Top: A representative image of a lidar source point cloud. The data were collected by an airborne lidar instrument over Cannon Beach, Oregon, in 2008-2009. The Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI) acquired the data in partnership with multiple other organizations. When the 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) is fully realized, similar high-resolution lidar (light detection and ranging) data will be available for the entire conterminous United States and Hawaii. They will support many applications, including flood risk management, hazard mitigation, and natural resource management. The colors in this point cloud indicate elevation, from low (blue) to high (red). Bottom: Examples of top-down views of a suite of derivative products that all were generated from the above lidar point cloud by the U.S. Geological Survey. North is at the top of the page. A, Hillshade (shaded-relief) model, which is used for visualizing the terrain. B, Digital elevation model (bare-earth DEM), which is used for general topographic analysis and mapping. Lower areas are shown as green, and higher areas are shown as brown. The brown area at left is a feature called Haystack Rock. The DEM and hillshade model are both derived from the lidar classified point cloud by filtering points and interpolating between points. C, Slope (bare-earth) model, showing the vertical change from one bare-earth elevation cell to its neighbor. Steep slopes are shown as red, and flat areas are shown as green. D, Laser-intensity model, showing the strength of the laser signal returned from a lidar pulse. Laser-intensity models allow compilation of breaklines, such as ridges and shorelines. The curving line represents a road. E, Height-above-ground model, showing the vertical difference between the highest nonground return and the ground return. Tree-canopy heights and building footprints and their associated heights can easily be extracted from this derivative. The dark-blue line represents an area of no trees, where a powerline has been cut through.

For more information on the USGS-the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment-visit http://www.usgs.gov or call 1-888-ASK-USGS.For an overview of USGS information products, including maps, imagery, and publications, visit

For more information on the USGS-the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment-visit http://www.usgs.gov or call 1-888-ASK-USGS (1-888-275-8747)For an overview of USGS information products, including maps, imagery, and publications, visit http://www.usgs.gov/pubprodTo order this and other USGS information products, visit

For more information on the USGS-the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment-visit http://www.usgs.gov or call 1-888-ASK-USGS For an overview of USGS information products, including maps, imagery, and publications, visit http://www.usgs.gov/pubprodTo order this and other USGS information products, visit http://store.usgs.gov Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.Although this information product, for the most part, is in the public domain, it also may contain copyrighted materials as noted in the text. Permission to reproduce copyrighted items must be secured from the copyright owner. AbstractThe 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) goal is to acquire, manage, and distribute enhanced threedimensional elevation data for the Nation and U.S. territories by 2023. This status report covers implementation activities during 2013-2014 to include meeting funding objectives, developing a management structure, modernizing systems, and collecting and producing initial 3DEP data and products. The Nation will not have complete coverage of 3DEP quality data until 2023 assuming that sufficient funding is available. In spite of the overall condition of government budgets, the 3DEP initiative has gained widespread support and had incremental budget success to include supplemental funding resulting from natural disasters. The 3DEP Executive Forum and a wide range of professional organizations are actively working to maintain support for the program. The systems that have been developed to support increasing acquisition and processing levels are largely in place. The first 3DEP quality datasets were released to the public in late 2014. In addition, light detection and ranging (lidar), interferometric synthetic aperture radar (ifsar), and digital elevation models (DEMs) acquired before 2014 are all supported within the new infrastructure and available for download. Research is ongoing to expand the suite of products and services, and to increase overall throughput and data management efficiency. Emerging technologies may result in lower acquisition costs in the future. Elevation data acquired by 3DEP partnerships will be available through The National Map representing one of the largest and most comprehensive databases publicly available for the United States.

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