3DEP in Oklahoma by the Numbers

Expected annual benefits $17.50 million 

Estimated total cost $23.38 million

Payback 1.3 years

Quality level 1 buy-up 

estimate

$14.88 million

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Fact Sheet 2014–3053

June 2014

The 3D Elevation Program—Summary for Oklahoma

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 Oklahoma, elevation data are critical for flood 

risk management, infrastructure and construction management, agriculture and precision farming, natural resources conservation, wildlife and habitat management, and 

other business uses. Today, high-density 

light detection and ranging (lidar) data are 

the primary sources for deriving elevation 

models and other datasets. Federal, State, 

Tribal, and local agencies work in partnership to (1) replace data that are older and 

of lower quality and (2) provide coverage 

where publicly accessible data do not exist. 

A joint goal of local, State, and Federal 

partners is to acquire consistent, statewide 

coverage to support existing and emerging 

applications enabled by lidar data. 

The National Enhanced Elevation 

Assessment (NEEA; Dewberry, 2011) 

evaluated multiple elevation data acquisition options to determine the optimal data 

quality and data replacement cycle relative 

to cost to meet the identified requirements 

of the user community. The evaluation 

demonstrated that lidar acquisition at quality level 2 (table 1) for the conterminous 

United States and quality level 5 interferometric synthetic aperture radar (ifsar) data 

(table 1) for Alaska with a 6- to 10-year 

acquisition cycle provided the highest 

benefit/cost ratios. The 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) initiative (Snyder, 2012a,b) 

selected an 8-year acquisition cycle for the 

respective quality levels. 3DEP, managed 

by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the 

Office of Management and Budget Circular 

A–16 lead agency for terrestrial elevation 

data, responds to the growing need for 

high-quality topographic data and a wide 

range of other 3D representations of the 

Nation’s natural and constructed features. 

3D Elevation Program Benefits 

for Oklahoma

The top 10 Oklahoma business uses 

for 3D elevation data, which are based on 

the estimated annual conservative benefits 

of the 3DEP initiative, are shown in table 2. 

The NEEA survey respondents in the State of 

Oklahoma estimated that the national 3DEP 

initiative would result in at least $17.5 million 

in new benefits annually to the State. The cost 

for such a program in Oklahoma is approximately $23 million, resulting in a payback 

period of 1.3 years and a benefit/cost ratio 

of 6.0 to 1 over an 8-year period. Because 

monetary estimates were not provided for 

all reported benefits, the total benefits of the 

3DEP to Oklahoma are likely much higher. 

On the basis of the NEEA survey results, all 

levels of government and many organizations 

in Oklahoma could benefit from access to 

statewide high-resolution elevation data.

For Oklahoma, approximately 96 

percent of the identified business use requirements will be met in flood risk management, 

infrastructure and construction management, 

agriculture and precision farming, and natural 

resources conservation uses, as shown in 

table 2. The status of publicly available lidar 

data in Oklahoma is shown in figure 1. By 

enhancing coordination between 3DEP and 

various government and private organizations 

3D Elevation Program

3DEP is a national program managed 

by the USGS to acquire high-resolution 

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 the end of 2022, depending on funding 

and partnerships. 3DEP can conservatively 

provide new benefits of $1.2 billion/year 

and 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). A 

shared, common elevation dataset would 

foster cooperation and improve decisionmaking among all levels of government and 

other stakeholders.

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

No publicly available

lidar data

0 75 Kilometers

0 60 Miles

Figure 1. Map of Oklahoma showing the 

extent of existing and planned publicly 

available lidar data. Information source: 

United States Interagency Elevation 

Inventory, June 2014, updated annually. 

No data that meet 3DEP requirements 

for quality level 2 or better are publicly 

available in Oklahoma. See table 1 for 

quality level information. 
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, Tribal, 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, 

USGS National Geospatial Program

12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, MS 511

Reston, VA 20192

Email: mdemulder@usgs.gov

Darryl S. Williams, 

 USGS Geospatial Liaison

202 NW 66th Street

Mail Stop 104

Oklahoma City, OK 73116

Email: dwilliams@usgs.gov

http://nationalmap.gov/3DEP/

By William J. Carswell, Jr.

in Oklahoma, it may be possible to realize 

more than the cited conservative benefits and 

attain the higher potential benefits for many 

business uses.

 The following examples highlight 

how 3DEP data can support business uses in 

Oklahoma: (1) 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) 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. (2) 

Seasonal flooding (fig. 2) is one of the most 

damaging and recurrent natural disasters 

facing Oklahoma communities. Lidar technology provides communities with better 

information for reducing flood risk and helps 

direct mitigation to where it is needed the 

most. Lidar data provide high-quality terrain 

information as input for more accurate and 

less expensive hydrologic and hydraulic modeling for flood studies, retention dam design, 

dam breach studies, and stormwater management and engineering. Lidar data also aid the 

identification of vulnerable properties within 

a floodplain, facilitating better floodplainmanagement decisions and education of 

the public on true flood risks. Dynamic 3D 

models show the potential impact of flooding.

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/.

ISSN 2327-6932 (online)

http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/fs20143053

3D Elevation Program—Continued

The USGS and its partners will 

acquire quality level 2 or better (table 1) 

3D 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 1) in Alaska. The data will 

be acquired over an 8-year period and will 

be made available to the public. By using 

this acquisition scenario, a number of 

high-quality elevation-data products can be 

created to serve a wide range of business 

uses in government and the private sector.

Figure 2. Extensive flooding from Sugar 

Creek along U.S. Highway 281 in Caddo County, 

south of Gracemont, Oklahoma, during August 

2007. Photograph courtesy of Oklahoma 

Conservation Commission.

Table 2. Conservative benefits estimates for the top 10 business uses of the 

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

Oklahoma (Dewberry, 2011).

Rank Business use Annual benefits

(millions)

1 Flood risk management $6.86

2 Infrastructure and construction management 4.53

3 Agriculture and precision farming 2.74

4 Natural resources conservation 2.63

5 Wildlife and habitat management 0.25

6 Geologic resource assessment and hazard mitigation 0.13

7 Aviation navigation and safety 0.12

8 Forest resources management 0.10

9 Renewable energy resources 0.08

10 Water supply and quality 0.04

Other 0.02

Total 17.50

Table 1. 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