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The USGS Dakota Water Science Center is conducting high-resolution hydrographic mapping on two additional study areas in southeastern South Dakota.

The National Map Corps (TNMCorps), a crowdsourced mapping project, relies on volunteers to assist the USGS National Geospatial Program by collecting and editing man-made structures data for The National Map. Through their participation, volunteers make important contributions to the USGS’s ability to provide the Nation with accurate mapping information.

The USGS is coordinating a 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) effort with other Federal agency partners and the State of Alaska to acquire new statewide Alaska elevation data. Under its Geospatial Products and Services Contract (GPSC), the USGS is contracting with vendors to acquire 5-meter resolution elevation data using Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) sensors flown on aircraft.

The goal of the 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) is to complete acquisition of nationwide lidar (Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (IfSAR) in Alaska) in 8 years to provide the first-ever national baseline of consistent high-resolution elevation data—both bare earth and 3D point clouds—collected in a timeframe of less than a decade.

Beech bark disease (BBD) was first detected at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (PIRO) in the early 2000s and is infecting and killing American beech (Fagus grandidentata) trees, producing gaps in the forest canopy. Many wildlife species rely not only on the connectivity of the forest canopy but also on the mast produced by the beech trees, which provide food.

The USGS Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center is working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to identify forest canopy gaps in riparian forests along the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers. The goal is to help understand the factors affecting floodplain forest regeneration and how these factors might be managed.

The Everglades National Park (EVER) and Big Cypress National Preserve (BICY) vegetation mapping project is part of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). The CERP is a cooperative effort between the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and the National Park Service (NPS) Vegetation Mapping Inventory Program (VMI).

Under the leadership of Dr. Steve Kloiber (steve.kloiber@state.mn.us), the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MN DNR) has completed a 10-year effort to update the State’s National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) digital maps using new remote sensing imagery and geospatial technologies to produce a clearer, updated, more accurate picture of Minnesota’s wetlands, lakes, rivers, and streams.

The flow of water in a river channel redistributes various materials, including organisms and pollutants, through a process called dispersion.  Understanding this mechanism is critical for applications ranging from species conservation to hazardous waste management.  Tracer tests with a visible dye are often used to study dispersion, typically by measuring dye concentration directly in the field at a few fixed locations.

High-resolution hydrographic mapping, which provides essential data for flood mitigation and planning, has been completed on thirteen, 12-digit hydrologic units near Sioux Falls in southeastern South Dakota. A lidar-derived digital elevation model was processed to include culvert locations into the modeled drainage network.