3DEP in Idaho by the Numbers

Expected annual benefits $6.12 million 

Estimated total cost $27.89 million

Payback 4.6 years

Quality level 1 buy-up 

estimate

$17.75 million

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Fact Sheet 2013–3053 

 August 2013

The 3D Elevation Program—Summary for Idaho

Introduction

Elevation data are essential to a 

broad range of applications, including 

forest resources management, wildlife and 

habitat management, national security, 

recreation, and many others. For the 

State of Idaho, elevation data are critical for agriculture and precision farming, 

natural resources conservation, infrastructure and construction management, 

geologic resource assessment and hazard 

mitigation, flood risk management, forest 

resources management, and other business 

uses. Today, high-quality light detection 

and ranging (lidar) data are the sources for 

creating elevation models and other elevation datasets. Federal, State, and local 

agencies work in partnership to (1) replace 

data, on a national basis, that are (on 

average) 30 years old and of lower quality 

and (2) provide coverage where publicly 

accessible data do not exist. A joint goal 

of State and Federal partners is to acquire 

consistent, statewide coverage to support existing and emerging applications 

enabled by lidar data. The new 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) initiative (Snyder, 

2012a,b), managed by the U.S. Geological 

Survey (USGS), responds to the growing 

need for high-quality topographic data and 

a wide range of other three-dimensional 

representations of the Nation’s natural and 

constructed features. The Idaho LiDAR 

Consortium provides statewide collaboration and data sharing mechanisms that can 

be used as a resource by State and Federal 

partners implementing the 3DEP initiative.

3D Elevation Program Benefits 

for Idaho

The top 10 Idaho business uses for 

3D elevation data, which are based on the 

estimated annual benefits of the 3DEP initiative, are shown in table 1. The National 

Enhanced Elevation Assessment (NEEA; 

Dewberry, 2011) survey respondents 

in the State of Idaho estimated that the 

national 3DEP initiative would result in at 

least $6 million in new benefits annually 

to the State. The cost for such a program 

in Idaho is approximately $28 million, 

resulting in a payback period of 4.6 years 

and a benefit-to-cost ratio of 1.8 to 1 over 

an 8-year period. Because monetary estimates were not provided for all reported 

benefits, the total benefits of the 3DEP to 

Idaho are likely much higher. On the basis 

of the NEEA survey results, all levels of 

government and many organizations in 

Idaho could benefit from access to statewide high-resolution elevation data.

 The NEEA evaluated multiple data 

collection programs to determine the 

optimal data quality and data replacement cycle relative to cost to meet the 

stated needs. For Idaho, approximately 

71 percent of the total benefits are realized in agriculture and precision farming, 

natural resources conservation, and infrastructure and construction management 

uses alone, as shown in table 1. The status 

of publicly available lidar data in Idaho is 

shown in figure 1. By enhancing coordination between the 3DEP and the various 

3D Elevation Program

3DEP is a national program managed by the USGS to acquire highresolution elevation data. The initiative is 

backed by a comprehensive assessment 

of requirements (Dewberry, 2011) and 

is in the early stages of implementation. 

3DEP will improve data accuracy and 

provide more current data than is available in the National Elevation Dataset 

(NED). The goal of this high-priority 

cooperative program is to be operational 

by January 2015 and to have complete 

coverage of the United States by 2022, 

depending on funding and partnerships. 

The new program has the potential to 

generate $13 billion/year in new benefits 

through improved government services, 

reductions in crop and homeowner losses 

resulting from floods, more efficient 

routing of vehicles, and a host of other 

government, corporate, and citizen activities (Dewberry, 2011). 

Benefits of a Funded National Program

• Economy of scale—Acquisition of 

data covering larger areas reduces 

costs by 25 percent.

• A systematic plan—Acquisition of 

data at a higher quality level reduces 

the cost of “buying up” to the highest levels needed by State and local 

governments.

• Higher quality data and national 

coverage—Ensure consistency 

for applications that span State 

and watershed boundaries and 

meet more needs, which results in 

increased benefits to citizens.

• Increase in Federal agency contributions—Reduces State and local 

partner contributions.

• Acquisition assistance—Provided 

through readily available contracts and published acquisition 

specifications.

Figure 1. Map of Idaho showing the areal 

extent and quality level of planned and 

existing publicly available light detection 

and ranging (lidar) data in November 2012. 

See table 2 for quality levels.

EXPLANATION

3DEP data (quality

level 2 or better)

Quality level 3

data

Quality level 4

or lower data

No publicly available

lidar data

0 80 Kilometers

0 60 Miles
Next Steps for Implementing 3DEP

Accomplishing the 3DEP initiative’s 

goal of national coverage in 8 years depends 

on the following factors:

• Increased partnerships among Federal, 

State, and local governments. 

• Partnerships that acquire elevation data 

to the program’s specifications across 

larger project areas.

• Increased communication about and 

awareness of the program’s benefits 

and goals.

• Support from government and other

stakeholders and users.

For Further Information:

Mark DeMulder, Director, National 

Geospatial Program

U.S. Geological Survey

511 National Center

12201 Sunrise Valley Drive

Reston, VA 20192

Email: mdemulder@usgs.gov

Scott Van Hoff, USGS Geospatial Liaison

U.S. Geological Survey

230 Collins Road

Boise, ID 83702

Email: svanhoff@usgs.gov

http://nationalmap.gov/3DEP/

By William J. Carswell, Jr.

government and private organizations in 

Idaho, it may be possible to meet a higher 

percentage of the needs. 

The following examples highlight 

how 3DEP data can support business 

needs in Idaho: (1) Seasonal flooding 

is the most damaging, recurrent, and 

predictable natural disaster facing Idaho 

communities. Lidar technology provides 

communities with better information 

for reducing flood risk and helps direct 

mitigation to where it is needed most. 

Topographic maps developed from lidar 

data can help provide the most accurate 

Flood Insurance Rate Maps, which can 

reduce property owner insurance costs, 

and in Western States, reduce the size of 

a mapped flood hazard area by up to 35 

percent. (2) When lidar data are readily 

available, the need for traditional topographic land surveys (including infrastructure and construction site planning 

and estimating) is minimized. Reducing 

the time required for project planning 

provides a cost savings to the public. 

Lidar data can be used for preliminary 

highway alignment and design, evaluating 

existing roadway conditions, and as input 

to hydraulic modeling for the design of 

structures (bridges and culverts; fig. 2) to 

accommodate runoff and flooding from 

large rain events. A statewide elevation 

dataset would facilitate communication 

and interoperability among transportation 

organizations and foster cooperation at all 

levels of government.

References Cited

Dewberry, 2011, Final report of the 

National Enhanced Elevation Assessment (revised 2012): Fairfax, Va., 

Dewberry, 84 p. plus appendixes, http://

www.dewberry.com/Consultants/

GeospatialMapping/FinalReport-Nation

alEnhancedElevationAssessment.

Snyder, G.I., 2012a, National Enhanced 

Elevation Assessment at a glance: 

U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 

2012–3088, 2 p., http://pubs.usgs.gov/

fs/2012/3088/.

Snyder, G.I., 2012b, The 3D Elevation Program—Summary of program 

direction: U.S. Geological Survey Fact 

Sheet 2012–3089, 2 p., http://pubs.

usgs.gov/fs/2012/3089/.

3D Elevation Program—Continued

The USGS and its partners will acquire 

quality level 2 or better (table 2) three-dimensional lidar data over the conterminous United 

States, Hawaii, and the U.S. territories. Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (ifsar) data 

are being collected at quality level 5 (table 2) 

in Alaska. The data will be acquired over an 

8-year period and will be made available to 

the public. A number of high-quality elevation-data products will be created to serve a 

wide range of business needs in government 

and the private sector.

Figure 2. Lidar data reduces the time 

and cost associated with highway and 

other infrastructure projects, especially for 

preliminary construction plans and design 

grades. Photograph of Rainbow bridge on 

Idaho 55 courtesy of Idaho Department 

of Transportation.

Table 1. Conservative benefits for the top 10 business uses of the proposed 

3DEP data identified in the National Enhanced Elevation Assessment for Idaho 

(Dewberry, 2011).

Rank Business use Annual benefits

(millions)

1 Agriculture and precision farming $1.71

2 Natural resources conservation 1.63

3 Infrastructure and construction management 1.03

4 Geologic resource assessment and hazard mitigation 0.62

5 Flood risk management 0.46

6 Forest resources management 0.41

7 Aviation navigation and safety 0.08

8 Renewable energy resources 0.06

9 River and stream resource management 0.05

10 Water supply and quality 0.04

Other 0.03

Total 6.12

Table 2. Data quality levels used in the 

National Enhanced Elevation Assessment 

(Dewberry, 2011).

[≤, less than or equal to]

Quality 

level

Nominal pulse 

spacing

(meters)

Vertical 

accuracy 

(centimeters)

1 0.35 9.25

2 0.7 9.25

3 1–2 ≤18.5

4 5 46–139

5 5 93–185