Canopy Height Model
CHM with forest canopy gaps detected
Identifying #forest canopy gaps is important for understanding forest development & biological diversity. New R notebook outlines a workflow to detect canopy gaps from Canopy Height Models derived from ALS #lidar data. Available at:
github.com/OpenForest4D...
#RemoteSensing #Forestry #GoogleColab
How can lidar track a forest's recovery after a fire? 🌲🔥
In this study of the #Kaibab National Forest, researchers used multi-temporal #lidar data to map forest structure and canopy changes over time.
Explore the interactive map here:
of4d.sdsc.edu/usecases/kai... #RemoteSensing #Wildfire
New Windows GUI for the OpenTopography RiverREM package by @rockiceandsnow.bsky.social 👇
More info on RiverREM:
opentopography.org/blog/new-pac...
github.com/OpenTopograp...
Very cool Matthew. Hopefully this makes RiverREM even easier to use!
Everyone loves 3D prints of #lidar topography! We put together a how-to tutorial video using the DEMto3D #QGIS plugin to make prints like these examples from @bayesmap.bsky.social. Check it out: opentopography.org/learn/3D_pri...
Plot from 2009 to 2025 showing growth of OpenTopography cited in peer-reviewed publications by science domain.
Since its initiation, OpenTopography data and resources have enabled over 1,500 peer-reviewed publications across increasingly diverse science disciplines, demonstrating the broad applications of open topographic data.
Read more about OT's publication impact
⬇️
opentopography.org/blog/ot-bibl...
Volcano tissue box cover in the shape of salt and sea mud volcano erupting a tissue. The box has a gradient of different brown colors.
Volcano tissue box cover in the shape of salt and sea mud volcano erupting a tissue. The box has a gradient of different brown colors.
Volcano tissue box cover in the shape of Lawetlat’la mt st Helen’s erupting a tissue. The box has a pyrite color.
Volcano tissue box cover in the shape of Lawetlat’la mt st Helen’s erupting a tissue. The box has a pyrite color. Detail on print layers
Here’s a nice Saturday Surprise. I just posted 19 new volcano tissue box covers in my Etsy shop. They are 3D printed scale models made using lidar scans from federally funded USGS projects and my photogrammetry. Thanks to @opentopography.org for organizing the data!
phaneritic.etsy.com
Graphic advertising OpenTopography's Spring 2026 Webinar Series, taking place Wednesday, March-April, 2026 at 1 pm ET/10 am PT.
OpenTopography invites you to join a series of weekly, hour-long webinars.
The first webinar introduces OT and our new resources, and the subsequent three are aimed at those with familiarity with lidar who are seeking to make better use of these data.
Register: opentopography.org/news/2026_we...
More information about OpenTopography's Advisory Committees and present members can be found at: opentopography.org/about/ac
Seeking new members for:
Research Communities Advisory Committee
Inclusive Education, Training, and Workforce Development Advisory Committee
Sustainability and Technology Advisory Committee
Banner reading “Seeking New OpenTopography Advisory Committee Members” over a colorful REM showing a winding river, with the OpenTopography logo in the corner.
We're recruiting new members to serve on OpenTopography's advisory committees! These committees represent OT's users and ensure that activities are aligned with the needs and initiatives of the scientific and educational communities.
Learn more & apply: opentopography.org/news/AC_nomi...
Cipriano Hills, Organ Pipe Cactus NM (NE of Quitobaquito Springs). I hope you like this but I really just made it for my own nostalgic enjoyment. Data from @opentopography.org, visualized with #rayshader.
Lidar point cloud colored by intensity of the neighborhood destroyed by the Eaton Fire.
What are all those light-colored patches on the ground? Gravestones in a cemetery! This is a plot of intensity gradient which is the rate of change in intensity between neighboring points. The intensity of a lidar return over stone is quite different than surrounding grass or soil, so the headstones plot clearly in an intensity gradient style plot.
Colorized point cloud of a Structure from Motion survey of the Crater Elegante in Mexico.
Hillshade of citrus farms in Florida.
Check out the latest datasets now available on OpenTopography, which include over a dozen new USGS 3DEP datasets, new NOAA Coastal Lidar, and data collected over the Eaton Fire in Los Angeles, California.
opentopography.org/news/decembe...
Event flyer for the San Diego Supercomputer Center Women in High Performance Computing Professional Speaker Series featuring Dr. Chelsea Scott and Dr. Cassandra Brigham, titled “Topographic change with OpenTopography,” with date Wednesday, February 25, 2026, 1:00–2:00 pm PST, over a shaded relief topography background.
Please join OpenTopo's Chelsea Scott & Cassandra Brigham for a WHPC@SDSC Professional Speaker Series talk.
Topographic change with OpenTopography: Adventures in cloud computing, spatial uncertainty, and impactful applications
Feb. 25, 2026 at 1–2 pm PT
Register: www.sdsc.edu/events/20260...
Illustration of a person pushing a ground-penetrating radar cart across grass, with subsurface waves shown belowground. Text reads “Near-Surface Geophysics Support” and “Community input needed!” with NSF and National Geophysical Facility (operated by EarthScope) logos at the bottom.
The NSF National Geophysical Facility will be expanding support for near-surface geophysics. Your input can help shape future efforts for research and teaching with near-surface geophysics!
Please take a few minutes to complete this survey ➡️ https://loom.ly/tVEZXlE
Cassandra Brigham et al.: EP41E-1848 A geostatistically grounded workflow for spatial uncertainty quantification in lidar topographic differencing Thursday, 18 December 2025, 8:30 - 12:20, Hall EFG (Poster Hall)
Chelsea Scott et al.: B43J-2061 Monitoring forest structure change using multi-temporal airborne lidar workflows in OpenForest4D Thursday, 18 December 2025, 14:15 - 17:45, Hall EFG (Poster Hall)
At #AGU25? Be sure to check out these presentations by OpenTopography team members!
OT at AGU: opentopography.org/news/opentop...
Thanks for spotting & the mention! We've given away at least 10k of these stickers over the years and it's always fun to see where they end up!
🙏 Thanks Tim!
Monitoring forest structure change using multi-temporal ALS workflows in OpenForest4D
Join us at our #AGU25 poster to discover how we harnesses airborne & satellite #lidar data using advanced workflows to uncover powerful insights on forest structure, biomass, and how landscapes change over time. agu.confex.com/agu/agu25/me...
#OpenScience #WildfireRecovery #EcosystemChange #RStats
I want to give a shout out to the good folks at @opentopography.org for making it so EASY to search for and download publicly available digital elevation models and point cloud data sets. They are a spectacular resources that I use a lot in my classes! Data citations for boxes are at listings' end.
Thanks for the shout out! We love the tissue boxes.
Colorized point cloud of mobile lidar scans in the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias in California. Data Source:
Lidar point cloud colored by intensity of the stadium at Bowling Green State University. Note the yard markings and end zone lettering can be seen due to the variation in the lidar return intensity between dark, light, and colored grass.
Lidar point cloud colored by elevation of downtown Los Angeles, California.
November's new data releases on OpenTopography include a new Community Dataspace dataset and USGS 3DEP coverage in California, plus NOAA Coastal Lidar over Ohio.
Read more and access data: opentopography.org/news/novembe...
Map of CONUS showing areas of NCALM lidar data collection available via OpenTopography in red.
Final year for NSF-supported NCALM seed project proposals! Great opportunity for students to get free #lidar for research. Focus this year is projects in the Alaskan Arctic.
Data become open via OT. To date there are 252 NCALM datasets available on OT (red ⬇️)
Info: ncalm.cive.uh.edu/seed-proposals
AGU25 graphic, 'Connect with OpenTopography at AGU in New Orleans! December 15-19, 2025. Booth #908' with an outline of a meandering river.
Connect with OpenTopography at #AGU25 in New Orleans next week! Our booth (908) is staffed by the OT team and is a great chance to ask questions, provide feedback, or to discuss lidar, high resolution topography, and cyberinfrastructure.
opentopography.org/news/opentop...
Discover how #lidar reveals wildfire impacts & landscape recovery. Case studies in Arizona & Los Angeles show how 3D data helps us quantify canopy loss, hazards, & restoration after major fires. #LAfires #Kaibab
Watch the new #wildfire science video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Joz...
Canopy Height Model
+ representing tree tops on smoothed CHM
Crown Max Height
Generate #forestry products from #lidar topography data with lidR! Reproducible R notebook guides users through #pointcloud filtering, raster generation & forest metrics extraction to produce key outputs like canopy height models. Explore notebook: github.com/OpenForest4D...
#googlecolab #geospatial
This video is part of a series from OpenTopography aimed at expanding community engagement. The series explores what we can learn about Earth’s surface, geologic processes, and natural hazards from remote sensing data like lidar.
For the last several decades, scientists have been developing a way to make our maps more reliable with point cloud data collected by lidar. Lidar is an accurate method that helps scientists to map cities, landscapes, and places that were previously difficult or dangerous to access.
Side-by-side view of an aerial photo of the Wisconsin coastline along Lake Michigan showing a bluff and change along the Michigan coastline showing topographic hillshades (left) and vertical change (right) from 2010- 2020.
New for educators! Lab Exercise: Using lidar to track Lake Michigan bluff retreat and inform local communities
Designed for community college and intro-level geomorph, enviro sci, and GIS courses, students use lidar data to learn about dynamic coastal erosion.
opentopography.org/learn/WI_blu...
Discover how #lidar reveals the size & location of individual Ponderosa Pines at Sunset Crater, AZ! Using advanced algorithms in lidR, we map tree height and crowns in stunning detail, informing forest ecology and management.
openforest4d.org/tree-identif...
#Forestry
#RemoteSensing
#RStats
