Woolpert to Collect Lidar Data Across 10K Square Miles of Florida

Woolpert has been contracted by Dewberry Engineers Inc. to collect high-resolution lidar data over approximately 10,000 square miles across Florida, USA, from St. Johns County to Palm Beach County, as well as six inland counties in support of the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) 3D Elevation Program (3DEP).

Mike Zoltek, Woolpert senior project manager, said that Woolpert teamed with Dewberry to provide both lidar data collection and deliverable production. “Woolpert was chosen based on its long-standing history of providing successful deliveries of geospatial data to clients across the entire state of Florida.”

Woolpert will be contracted through Dewberry, which was tasked by the USGS to oversee the collection of Quality Level 1 (QL1) lidar data for the Florida mapping effort. The US$20 million state-wide project is being jointly funded by the Florida DEM, USGS and other partner federal agencies. The project will contribute to the 3DEP products and services available through The National Map, which provides information for federal, state and local agencies to effectively address disaster response and flood-related issues, asset management, impervious surface mapping for stormwater management, property valuation, risk management and other mapping needs specific to the wide range of topographies across the country.

The previous large-scale lidar collection for Florida, which is second only to Alaska in miles of coastline per state, took place in 2007-2009 as part of the Florida Coastal Mapping project.

Sam Moffat, Woolpert geospatial program director, said the high density of the QL1 data, collected at 8 points per square metre, will be “by far the most accurate surface model the state has ever had,” enabling features to be mapped that couldn’t be in the past. “It’s crucial for this data to be collected at a high density since Florida is so flat and prone to hurricanes and flooding,” Moffat said. “Having the most current and accurate elevation data is vital for disaster response and management, flood inundation modelling and to support coastal resilience.”

The Florida lidar collection is scheduled to begin in December 2018, with deliveries beginning in mid-2019.