Hydrography Seminar Series, Seminar 8 - May, 2016

Abstract - Light Detection and Ranging (lidar) has become the dominant technology for topographic mapping. The significant improvements in spatial resolution, vertical accuracy, and most dramatically, relative accuracy of lidar data has enormous impact on the hydrology/hydrography community, making it possible to map features from lidar data that previously required costly field surveys.

This seminar will present a brief overview of lidar technology and terminology to establish a common understanding of these topics. Particular emphasis will be placed on those topics and concepts that relate to the reintegration of hydrography (namely the NHD) and the new generation of lidar-derived topographic data.

Biography – With a B.A. in Geography from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and graduate work at the University of South Carolina, Karl Heidemann has worked in the geospatial and lidar industry for 23 years as a user, data provider, and software architect. His professional work has focused on GIS, H&H Applications, and Topographic Lidar. Mr. Heidemann built and managed the lidar department at EarthData International of North Carolina, and developed processing algorithms and processes for hydrologic breaklines and other lidar products. Presently, he is the Senior Lidar Scientist within the Science and Applications Branch at the USGS EROS Data Center.

Mr. Heidemann is the author of the USGS-NGP Lidar Base Specification, and is a contributing author to the ASPRS Manual of Airborne Topographic Lidar and the forthcoming 3rd Edition of The DEM User's Manual. He currently chairs the ASPRS Lidar Certification Review Committee, and serves on diverse ASPRS, OGC, and ISO Committees and Working Groups.