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08ACH03_first_return_metadata: EAARL Coastal Topography-Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida, June 2008

ASCII XYZ point cloud data were produced from remotely sensed, geographically referenced elevation measurements by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Elevation measurements were collected over the area using the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL), a pulsed laser ranging system mounted onboard an aircraft to measure ground elevation, vegetation canopy, and coastal topography. The system uses high-frequency laser beams directed at the Earth's surface through an opening in the bottom of the aircraft's fuselage. The laser system records the time difference between emission of the laser beam and the reception of the reflected laser signal in the aircraft. The plane travels over the target area at approximately 50 meters per second at an elevation of approximately 300 meters, resulting in a laser swath of approximately 240 meters with an average point spacing of 2-3 meters. The EAARL, developed originally by NASA at Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, measures ground elevation with a vertical resolution of 3 centimeters. A sampling rate of 3 kilohertz or higher results in an extremely dense spatial elevation dataset. Over 100 kilometers of coastline can be surveyed easily within a 3- to 4-hour mission. When resultant elevation maps for an area are analyzed, they provide a useful tool to make management decisions regarding land development.

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Author(s) Joseph W. Long orcid, Karen L M orcid, Kara S Doran orcid
Publication Date 2016
Beginning Date of Data 2008-06-24
Ending Date of Data 2008-06-26
Data Contact
DOI https://doi.org/10.5066/F7G15XZX
Citation Long, J.W., M, K.L., and Doran, K.S., 2016, 08ACH03_first_return_metadata: EAARL Coastal Topography-Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida, June 2008: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/F7G15XZX.
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Metadata Date 2023-10-05
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License http://www.usa.gov/publicdomain/label/1.0/
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Harvest Source: Coastal and Marine Geoscience Data System
Harvest Date: 2025-01-06T09:34:50.952Z