Currently, the best source for nationwide LiDAR availability from public sources is the United States Interagency Elevation Inventory (USIEI). The USIEI is a collaborative effort of NOAA and the U.S. Geological Survey, with contributions from the

Federal Emergency Management Agency The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), initially created under President Jimmy Carter by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978 and implemented by two Exec ...

, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the US Army Corps of Engineers, and the National Park Service. The inventory displays high-accuracy topographic and bathymetric data for the US, and it's intended to be a comprehensive, nationwide listing of known high-accuracy topographic data, including

lidar Lidar (, also LIDAR, or LiDAR; sometimes LADAR) is a method for determining ranges (variable distance) by targeting an object or a surface with a laser and measuring the time for the reflected light to return to the receiver. It can also be ...

. The inventory is updated semi-annually. Note, however, that getting access to the data is often less than straightforward in the current implementation. History: In the United States, the

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...

(USGS) was the lead agency coordinating efforts across multiple agencies towards a

National LIDAR Dataset A national lidar dataset refers to a high-resolution lidar dataset comprising most—and ideally all—of a nation’s terrain. Datasets of this type typically meet specified quality standards and are publicly available for free (or at nominal cost ...

. The first meeting, a National LIDAR Initiative Strategy Meeting, was held at USGS headquarters in Reston, Virginia in February 2007. In May 2008 a second meeting was held, co-sponsored by USGS,

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...

, and the

AASG The American Anti-Slavery Group (AASG) is a non-profit coalition of abolitionist organizations that engages in political activism to abolish slavery in the world. It raises awareness of contemporary slavery, particularly among the chattel slaves ...

. In 2009, several sessions at the annual

American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing The American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) is an American learned society devoted to photogrammetry and remote sensing. It is the United States' member organization of the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remo ...

meeting were devoted to this initiativ

The USGS website remains a central source for information about the national initiative, and it includes presentation materials from the various meetings about the subject. This site also discusses how the USGS incorporates

LIDAR Lidar (, also LIDAR, or LiDAR; sometimes LADAR) is a method for determining ranges (variable distance) by targeting an object or a surface with a laser and measuring the time for the reflected light to return to the receiver. It can also be ...

data into the

National Elevation Dataset The National Elevation Dataset (NED) consists of high precision topography or ground surface elevation data (digital elevation model) for the United States. It was maintained by the USGS and all the data is in the public domain. Since the 3D Eleva ...

. In addition to USGS and NASA, numerous government agencies have indicated their interest in such a project, including

National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) is a combat support agency within the United States Department of Defense whose primary mission is collecting, analyzing, and distributing geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) in support of national ...

(NGA), the

(FEMA),

US Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

NOAA The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (abbreviated as NOAA ) is an United States scientific and regulatory agency within the United States Department of Commerce that forecasts weather, monitors oceanic and atmospheric conditio ...

, and NRCSbr>
While there is consensus at a federal level supporting the creation of a National LIDAR Dataset, key aspects remain unresolved, including funding, data specifications, and the delineation of agency roles and responsibilitie

While these issues are pending, the following states are among those moving forward with their own statewide LIDAR datasets: Regardless of the degree of state coordination, some counties choose to handle (and control) high resolution LiDAR acquisition and distribution on their own. Such counties include:

References

{{reflist Geographic data and information in the United States Lidar