Looking for LiDAR?

If you're in search of LiDAR data, I recently heard of a couple of sites that may be of use. The OpenTopography Portal is a useful site produced by the GEON Project. Here is information about the OpenTopograghy Portal from the site:

The OpenTopography Portal is a GEON Project initiative to build an online system that provides integrated access to high-resolution topographic data, web-based processing tools, and enables the user community to share knowledge, experiences and resources. ... If you have data you’d like to share, resources such as tools or documents to contribute, or are interested in collaborating, please contact us.

The OpenTopography Portal

In my day (!) these data were not available, and then as time went on, they were available for a steep price, so access to these high-resolution datasets is amazing. From the site:

Our goal is to use the OpenTopography Portal as a way to democratize access to high resolution topographic data and to allow users to share resources and knowledge.

Another site for LiDAR is the National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping or NCALM. There are helpful KMLs for selecting the data and site you're interested in. The range may be a bit limited but it may be worth checking out.

Thanks to Dave Tewksbury of Hamilton College and Peter Lea of Bowdoin College for posting about these sites.