dataset · USA
NOAA Coastal Lidar Data
Lidar (light detection and ranging) is a technology that can measure the 3-dimentional location of objects, including the solid earth surface. The data consists of a point cloud of the positions of solid objects that reflected a laser pulse, typically from an airborne platform. In addition to the position, each point may also be attributed by the type of object it reflected from, the intensity of the reflection, and other system dependent metadata. The NOAA Coastal Lidar Data is a collection of
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Licence: NOAA data disseminated through NODD are open to the public and can be used as desired. <br/> <br/> NOAA makes data openly available to ensure maximum use of our data, and to spur and encourage explora
Evidence quality: 38.2
Listed in aws-odr public catalogue API on 2026-10-16; relevance/value screened (haiku).
Metadata checked: 2026-10-14T13:20:00.000Z
What's in it
- Data offered docs-verified
- lidar point cloud · raster DEMs
- Coverage docs-verified
- Coastal areas of the United States of America
- Update frequency docs-verified
- Periodically, as new data becomes available
- Formats docs-verified
- Entwine Point Tiles (EPT) · LAZ
- Access docs-verified
- Free and open. Anonymous S3 access, no AWS account required. NOAA open data; attribution requested for unaltered data; no implied NOAA endorsement.
Useful for
- Use cases llm-inferred
- Coastal topographic baseline from lidar point clouds for US coastal flood risk assessments · Raster DEM terrain inputs for drainage or civils design on US coastal sites · Multi-vintage coastal topography comparison for shoreline or erosion change analysis
- Audience llm-inferred
- flood consultants · hydrologists · GIS analysts · civils engineers
Limitations
- Constraints docs-verified
- Coverage limited to US coastal areas; no UK data · Datasets are maintained in their original projects, so care is needed when merging · Some datasets are not in EPT format, and topobathy datasets do not translate well to EPT · Vertical datums vary by area (for example NAVD88, PRVD02, GUVD03); check the geoid model in the dataset resource name · No spatial resolution or time span is stated in the docs
Evidence
- arn:aws:s3:::noaa-nos-coastal-lidar-pds, arn:aws:s3:::noaa-nos-coastal-lidar-pds, arn:aws:s3:::noaa-nos-coastal-lidar-pds
- https://registry.opendata.aws/noaa-coastal-lidar/
Check upstream coverage, uncertainty and licence before use. Station observations are not forecasts or design levels.