Abstract
Improvements in Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology and spatial analysis of high-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) have advanced the accuracy and diversity of applications for coastal hazards and natural resources management. This article presents a concise synthesis of LiDAR analysis for coastal flooding and management applications in low-relief coastal plains and a case study demonstration of a new, efficient drainage mapping algorithm. The impetus for these LiDAR applications follows historic flooding from Hurricane Floyd in 1999, after which the State of North Carolina and the Federal Emergency Management Agency undertook extensive LiDAR data acquisition and technological developments for high-resolution floodplain mapping. An efficient algorithm is outlined for hydro-conditioning bare earth LiDAR DEMs using available US Geological Survey National Hydrography Dataset canal and ditch vectors. The methodology is illustrated in Moyock, North Carolina, for refinement of hydro-conditioning by combines pre-existing bare earth DEMs with spatial analysis of LiDAR point clouds in segmented and buffered ditch and canal networks. The methodology produces improved maps of fine-scale drainage, reduced omission of areal flood inundation, and subwatershed delineations that typify heavily ditched and canalled drainage areas. These preliminary results illustrate the capability of the technique to improve the representation of ditches in DEMs as well as subsequent flow and inundation modeling that could spur further research on low-relief coastal LiDAR applications.
Highlights
Technological advances in Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) have spurred extensive new applications in coastal hazards management and research on coastal processes
Coastal LiDAR has pioneered digital terrain modeling in low-relief landscapes stemming from early work on NASA Airborne Topographic Mapping (ATM) LIDAR on the Greenland Ice Sheet (Krabill et al, 2000)
Our goal in this paper is to succinctly review developments of LiDAR-derived bare earth (BE) Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) pertaining to flood-prone, low-relief coastal plains
Summary
Technological advances in Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) have spurred extensive new applications in coastal hazards management and research on coastal processes. As data collections expanded temporally, change analysis techniques have developed and been refined, data extraction techniques arisen, and a more mature understanding of elevation data quality and error have been achieved. This paper addresses these improvements and the impetus for expanding LiDAR to even greater coverage globally for its significant contributions to sustainable human development and environmental management on coasts. Our goal in this paper is to succinctly review developments of LiDAR-derived bare earth (BE) Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) pertaining to flood-prone, low-relief coastal plains.
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