The Map and Geospatial Hub is pleased to announce a recent acquisition of brand new, yet-to-be-released geospatial datasets for greater metropolitan Phoenix produced through the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
LiDAR-derived 3D building polygons and tree points, visualized with QGIS.
Our fantastic USGS colleague, National Map Liaison for Arizona (and elsewhere), Dr. Drew Decker, was kind enough to pre-release to the ASU and broader Phoenix community a complete package of LIDAR and LiDAR-derived data deliverables.
The data package includes raw, processed, and value-added products generated from a series of September/October 2014 LiDAR acquistion flights. Among the datasets included in the package are:
- LiDAR reflective surface, bare earth surface, last return surface, and intensity surface datasets (0.5 meter spatial resolution),
- LiDAR point clouds (available in 1km X 1km overlapping tiles),
- a 2D building footprint polygon layer,
- a 3D building polygon layer,
- a forest polygon layer,
- a tree point layer.
Over the coming weeks, the Map and Geospatial Hub will work to properly document these data with appropriate metadata and upload the layers into the ASU Geospatial Data Directory, and, eventually, into a forthcoming web-based geospatial data repository, along with the rest of our vast geospatial data holdings.
Spatial extent of new LiDAR coverage for greater metropolitan Phoenix.
These data make an exciting addition to the geospatial data landscape for greater metropolitan Phoenix. Applied research applications in the realms of urban geography, ecology, hydrology, land-use/land-cover change, urban planning, design, policy, livability, and sustainability abound.
Heatmap of LiDAR-derived tree points for Phoenix metro region.
For immediate access to these data, please contact the Map and Geospatial Hub. Happy Mapping, ASU!
by Matthew Toro