EAARL Coastal Topography—Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana, 4-5 September 2010: Seamless (Bare Earth and Submerged)

ASCII XYZ point-cloud data for the Chandeleur Islands in Louisiana were produced from remotely sensed, geographically referenced elevation measurements collected on September 4 and 5, 2010 by the U.S. Geological Survey. Elevation measurements were collected over the area using the first-generation Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL-A), a pulsed laser ranging system mounted onboard an aircraft to measure ground elevation, vegetation canopy, and coastal topography. The system uses high-frequency laser beams directed at the Earth's surface through an opening in the bottom of the aircraft's fuselage. The laser system records the time difference between emission of the laser beam and the reception of the reflected laser signal in the aircraft. The plane travels over the target area at approximately 55 meters per second at an elevation of approximately 300 meters, resulting in a laser swath of approximately 240 meters. More than 100 kilometers of coastline can be surveyed easily within a 3- to 4-hour mission. When resultant elevation maps for an area are analyzed, they provide a useful tool to make management decisions regarding land development.