These lidar-derived submarine topography maps were produced as a collaborative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Coastal and Marine Geology Program, National Park Service (NPS) South Florida/Caribbean Network Inventory and Monitoring Program, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Wallops Flight Facility. One objective of this research is to create techniques to survey coral reefs for the purposes of habitat mapping, ecological monitoring, change detection, and event assessment (for example: bleaching, hurricanes, disease outbreaks). As part of this project, data from an innovative instrument under development at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility, the NASA Experimental Airborne Advanced Research Lidar (EAARL) are being used. This sensor has the potential to make significant contributions in this realm for measuring water depth and conducting cross-environment surveys. High spectral resolution, water-column correction, and low costs were found to be key factors in providing accurate and affordable imagery to managers of coastal tropical habitats.

In-depth Resources

Report of the U.S. Geological Survey Lidar Workshop Sponsored by the Land Remote Sensing Program and held in St. Petersburg, FL, November 2002, by Michael Crane, Tonya Clayton, Ellen Raabe, Jason Stoker, Larry Handley, Gerald Bawden, Karen Morgan, Vivian Queija, OF 2004-1456, U.S. Geological Survey, 72 pages - Adobe PDF format

Abstract: The first United States Geological Survey Light Detection And Ranging Workshop was held November 20-22, 2002 in St. Petersburg, Florida to bring together scientists and managers from across the agency. The workshop agenda focused on six themes: 1) current and future lidar technologies, 2) lidar applications within USGS science and disciplines, 3) calibration and accuracy assessment, 4) tools for processing and evaluating lidar data sets, 5) lidar data management, and 6) commercial and contracting issues. These six themes served as the topics for workshop plenary sessions as well as the general focus for associated breakout sessions. A number of recommendations are presented regarding the role the USGS should play in the future application and development of lidar technology.