This Web site contains 116 Lidar-derived bare earth topography maps and GIS files for Padre Island National Seashore-Texas.
These Lidar-derived topography maps were produced as a collaborative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Florida
Integrated Science Center (FISC) St. Petersburg, Florida, the National Park Service (NPS) Gulf Coast Network, Inventory and
Monitoring Program, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Wallops Flight Facility. One objective of
this research is to create techniques to survey coral reefs and barrier islands for the purposes of geomorphic change studies,
habitat mapping, ecological monitoring, change detection, and event assessment. As part of this project, data from an innovative
instrument under development at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility, the NASA Experimental Airborne Advanced Research Lidar (EAARL)
are being used. This sensor has the potential to make significant contributions in this realm for measuring subaerial and
submarine topography wthin cross-environment surveys. High spectral resolution, water-column correction, and low costs were
found to be key factors in providing accurate and affordable imagery to costal resource managers.
Citation
Title EAARL Topography-Padre Island National Seashore