General Information

The 2011 MSB LiDAR & Imagery Project is a collection of high-resolution elevation data and aerial imagery for 3680 square miles of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough (MSB) as well as the development of a number of ancillary datasets. For data management purposes the project has been divided into 7 blocks/areas: Matanuska, Core Area, Point MacKenzie, Willow, Caswell Lakes, Talkeetna, & North Susitna. The project is being managed by the MSB in collaboration with the US Geological Survey (USGS) and US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).

The following partners have contributed funding and/or resources to the project: Coastal Impact Assistance Program (CIAP); United States Geological Survey (USGS); Alaska Energy Authority (AEA); United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS); The Nature Conservancy (TNC); National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Mat-Su Salmon Partnership; United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE); Alaska Pacific University (APU); & Matanuska Susitna Borough (MSB).

Project Area Map
Project Area Map by Blocks

Project Updates

This includes only the most recent update, for a complete list, see our Project Updates page.

May 23, 2012 - LiDAR and Imagery Project Update

After more than three years of planning, collaboration, management and fickle weather, the 2011 Mat-Su LiDAR and Imagery project is coming to fruition. The contracted organizations, UAF, Aerometric as well as the Mat-Su Borough and all project partners, are excited beyond measure to have played a role in one of the most comprehensive and premier mapping projects in the State of Alaska.
 
Please read the letter from Tony Follett, Senior Vice President of Aerometric regarding the project status and schedule. We realize that many of you are eagerly awaiting the project deliverables. The terrain, acquisition conditions and sheer size of the project have presented many challenges along the way. However, despite obstacles, conundrums and setbacks, we have been steadfast in our commitment to quality and accuracy. In short, the partners and contracted organizations have come together to produce a mapping project which is simply stunning.
 
Data Dissemination
As you know, over the past several months, the MSB, UAF and Aerometric have been working extremely hard not only to ensure that the project deliverables are of the highest quality , but also to provide them to interested users in the earliest and most efficient manner possible. We appreciate your patience during this time and we are happy to announce the data distribution plan for the 2011 Mat-Su LiDAR and Imagery Project.
 
Developing an effective and efficient distribution process is a critical component of this project. Because of their size, number and geographic breadth, moving the project deliverables from one place to another can be complicated. After consulting with data storage experts, it has become clear that the fastest possible way to get the project into your hands is through use of portable storage media. Eventually, we hope to have a web-based solution in which users can download data and/or ingest data into GIS and CAD programs as web services. Until then, portable hard drives are the answer.
 
Our strategy for data distribution...   Read More

Products

• Orthorectified, multispectral, 4-band imagery (RGB & NIR); ½ ft resolution, for a 270 sq/mi urban area; 1 ft resolution, for the entire 3680 sq/mi project area
• Point Cloud Data w/ 1m true nominal pulse spacing (nps) and 0.6m nps through overlap (these data meet both USGS & FEMA specs); classified and unclassified
• Automated “vegetation” classification; low (1-6ft), medium (6-15ft) and high (>15ft) Intensity Images
• 1 m first return digital surface model (DSM) (aka top of canopy)
• 1 m bare earth digital elevation model (DEM) w/ hydro-flattening
• 1 m first return hillshade
• 1m bare earth hillshade
• 2 ft contours
• Building footprints @ 97% accuracy
• Breaklines

More information about each of these products can be found in the Frequently Asked Questions.

Order Data

Online Order Form Coming Soon

For data management purposes the project has been divided into 7 blocks/areas.

While most of the project area was flown in 2011, a small portion of LiDAR was not collected in Hatcher Pass area and portion of imagery was not collected for the Matanuska Block. Those areas will be collected in 2012.

All the areas that were flown in 2011 are in various states of completion and availability.

The following table provides a status update on the products by block.

The status can fall into one of five categories:

In Production = Being developed by the vendor.
QA/QA = Delivered and going through the Quality Assurance Quality Control (QA/QC) process.
Accepted = Passed the QA/QC process and has been accepted.
Available = Prepared for distribution and available.
N/A = Product not available for the area.

Downloadable Documents

Project Documents

Frequently Asked Questions

Scope of Work

Project Maps

Project Area Map
Project Area Map by Blocks
LiDAR Acquisition Status Map
Imagery Acquisition Status Map

Reference Documents

USGS - National Geospatial Program - Lidar Guidelines and Base Specification
FEMA - Procedure Memorandum No. 61—Standards for Lidar and Other High Quality Digital Topography