# Leading the transformation: Earth-science applications of lidar

Over 7 decades ago, aerial photography transformed the science that the
USGS could achieve by creating maps with then-unprecedented accuracy and
detail. Now lidar offers the same opportunity to transform our science
by allowing us to detect new hazards, discern details of landscape
process, quantify ecology at relevant scales, and monitor a changing
Earth with much greater accuracy. To the extent that we employ this
technology, we will better achieve our program goals and meet the
Nation\'s earth science needs in the future. Geologic Discipline (GD)
scientists have made significant contributions in applying lidar to the
earth sciences. The expertise thus acquired positions us to lead this
transformation.

An increase in GD\'s use of lidar data will benefit programs within GD.
**Geologic Mapping**: More precise, more accurate, more diverse, and
more rapid mapping from outcrop to regional scales. **Earthquake
Hazards**: Continued detection of active faults, improved site-response
predictions, stronger paleoseismological databases, repeat lidar surveys
that bracket large earthquakes to determine 2½-D displacement fields.
**Volcano Hazards**: Better mapping of past eruptive histories,
prediction of lahar hazards. **Landslide Hazards:** Better landslide
inventories, assessment of landslide ages and activity levels, modeling
of debris-flow initiation and flow routing. **Coastal and Marine
Geology**: Beach mapping, modeling of coastal bluff retreat, prediction
of response to sea-level rise. **Mineral Resources**: Better
source-to-sink routing of mine debris. **Earth Surface Dynamics**:
Improved landform mapping to inform paleoclimate assessments, change
detection in eolian systems.

We suggest the following GD actions to move toward this opportunity:

1.  Institute a lidar venture capital fund with an annual call for
    proposals. This fund would support existing or new projects that
    include a focus on use of lidar data by GD; partner with
    geographers, biologists and hydrologists to use lidar data; or
    conduct research into identified basic problems.

2.  Fund a set of lidar-based landscape dynamics projects, 1 per
    (eco-geo-) region. In each region, what are the basic
    landscape-process units? How are they distributed? What are
    overprinting relations? How are sediment and water routed across
    (and through) the landscape? What role does the biota play? How does
    the landscape record tectonism and changing climate and biota?

3.  Support research on basic problems in the use of lidar data,
    including automated ground-surface extraction, surface modeling,
    channel network extraction, change detection, etc. Partner with
    Geography in such research.

4.  Fund workshops and visits to train personnel in the acquisition,
    processing, and use of lidar data and compare and contrast different
    lidar-based analytical and mapping techniques.

5.  Contribute to the design of the National Lidar Initiative
    (<http://lidar.cr.usgs.gov/presentations.php>), in order to
    encourage acquisition of data that meet our needs.

By these activities, GD will also position itself as a leading-edge
partner for science with our sister disciplines. For example, geomorphic
mapping will define areas of shallow groundwater storage and sediment
sources and sinks that are critical to fish habitat. Characterization of
vegetation from lidar data will lead to carbon budget maps, detailed
ecological maps and perhaps measures of a landscape's susceptibility to
climate change-induced erosion. Repeat bathymetric lidar surveys in
managed rivers will identify habitat changes and provide input for
advanced flood routing models that include sediment transport. Direct
mapping of depositional and erosional landforms produced by floods and
landslides will provide estimates of long-term hazard to inform hazard
susceptibility maps from other federal agencies.

By pursuing this scientific opportunity, clearly focused on **Leveraging
Evolving Technologies**, GD addresses four of the six science directions
proposed by our new Science Strategy: **Understanding Ecosystems and
Predicting Ecosystem Change**; **A National Hazards, Risk, and
Resilience Assessment Program**; **Climate Variability and Change**; and
**Energy and Minerals for America\'s Future**.

*Ralph Haugerud (<rhaugerud@usg.gov>), WESP, Seattle 4/6/2007*