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Topographic Change Mapping
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Topographic Change Mapping

Graphic illustration of an aircraft collecting data

Topography is the general shape or form of a surface, such as land, including its relief and arrangement of features. The NOAA Coastal Services Center is using new remote sensing technologies to map coastal topography in the U.S. These technologies include Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (IfSAR or InSAR).

Why Collect Topographic Data?

People have always needed information on the "lay of the land." One important part of this information is the peaks and valleys of the landscape and the way the land slopes — in a word, the topography. A variety of coastal issues require information on topography or topographic change over time, including:

  • water flow
  • wireless communications
  • beach volume changes
  • shoreline changes
  • subsidence
  • emergency response

To address these needs in the coastal community, the Center, in partnership with state and local governments, is acquiring high-resolution topographic data through remote sensing technologies. The primary goal is to work with the coastal resource management community and help practitioners by supplying information or data on topographic issues.

Join the Coastal Elevation Listserver to stay in touch with the community of people providing and applying high resolution elevation data in coastal areas.