data is the need for specialized software and expertise to view LiDAR point cloud data and derived digital elevation models (DEMs). For users without the software or skills tackle these data,
(or similar virtual globes) provide an excellent way to view images derived from LiDAR topography data. These Google Earth files are also powerful for education and and outreach and for synoptic browsing of data before working with other LiDAR products.
The Google Earth files (KMZ) below access LiDAR-derived images via the internet and will allow you to seamlessly browse massive amounts of data in Google Earth. The KMZ files listed below provided access to 1 meter resolution imagery derived from LiDAR datasets hosted by OpenTopography. Download the file and open into Google Earth to browse bare earth (filtered) and unfiltered hillshades with two illumination angles (315 and 45 degrees) and slopeshade images. The extent of the LiDAR data is shown by the cyan colored outlines.
Teton Conservation District, Wyoming Lidar ImageryThis dataset was collected during the summer of 2008 by Sanborn on behalf of the
Teton Conservation District. The project mapped 141 square miles of area within the Snake River Range and the Teton National Forest. The area covered is west of the Snake River to the Bridger-Teton National Forest boundary, and from Teton Village to Red Top Meadows.
| Horizontal Coordinates: | UTM Zone 12 N NAD83 Meters [EPSG: 26912] |
| Vertical Coordinates: | NAVD88 [EPSG: 5703] |
| Area: | 365 km2 |
- Lake Tahoe Basin LiDAR Imagery
Watershed Sciences, Inc. (WSI) collected Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data of land surrounding Lake Tahoe from August 11th to August 24th, 2010. The requested area of interest (AOI), excluding the actual lake, was 232,536 acres of delivered LiDAR data. The LiDAR survey used two Leica ALS50 Phase II laser systems mounted in a Cessna Caravan 208B. The Leica systems were set to acquire ≥ 83,000 - 105,900 laser pulses per second (i.e., 83 - 105.9 kHz pulse rate) and flown at 900 - 1300 meters above ground level (AGL) depending on weather and terrain, capturing a scan angle of ±14° from nadir. These settings were developed to yield points with an average native pulse density of >8 pulses per square meter over terrestrial surfaces. The resulting average first-return density of delivered dataset is 11.82 points per square meter with an average ground point density of 2.26 points per square meter. The vertical accuracy was estimated at 3.5 cm RMSE. All TRPA LiDAR data is in the public domain.
| Horizontal Coordinates: | UTM Zone 10 N NAD83 Meters [EPSG: 26910] |
| Vertical Coordinates: | NAVD88 [EPSG: 5703] |
| Area: | 941 km2 |
- El Mayor-Cucapah Earthquake (4 April 2010) Rupture LiDAR Scan Imagery
These data cover the El Mayor-Cucapah earthquake (4 April 2010) rupture belt and nearby portions of the Laguna Salada fault, Sierras La Cucupa and El Mayor, and Colorado River Delta. They were gathered by the National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping at the request of Michael Oskin (UC Davis) and Ramon Arrowsmith (Arizona State University) in collaboration with Alejandro Hinojosa and John Fletcher of CICESE. The acquisition of these data was supported by a RAPID grant from the National Science Foundation's EarthScope Program and Office of International Science and Education, with additional support from the Southern California Earthquake Center.
| Horizontal Coordinates: | UTM Zone 11 N WGS84 Meters [EPSG: 32611] |
| Vertical Coordinates: | Ellipsoid |
| Area: | 372 km2 |
- World Bank - ImageCat Inc. - RIT Haiti Earthquake LiDAR Imagery
- EarthScope Southern & Eastern California LiDAR Imagery
The EarthScope Southern & Eastern California LiDAR project acquired high resolution LiDAR topography data along major active faults as part of the EarthScope Facility project. EarthScope is funded by NSF and conducted in partnership with the USGS and NASA. GeoEarthScope is a component of EarthScope that includes the acquisition of aerial and satellite imagery and geochronology. EarthScope is managed at
UNAVCO.
Please use the following language to acknowledge EarthScope LiDAR:
This material is based on services provided to the Plate Boundary Observatory by NCALM (http://www.ncalm.org). PBO is operated by UNAVCO for EarthScope (http://www.earthscope.org) and supported by the National Science Foundation (No. EAR-0350028 and EAR-0732947). | Horizontal Coordinates: | WGS84 [EPSG: 4326] |
| Vertical Coordinates: | WGS84 |
| Area: | 1,683 km2 |
- EarthScope Yakima LiDAR Imagery
The EarthScope Yakima LiDAR project acquired high resolution LiDAR topography data along the Yakima River in Central Washington, as part of the EarthScope Facility project funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). EarthScope is funded by NSF and conducted in partnership with the USGS and NASA. GeoEarthScope is a component of EarthScope that includes the acquisition of aerial and satellite imagery and geochronology. EarthScope is managed at
UNAVCO.
Please use the following language to acknowledge EarthScope LiDAR:
This material is based on services provided to the Plate Boundary Observatory by NCALM (http://www.ncalm.org). PBO is operated by UNAVCO for EarthScope (http://www.earthscope.org) and supported by the National Science Foundation (No. EAR-0350028 and EAR-0732947). | Horizontal Coordinates: | WGS84 [EPSG: 4326] |
| Vertical Coordinates: | WGS84 |
| Area: | 371 km2 |
- EarthScope Alaska Denali Totschunda LiDAR Imagery
The EarthScope Alaska Denali-Totschunda LiDAR project acquired high-resolution LiDAR topography data along the Denali-Totschunda fault system as part of the EarthScope Facility project. EarthScope is funded by NSF and conducted in partnership with the USGS and NASA. GeoEarthScope is a component of EarthScope that includes the acquisition of aerial and satellite imagery and geochronology. GeoEarthScope is managed at
UNAVCO.
Please use the following language to acknowledge EarthScope LiDAR:
This material is based on services provided to the Plate Boundary Observatory by NCALM (http://www.ncalm.org). PBO is operated by UNAVCO for EarthScope (http://www.earthscope.org) and supported by the National Science Foundation (No. EAR-0350028 and EAR-0732947). | Horizontal Coordinates: | WGS84 [EPSG: 4326] |
| Vertical Coordinates: | WGS84 |
| Area: | 410 km2 |
- EarthScope Intermountain Seismic Belt LiDAR Imagery
The EarthScope Intermountain Seismic Belt LiDAR project acquired high resolution LiDAR topography data in tectonically active regions in Utah and Wyoming, including Yellowstone and Teton National Parks, as part of the EarthScope Facility project funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). EarthScope is funded by NSF and conducted in partnership with the USGS and NASA. GeoEarthScope is a component of EarthScope that includes the acquisition of aerial and satellite imagery and geochronology. EarthScope is managed at
UNAVCO.
Please use the following language to acknowledge EarthScope LiDAR:
This material is based on services provided to the Plate Boundary Observatory by NCALM (http://www.ncalm.org). PBO is operated by UNAVCO for EarthScope (http://www.earthscope.org) and supported by the National Science Foundation (No. EAR-0350028 and EAR-0732947). | Horizontal Coordinates: | WGS84 [EPSG: 4326] |
| Vertical Coordinates: | WGS84 |
| Area: | 830 km2 |
- EarthScope Northern California LiDAR Imagery
The EarthScope Northern California LiDAR project acquired high resolution airborne laser swath mapping imagery along major active faults as part of the EarthScope Facility project funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Between this project and the previously conducted B4 project, also funded by NSF, the entire San Andreas fault system has now been imaged with high resolution airborne LiDAR, along with many other important geologic features. EarthScope is funded by NSF and conducted in partnership with the USGS and NASA. GeoEarthScope is a component of EarthScope that includes the acquisition of aerial and satellite imagery and geochronology. EarthScope is managed at
UNAVCO.
Please use the following language to acknowledge EarthScope LiDAR:
This material is based on services provided to the Plate Boundary Observatory by NCALM (http://www.ncalm.org). PBO is operated by UNAVCO for EarthScope (http://www.earthscope.org) and supported by the National Science Foundation (No. EAR-0350028 and EAR-0732947). | Horizontal Coordinates: | WGS84 [EPSG: 4326] |
| Vertical Coordinates: | WGS84 |
| Area: | 2,448 km2 |
For information on the size of the datasets above and their usage, visit our
One of the challenges related to LiDAR data is the need for specialized software and expertise to view LiDAR point cloud data and derived digital elevation models (DEMs). For users without the software or skills tackle these data, Google Earth (or similar virtual globes) provide an excellent way to view images derived from LiDAR topography data. These Google Earth files are also powerful for education and and outreach and for synoptic browsing of data before working with other LiDAR products.
