The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) selected Dewberry to plan, acquire, and process topobathymetric lidar for 788 square miles of surface area in the western part of the Everglades National Park in Florida. The project is a cooperative effort between USGS and the U.S. National Park Service.
Dewberry is deploying a recently developed lidar
system consisting of a Riegl VQ880G topo-bathymetric lidar sensor for data
collection. The sensor is capable of collecting data through the water column
so that flooded wetlands and open-water areas are accurately modeled as well as
dry land. The system also includes an optical camera used to collect aerial
imagery. Advanced lidar classification and post-processing will be accomplished
by Dewberry’s geospatial analysts who are familiar with the Everglades
landscape. This project resulted from a pilot project Dewberry performed in
2016 within the Everglades National Park for USGS and the National Park
Service. The pilot project deployed various lidar sensors from several
manufacturers in order to test and qualify the data produced from each sensor.
According to Dewberry Senior Project Manager Keith
Patterson, “this project will support the National Park Service’s critical
environmental management objectives to include response to sea level rise,
increased predictive capability of hydrologic models and improved modeling, and
understanding of the unique Everglades. The data will also support various
scientific studies involving critical habitat for threatened and endangered
species.”
The primary deliverable for the project will be a
topographic-bathymetric digital elevation model (DEM) that will include above
water-level bare earth and below water-level bathymetry.
