| |
Digital Elevation Data
The National Cartography & Geospatial Center (NCGC) is active in
providing technical assistance and digital elevation data resources to NRCS staff and partners.
NRCS is a member agency of the National Digital Elevation Program. The National Digital
Elevation Program (NDEP) is a multi-agency federal partnership chaired by
USGS to expedite the collection and availability of elevation data. NDEP member
agencies intend to leverage funds for the acquisition of elevation data in
common areas of interest. It supports data sharing, promotes using flexible
and common standards, and leveraging of resources to minimize redundant data
production. The Guidelines for Digital Elevation Data provide
more information on LIDAR technology and requirements for acquisition of elevation data.
Elevation Data Sources
Types and sources of elevation data
commonly used for NRCS applications are
Digital Elevation Models (DEM) and the National
Elevation Dataset (NED). These data have 10- or 30-meter resolution
and are available via the USGS and USDA web sites. The United States Geological
Survey (USGS) offers
a central web site for downloading or ordering digital elevation
data in Geographic, and NAD83 formats. The
Geospatial
Data Gateway is a U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) data distribution web site where DEM and NED data are downloadable
in the UTM projection, NAD83 datum.
| |
|