Jason Stoker, Ph.D.
Biography
Dr. Jason Stoker is a US Geological Survey Physical Scientist for the National Geospatial Program. Jason oversees strategic planning, development and coordination of the 3D Elevation Program and science and application related data, tools, and services. Jason provides technical expertise, prepares roadmaps and plans for elevation products and services, and helps determine the long-term vision for 3DEP products and services. Prior to this position, for over twelve years he led the lidar research and development activities at USGS EROS Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He was the founder of CLICK: the USGS Center for Lidar Information Coordination and Knowledge. Jason is the former Director of the Lidar Division of the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS), and acts as Vice President of ASPRS in a personal capacity. Jason received his B.S and M.S from Colorado State University and his Ph.D from South Dakota State University.
Science and Products
Evaluation and testing of standardized forest vegetation metrics derived from lidar data
The USGS 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) is managing the acquisition of lidar data across the Nation for high resolution mapping of the land surface, useful for multiple applications. Lidar data is initially collected as 3-dimensional “point clouds” that map the interaction of the airborne laser with earth surface features, including vegetation, buildings, and ground features. Generally the...
An integrated framework for ecological drought across riverscapes of North America
Climate change is increasing the severity and extent of extreme droughts events, posing a critical threat to freshwater ecosystems, particularly with increasing human demands for diminishing water supplies. Despite the importance of drought as a significant driver of ecological and evolutionary dynamics, current understanding of drought...
Kovach, Ryan; Dunham, Jason B.; Al-Chokhachy, Robert; Snyder, Craig; Beever, Erik A.; Pederson, Gregory T.; Lynch, Abigail; Hitt, Nathaniel P.; Konrad, Christopher; Jaeger, Kristin; Rea, Alan H.; Sepulveda, Adam J.; Lambert, Patrick M.; Stoker, Jason M.; Giersch, J. Joseph; Muhlfeld, Clint C.Multi-year data from satellite- and ground-based sensors show details and scale matter in assessing climate’s effects on wetland surface water, amphibians, and landscape conditions
Long-term, interdisciplinary studies of relations between climate and ecological conditions on wetland-upland landscapes have been lacking, especially studies integrated across scales meaningful for adaptive resource management. We collected data in situ at individual wetlands, and via satellite for surrounding 4-km2 landscape...
Sadinski, Walter; Gallant, Alisa L.; Roth, Mark; Brown, Jesslyn; Senay, Gabriel; Brininger, Wayne L.; Jones, Perry M.; Stoker, Jason M.The 3D Elevation Program national indexing scheme
The 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) acquires high-resolution elevation data for the Nation. This program has been operating under an opportunity-oriented approach, acquiring light detection and ranging (lidar) projects of varying sizes scattered across the United States. As a result, the national 3DEP elevation...
Thatcher, Cindy A.; Heidemann, Hans Karl; Stoker, Jason M.; Eldridge, Diane F.USGS integrated drought science
Project Need and OverviewDrought poses a serious threat to the resilience of human communities and ecosystems in the United States (Easterling and others, 2000). Over the past several years, many regions have experienced extreme drought conditions, fueled by prolonged periods of reduced precipitation and exceptionally warm temperatures. Extreme...
Ostroff, Andrea C.; Muhlfeld, Clint C.; Lambert, Patrick M.; Booth, Nathaniel L.; Carter, Shawn L.; Stoker, Jason M.; Focazio, Michael J.Status of the 3D Elevation Program, 2015
The 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) is a cooperative activity to collect light detection and ranging (lidar) data for the conterminous United States, Hawaii, and U.S. territories; and interferometric synthetic aperture radar (IfSAR) elevation data for Alaska during an 8-year period. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and partner organizations acquire...
Sugarbaker, Larry J.; Eldridge, Diane F.; Jason, Allyson L. ; Lukas, Vicki; Saghy, David L.; Stoker, Jason M.; Thunen, Diana R.Evaluation of single photon and Geiger mode Lidar for the 3D Elevation Program
Data acquired by Harris Corporation’s (Melbourne, FL, USA) Geiger-mode IntelliEarth™ sensor and Sigma Space Corporation’s (Lanham-Seabrook, MD, USA) Single Photon HRQLS sensor were evaluated and compared to accepted 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) data and survey ground control to assess the suitability of these new technologies for the 3DEP. While...
Stoker, Jason M.; Abdullah, Qassim; Nayegandhi, Amar; Winehouse, Jayna3D Elevation Program—Virtual USA in 3D
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) uses a laser system called ‘lidar’ (light detection and ranging) to create a virtual reality map of the Nation that is very accurate. 3D maps have many uses with new uses being discovered all the time.
Lukas, Vicki; Stoker, J.M.Evaluating lidar point densities for effective estimation of aboveground biomass
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) was recently established to provide airborne lidar data coverage on a national scale. As part of a broader research effort of the USGS to develop an effective remote sensing-based methodology for the creation of an operational biomass Essential Climate Variable (Biomass ECV) data...
Wu, Zhuoting; Dye, Dennis G.; Stoker, Jason M.; Vogel, John M.; Velasco, Miguel G.; Middleton, Barry R.USGS lidar science strategy—Mapping the technology to the science
Summary The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) utilizes light detection and ranging (lidar) and enabling technologies to support many science research activities. Lidar-derived metrics and products have become a fundamental input to complex hydrologic and hydraulic models, flood inundation models, fault detection and geologic mapping, topographic and...
Stoker, Jason M.; Brock, John C.; Soulard, Christopher E.; Ries, Kernell G.; Sugarbaker, Larry J.; Newton, Wesley E.; Haggerty, Patricia K.; Lee, Kathy E.; Young, John A.Status report for the 3D Elevation Program, 2013-2014
The 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) goal is to acquire, manage, and distribute enhanced three-dimensional 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...
Lukas, Vicki; Eldridge, Diane F.; Jason, Allyson L.; Saghy, David L.; Steigerwald, Pamela R.; Stoker, Jason M.; Sugarbaker, Larry J.; Thunen, Diana R.Automated integration of lidar into the LANDFIRE product suite
Accurate information about three-dimensional canopy structure and wildland fuel across the landscape is necessary for fire behaviour modelling system predictions. Remotely sensed data are invaluable for assessing these canopy characteristics over large areas; lidar data, in particular, are uniquely suited for quantifying three-dimensional canopy...
Peterson, Birgit; Nelson, Kurtis; Seielstad, Carl; Stoker, Jason M.; Jolly, W. Matt; Parsons, RussellThe 3D Elevation Program initiative: a call for action
The 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) initiative is accelerating the rate of three-dimensional (3D) elevation data collection in response to a call for action to address a wide range of urgent needs nationwide. It began in 2012 with the recommendation to collect (1) high-quality light detection and ranging (lidar) data for the conterminous United States...
Sugarbaker, Larry J.; Constance, Eric W.; Heidemann, Hans Karl; Jason, Allyson L.; Lukas, Vicki; Saghy, David L.; Stoker, Jason M.Pre-USGS Publications
PE&RS February 2014 Cover
This is the cover of the February 2014 Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing journal
USGS 3DEP Lidar Point Cloud Now Available as Amazon Public Dataset
The USGS 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) is excited to announce the availability of a new way to access and process lidar point cloud data from the 3DEP repository.