The 3D Elevation Program and America’s Infrastructure

Infrastructure Connects Us All

Infrastructure—the physical framework 

of transportation, energy, communications, 

water supply, and other systems—and construction management—the overall planning, 

coordination, and control of a project from 

beginning to end—are critical to the Nation’s 

prosperity. The American Society of Civil 

Engineers (2013) warns that, despite the importance of the Nation’s infrastructure, it is in fair 

to poor condition and needs sizable and urgent 

investments to maintain and modernize it, and 

to ensure that it is sustainable and resilient.

Three-dimensional (3D) light detection 

and ranging (lidar) elevation data (fig. 1) 

provide valuable productivity, safety, and 

cost-saving benefits to infrastructure improvement projects and associated construction 

management (Dewberry, 2012). However, 

the acquisition of 3D elevation data primarily 

on a project-by-project basis can increase 

infrastructure project costs and risks, and 

distract management attention from project 

goals (Chang and others, 2012).

By providing data to users, the 

3D Elevation Program (3DEP) of the 

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) (Sugarbaker 

and others, 2014; see sidebar) reduces users’ 

costs and risks and allows them to concentrate 

on their mission objectives. 3DEP includes 

(1) data acquisition partnerships that leverage 

funding, (2) contracts with experienced 

private mapping firms, (3) technical expertise, 

lidar data standards, and specifications, and 

(4) most important, public access to highquality 3D elevation data.

The size and breadth of improvements 

for the Nation’s infrastructure and construction management needs call for an efficient, 

systematic approach to acquiring foundational 

3D elevation data. The 3DEP approach to 

national data coverage will yield large cost 

savings over individual project-by-project 

acquisitions and will ensure that data are 

accessible for other critical applications.

3D Elevation Program (3DEP)

The 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) is 

a national program managed by the USGS 

to acquire high-resolution elevation data 

(Sugarbaker and others, 2014). It produces 

point clouds, bare-earth digital elevation 

models (DEMs), and other products.

3DEP is backed by a comprehensive 

assessment of lidar, interferometric synthetic 

aperture radar (ifSAR), and related elevation 

data requirements (Dewberry, 2012) and is 

now an operational program. The goal of this 

high-priority cooperative program is to have 

complete coverage of quality level 2 lidar data 

for the conterminous United States, Hawaii, 

and the U.S. territories, and ifSAR data for 

Alaska, by the end of 2023.

Reduced Acquisition Costs and Risks

A funded national program will provide:

• Economy of scale by acquiring data for 

larger areas and reducing acquisition costs 

by 25 percent.

• Predictable, efficient, and flexible Federal

investments that reduce costs for and allow 

better planning by Federal, State, Tribal, 

U.S. territorial, and local government 

partners, including the option of “buying 

up” to acquire higher quality data.

• Consistent, high-quality, national coverage

that (1) provides data ready for applications 

that span project, jurisdictional, and watershed boundaries, (2) meets multiple needs, 

and (3) increases benefits to citizens.

• Simpler data acquisition that provides 

contracts, published data-acquisition 

specifications, and specialized quality 

assurance and information technology 

expertise. Partners reduce their risks and 

can concentrate on their business activities.

3DEP can conservatively provide new 

benefits of $690 million per year and has the 

potential to generate $13 billion per year in 

new benefits through applications that span 

the economy (Dewberry, 2012). The shared 

lidar, ifSAR, and derived elevation datasets 

would foster cooperation and improve decisionmaking among all levels of government 

and other stakeholders.

High-Quality Data

For the conterminous United States, 

Hawaii, and the U.S. territories, the USGS 

and its partners acquire quality level 2 or 

better lidar data. Quality level 2 data have a 

minimum nominal pulse spacing of 0.7 meters

Figure 1. 3D elevation data for an area of Denver, Colorado, in the form of a lidar point cloud (top) and 

a derived bare-earth digital elevation model (bottom). These data along with other products provide 

valuable productivity, safety, and cost-saving benefits to infrastructure improvement projects. Image 

provided by Jason Stoker (USGS).

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Fact Sheet 2016–3093

November 2016
Uses of 3D Elevation Data

Uses of 3D elevation data in infrastructure

investments and construction management (Dewberry, 2012; Chang and others, 2012) include:

• Route, grade, line-of-sight, and utility 

surveys and corridor mapping.

• Terrain and other obstruction identification 

for aviation.

• Dam, levee, and coastal-structure failure 

modeling and mitigation.

• Hydraulic and hydrologic modeling.

• Evaluations of geologic, coastal, and other 

natural hazards, and geotechnical evaluations.

• Permit application and construction plan 

development and evaluation.

• Drainage issues and cut-and-fill estimate 

requirements.

• Vegetation, topographic, and geomorphologic feature analysis.

• As-built model development.

• Preliminary engineering, estimate development, and quantity estimation activities.

• Base-map and elevation model creation.

Mobile and stationary lidar and other survey

data typically are used, if necessary, with 3D 

elevation data in site-specific applications.

Benefits of 3D Elevation Data

Benefits of using 3D elevation data in 

infrastructure projects (Chang and others, 

2012) include:

• Improved personnel safety from reduced 

exposure to hazards in the field.

• Increased detail from the high density of 

point measurements captured.

• Improved productivity and reduced costs 

from rapid data-capture rates.

• Superior coverage of visible surfaces for 

large and inaccessible project areas.

For business uses related to infrastructure improvements, the value of annual 

new national benefits from 3DEP data are 

conservatively estimated to be $170 million 

(table 1). These estimates are 25 percent of 

the new annual national conservative benefits 

of $690 million (Dewberry, 2012; see sidebar) 

for all business uses of 3DEP data. If 3DEP 

data were used only for infrastructure projects 

and not made available for all other business 

uses, the Nation would forego 75 percent of 

the total annual benefits that it could accrue 

from all business uses. Dewberry (2012) also 

estimated that 3DEP data have the potential to 

generate $13 billion per year in new benefits 

through applications that span the economy.

Maximized Benefits and 

Minimized Risks

Working with the USGS on 3DEP 

offers opportunities to maximize benefits 

and minimize risks. 3DEP data that meet the 

needs of a project may already be available. 

Users benefit from previous investments by 

using the existing standardized point cloud or 

derived product data to ease the learning curve 

and begin project work immediately. Seamless 

standardized data offer flexibility to projects 

regardless of their shape or size.

If new 3D elevation data must be 

acquired, partnering with 3DEP offers:

• Reduced unit collection costs through the 

possibility of pooled funding with other 

partners and the economy of scale that 

3DEP acquisition provides.

• Access to qualified and experienced firms 

under contract that acquire and process 

lidar data.

• Access to USGS technical expertise for data

acquisition contracts and for distribution of 

point cloud and derived data products.

• Opportunity to “buy up” higher quality 

data for specialized applications.

• Opportunity to receive cost-share funding 

to acquire data on behalf of 3DEP.

References Cited

American Society of Civil Engineers, 2013, 2013 

report card for America’s infrastructure: American

Society of Civil Engineers, March 2013, 119 p.,

accessed May 17, 2016, at http://www.infrastructure

reportcard.org.

Chang, J.C., Tsai, M.K., Findley, D.J., and Cunningham, C.M., 2012, Infrastructure investment 

protection with LiDAR: Raleigh, N.C., Institute 

for Transportation Research and Education, 

October 15, 77 p., accessed October 2016 at 

http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/46000/46100/46196/2012-

15finalreport.pdf.

Dewberry, 2012, National Enhanced Elevation 

Assessment final report (rev. March 29, 2012): 

Fairfax, Va., Dewberry, 84 p. plus appendixes A‒J,

accessed October 16, 2012, at http://www.dewberry.com/Consultants/GeospatialMapping/FinalReport-NationalEnhancedElevationAssessment.

Sugarbaker, L.J., Constance, E.W., Heidemann, H.K.,

Jason, A.L., Lukas, Vicki, Saghy, D.L., and 

Stoker, J.M., 2014, The 3D Elevation Program 

initiative—A call for action: U.S. Geological

Survey Circular 1399, 35 p., accessed 

November 13, 2014, at http://dx.doi.org/

10.3133/cir1399.

Table 1. Conservative annual national benefits of 

3DEP data related to infrastructure improvements 

and associated business uses (derived from 

Dewberry, 2012).

Business use

Conservative

annual benefit

(million dollars)

Infrastructure and construction 

management 95.8

Water supply and quality 54.8

Aviation navigation and safety 14.9

Renewable energy resources 2.6

Oil and gas resources 1.6

Land navigation and safety 0.04

Telecommunications 0.1

Total 169.8

3D Elevation Program—Continued

and a vertical error of 10 centimeters, measured

as root mean square error in the elevation (z) 

dimension (RMSEz). Statewide for Alaska, 

quality level 5 ifSAR data are acquired that

have a vertical error of 185 centimeters RMSE z.

The data must have been acquired 

during the previous eight years. For more 

information see the Lidar Base Specification 

available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/tm/11b4/.

Point Cloud and Derived Products

Lidar data products include the all-return 

classified point clouds and derived bare-earth 

DEMs. Each DEM dataset is identified by 

its horizontal resolution and is produced to 

a consistent set of specifications. All DEMs 

represent the topographic surface of the 

Earth and contain flattened water surfaces. 

Nationally seamless DEMs are produced 

by blending only the highest quality project 

data into a continuous terrain surface for the 

United States, and are published at resolutions 

of 1/3 arc-second, 1 arc-second, and 2 arcseconds. The standard 1-meter DEM dataset 

is seamless within collection projects but not 

across projects.

IfSAR data in Alaska include digital 

surface models, orthorectified intensity images,

and 5-meter-resolution hydro-flattened DEMs.

The USGS integrates the elevation model 

data into its national elevation data coverage, 

as a component of The National Map. All 

3DEP products to include an elevation-point 

query service and bulk-point query service 

are components of The National Map. Data 

are available, free of charge and without use 

restrictions. To download 3DEP products visit 

http://viewer.nationalmap.gov/basic/.

Ways to Participate

Partners may contribute funds toward 

data acquisition projects managed by the 

USGS, or they may receive cooperative funds 

to manage their own acquisition projects. The 

Broad Agency Announcement process is the 

primary mechanism used to establish agreements between partners. For more information

see the 3DEP Web site at http://nationalmap.gov/

3DEP/index.html. Organizations may also 

access the geospatial products and services 

contracts and quality control services 

managed by the USGS to acquire 3DEP data. 

Organizations may contribute existing elevation data that meet 3DEP specifications. More 

information about using USGS contracts or 

about other ways to contribute is available

by request through http://nationalmap.gov/

3DEP/3dep_feedback.html.

Learn More About 3DEP

Please send questions to:

Michael A. Tischler, Director

USGS National Geospatial Program

12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, MS 511

Reston, VA 20192

By Vicki Lukas and William J. Carswell, Jr. Email: 3DEP@usgs.gov ISSN 2327-6916 (print)

ISSN 2327-6932 (online)

http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/fs20163093