3DEP in Minnesota by the Numbers

Expected annual benefits $13.64 million 

Estimated total cost $28.15 million

Payback 2.1 years

Quality level 1 buy-up 

estimate

$17.91 million

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Fact Sheet 2013–3051

September 2013

The 3D Elevation Program—Summary for Minnesota

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 Minnesota, elevation data are critical 

for agriculture and precision farming, 

natural resources conservation, flood risk 

management, infrastructure and construction management, water supply and quality, coastal zone 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. 

3D Elevation Program Benefits 

for Minnesota

The top 10 Minnesota business uses 

for 3D elevation data, which are based on 

the estimated annual benefits of the 3DEP 

initiative, are shown in table 1. National 

Enhanced Elevation Assessment (NEEA; 

Dewberry, 2011) survey respondents in 

the State of Minnesota estimated that 

the national 3DEP initiative would result 

in at least $13 million in new benefits 

annually to the State. The cost for such a 

program in Minnesota is approximately 

$28 million, resulting in a payback period 

of 2.1 years and a benefit-to-cost ratio of 

3.9 to 1 over an 8-year period. Because 

monetary estimates were not provided for 

all reported benefits, the total benefits of 

the 3DEP to Minnesota are likely much 

higher. On the basis of the NEEA survey 

results, all levels of government and many 

organizations in Minnesota could benefit 

from access to statewide high-resolution 

elevation data.

The NEEA evaluated multiple datacollection programs to determine the 

optimal data quality and data replacement 

cycle relative to cost to meet the stated 

needs. For Minnesota, approximately 

76 percent of the total benefits are realized 

in agriculture and precision farming and 

natural resources conservation uses alone, 

as shown in table 1. The status of publicly available lidar data in Minnesota is 

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

government and private organizations in 

Minnesota, it may be possible to meet a 

higher percentage of the needs.

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.

EXPLANATION

Quality level 3

data

Quality level 4

or lower data

0 70 Kilometers

0 50 Miles

Figure 1. Map of Minnesota showing 

the areal extent and quality levels of 

planned and existing publicly available 

light detection and ranging (lidar) data in 

November 2012. No lidar data that meet 

3DEP requirements for quality level 2 or 

better are publicly available for Minnesota. 

See table 2 for quality levels.
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 for the program from government and other stakeholders.

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

Ron Wencl, USGS Geospatial Liaison

U.S. Geological Survey

2280 Woodale Drive

Mounds View, MN 55112

Email: rwencl@usgs.gov

http://nationalmap.gov/3DEP/

By William J. Carswell, Jr.

Several organizations and agencies in 

Minnesota have supported the acquisition 

of high-accuracy digital elevation data for 

a variety of resource management needs, 

with particular emphasis on water-related 

activities. The following examples highlight how 3DEP data can support business needs in Minnesota: (1) Enhanced 

elevation data are being used to improve 

water quality by modeling soil erosion and 

runoff into streams to decrease the amount 

of sediment and nutrients delivered to the 

lakes and rivers (fig. 2). (2) High-resolution terrain data have been used to more 

effectively implement natural resources 

conservation practices, provide detailed 

watershed delineation and analysis in 

efforts to preserve and restore wetlands, 

and improve water-quality assessments. 

These practices provide cost savings to the 

public that will support additional natural 

resources conservation projects.

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. The graphic shows depressional areas, 

based on enhanced elevation data, where water could 

be stored in the area drained by Nicollet County Ditch 

46A (CD 46A), within the Sevenmile Creek watershed, 

which drains directly into the Minnesota River. Using 

the depression information, hydrologic modeling 

can identify specific locations within the watershed 

that can temporarily store runoff to decrease peak 

flows and the amount of sediment and nutrient runoff. 

Courtesy of the Minnesota Department of

Natural Resources.

EXPLANATION

CD 46A

Subwatersheds 0–1

1–2

Depressions (mean 

depth, in feet)

2–4

4–10

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

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

(Dewberry, 2011).

Rank Business use Annual benefits

(millions)

1 Agriculture and precision farming $6.90

2 Natural resources conservation 3.38

3 Flood risk management 1.10

4 Infrastructure and construction management 0.64

5 Water supply and quality 0.47

6 Coastal zone management 0.41

7 Forest resources management 0.33

8 Geologic resource assessment and hazard mitigation 0.15

9 Aviation navigation and safety 0.14

10 Renewable energy resources 0.07

Other 0.03

Total 13.62

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