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Steve Shivers

National Map Liaison

National Geospatial ProgramJuly 25, 2017

New Lidar Technologies

for 3DEP

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Overview - USGS has a long history providing elevation data

First through contours on topographic maps

Later by digital data in the National Elevation Dataset (NED)

Background

3DEP initiative - based on the results of the National Enhanced

Elevation Assessment (NEEA)

Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (IfSAR) data being

collected over Alaska

Lidar examples of natural

(Mount St Helens, left)

and constructed (urban

area, right) features

3D Elevation Program (3DEP)

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Respond to growing needs for high-quality topographic data

3DEP The USGS NGP developed 3DEP to:

30-meter DEM10-meter DEM3-meter DEM3DEP 1-meter DEM

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3DEP is the USGS newest effort to provide national elevation data

These data are transforming industries and creating new applications

never before possible

The program is transformational because:

It applies ground-breaking lidar data to provide not only a higher

resolution bare earth elevation surface, but

Also provides 3-dimensional data of all the natural and constructed

features

The program also calls for increasing the quality level of lidar data

being acquired because it meets many more mission critical

applications

Natural Resource

Conservation

Infrastructure

Management

Flood Risk Mitigation Precision Farming Land Navigation

and Safety

Geologic Resources

and Hazards Mitigation

Mission critical area examples:

3DEP

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3D Elevation Program (3DEP)Mission Critical Applications

Infrastructure ManagementGeologic Hazards

Archaeology

Precision Forestry

Aviation Safety

Flood Risk Management

Alternative Energy

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Quality Levels

Quality

LevelSource

Vertical

Accuracy

RMSEz

Aggregate

Nominal Pulse

Spacing

(ANPS) (m)

Aggregate

Nominal Pulse

Density (NPD)

(pls/m2)

DEM Cell Size

(minimum)

QL0 Lidar 5.0 cm ≤ 0.35 ≥ 8.0 0.5 m / 1 ft

QL1 Lidar 10 cm ≤ 0.35 ≥ 8.0 0.5 m / 1 ft

QL2 Lidar 10 cm ≤ 0.71 ≥ 2 1.0 m / 2 ft

QL3 Lidar 20 cm ≤ 1.41 ≥ 0.5 2.0 m / 5 ft

QL5 IfSAR 185 cm ≤ 5 ≥ 0.04 5 meters

+ 7+ 7Getting Involved in 3DEP Acquisition

Checklist

1. Check to see if data already exists

Use the US Interagency Elevation Inventory (IEI)

https://coast.noaa.gov/inventory/

2. Coordination

For federal agencies, contact your 3DEP Working Group member

Others contact your USGS National Map Liaison (me!)

3. Partnerships

Form partnerships

Use the Seasketch site to coordinate acquisition areas

4. Plan for data acquisition

Submit a proposal to receive 3DEP funding for the project

Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) process

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U.S. Interagency Elevation Inventory (IEI)

Maintained by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S.

Dept. of Agriculture (USDA), USGS, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) https://coast.noaa.gov/inventory/

Getting Involved in 3DEP Acquisition

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Cooperative website with NOAA -

Interagency Tool for Sharing Areas of Interesthttp://www.seasketch.org/#projecthomepage/5272840f6ec5f42d210016e4/layers

Getting Involved in 3DEP Acquisition

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3DEP Multi-Year Planning (FY18 – FY20)

PRELIMINARY

Based on input

from 3DEP WG

Federal

agencies

■ Assumes a level

budget

■ Identifies

projects with a

minimum/ partial

planned funding

■ Will be adjusted ■ Based on the

availability of

funding

■ Annual

Adjustment to

reflect updated

priorities

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Target Release Date: August 15th

Initial Proposal Due Date: October 20th

Decisions November – January (based of availability of funding)

Public Webinars: August 10th at 12 PM CT & August 17th at 2 PM CT

Register for Webinars at

https://cms.geoplatform.gov/elevation/3DEP/PublicMeetings

More Info: http://nationalmap.gov/3DEP/

3DEP Broad Agency AnnouncementFY17 BAA (for FY18 Projects)

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Emerging Lidar Technologies

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Emerging Lidar TechnologiesGeiger-mode Lidar (GML)

Creates a point cloud differently than linear lidar

Rather than a laser pulse, GML uses a photo diode array to flood an area with

infrared light

Each diode in the array is then sensitive enough to detect a single photon that was

reflected from the illuminated area and is registered as an elevation measurement.

GML does not create a point from a single elevation measurement.

Instead, array is mounted on a scanner which rotates at an angle to create a cone

shaped field of view

Result is that the ground field of view is a circle, not a line like a linear scanner. As the

scanner rotates the photo diode array flashes up to 50,000 times every second and

takes 4,096 measurements per flash, meaning 205 million elevation measurements

can be taken every second

Purpose of this ‘multiple look’ approach is to have a point on the ground be measured

thousands of times instead of just once, as is the case with a linear scanner

In theory this would allow the GML sensor to be flown higher and faster and still

acquire the desired pulse density (or equivalent) and same quality of data hence

lowering the cost Source: ‘Geiger Mode and Single Photon Lidar

Technology Evaluation,’ US Forest Service

Reimbursable Project Report; April 26, 2016

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Emerging techs are not a 1:1 substitution

USGS goal is to have a seamless, consistent national 3D layer

that is used for multiple uses

Bare Earth

Structures (infrastructure)

Vegetation

Different instruments collect this information differently

Pulse/returns/intensity/scan angles/processing

THERE ARE TRADE OFFS!

Education is key to understanding the trade offs and acceptability

to the decision makers

Emerging Lidar Technologies

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Assessing quality by comparing to ground truth 3DEP interested in collecting data that can be used for more

than a bare earth DEM

A big focus is being able to accurately measure and represent

above ground features.

As a result we need ways to assess the absolute accuracy of

both bare earth and non-bare earth features, as well as

performance of bare earth modeling under forested canopies

In order to do this properly, we need to have surveyed

features on the ground that are at least 3 times as accurate as

the remote sensing data results we are evaluating

To accomplish this, we are testing the use of ‘ground truth’

targets using a combination of GPS, terrestrial laser-scanned

objects and highly-surveyed 3-D targets

Emerging Lidar Technologies

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Path aheadFoster maturation of new technologies for 3DEP

Ongoing/additional review and testing of GM/SPL

Use the test projects to better understand how the data is processed through existing

workflows, review the data throughout the lifecycle

Check calibration between collections (i.e., point-to-plane comparison)

Collect terrestrial lidar data to evaluate accuracy of surfaces, in addition to single points

Assess costs associated with storage and hosting of higher density collections

For FY18, continue with limited investments in GM / SPC data acquisition

Set a total funding and/or total square mile investment

Allow for growth and incremental acceptance of the new technologies

Provide flexibility to continue to work with partners interested in Geiger/SPC

Develop repeatable procedures to assess new technologies against our requirements

2x3D measurements per square meter, vertically accurate to within 10 cm RMSE and

resolve both bare earth and non bare earth features

Other technologies to consider - SfM (structure from motion), topobathy sensors, multi-

wavelength lidar, waveform lidar, lidar from other kinematic platforms (UAS, mobile

mappers), imagery-derived elevation models

Continue to evolve the base specification to allow innovation while retaining standard,

consistent 3D data nationwide

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Guideline documents being worked through ASPRS

■ Working Guidelines via ASPRS Lidar Division

■ Also, published in ASPRS PE&RS, the ASPRS Lidar Manual, ISO/DTS 19159-2

Geographic information -- Calibration and validation of remote sensing imagery

sensors -- Part 2: Lidar

Emerging Lidar Technologies

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Emerging Lidar Test ProjectsFoster maturation of new technologies for 3DEP

Resulting data will meet accuracies, but will not meet attributes of the current specification related to linear

mode lidar (for example multiple returns and time stamp); those specification attributes are being waived for

these test projects, and the data will be designated as provisional

Since we have not processed or distributed data from these sensors before, there is a higher level of

uncertainty across the lifecycle of the projects that is being communicated to stakeholders

Published paper in the journal Remote Sensing special issue Airborne Laser Scanning on emerging

technologies: Stoker, J.M., Abdullah, Q. A., Nayegandhi, A., and Winehouse, J., 2016, "Evaluation of Single

Photon and Geiger Mode Lidar for the 3D Elevation Program,” Remote Sens. 2016, 8, 767.

* Adjustments to cost and other details may occur as projects mature

Location

Area

Square

Miles

Sensor

3DEP Investment

(USGS, FEMA,

NRCS)

State/Local

Investments

Total

Project

Cost

Status

Illinois 3,358 GM $336K $739K $1.1 MProject

extended

South

Dakota11,805

GM and

SPC$2.8M $0 $2.8 M In progress

North

Carolina4,200 GM $362K $805K $1.2 M

Sample data

received

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Test Projects: North CarolinaStatus (Geiger-mode lidar)

Data and control

collection are

complete

Classification, DEMs

and intensity image

are in progress

Pilot area has been

provided to USGS -

data are much

better than the

Geiger Mode data

evaluated in the

assessment

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NRCS South Dakota Geiger-Mode Lidar

NTP received on 5/6/2016 for QL1

lidar (8 ppsm)

Acquired 5/23-6/28 using the

IntelliEarth Sensor

23 flight days

14 weather/maintenance

182 flight lines / 72.5 hours

26,300 AGL @ 240 knots

8,104 square miles

24.6 TB of compressed raw data

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NRCS South Dakota Geiger-Mode Lidar

Results of Internal Source Data Review

Aggregate Nominal Pulse Density – Pilot Areas contained an

average of 13.92 ppsm

Buildings and some roads with high absorption still contain ~4-5

ppsm. This is due to high flying height and lower return energy from

those surfaces.

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NRCS South Dakota Geiger-Mode Lidar

Range “walk” on retro-reflective surfaces

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NRCS South Dakota Geiger-Mode Lidar

Buildings

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NRCS South Dakota Geiger-Mode Lidar

Buildings

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NRCS South Dakota Geiger-Mode Lidar

Forest Canopy

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NRCS South Dakota Single Photon Lidar

NTP received on 9/23/2016 for

QL1 lidar (8 ppsm)

Acquired 11/28-11/29/2016 and

3/17-5/15/2017 using the

HRQLS2 Sensor

Pilot Data delivery due 8/31/17

3726 square miles

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South Dakota Single Photon LidarResults of intensity gray-scale processing improvements

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Questions?Steve Shivers, National Geospatial Program

spshivers@usgs.gov

605-394-3216