Statewide Seamless 0.5m Lidar DEM, Minnesota, 2025

This data is a seamless representation of Lidar derived Digital Elevation Model (DEM) for the state of Minnesota. The data was collected between 2021 and 2023 at Lidar Acquisition Block (LABs) levels or work units within some LABs, lidar data was collected at work units level where they exist. Please see "Areas Covered" section of https://www.mngeo.state.mn.us/chouse/elevation/lidar_gen2.html for additonal information on LABs and work units.<br/><br/>Data collection was guided by the Minnesota Lidar Plan, a collaborative effort led by the Minnesota Geospatial Advisory Council’s 3D Geomatics Committee and the Minnesota Geospatial Information Office (MnGeo), with support from federal partners such as USGS and FEMA. The plan outlines a comprehensive strategy to acquire new, high-resolution lidar data across the state to replace outdated datasets collected over a decade ago. The plan was driven by the need for more accurate elevation data to support a wide range of applications, including hydrologic modeling, infrastructure planning, forest resource assessment, and environmental monitoring. Minnesota’s lidar data collected between 2008 and 2012 (classified as QL3), no longer meets modern standards and fails to reflect significant landscape changes due to natural events and human development. The new data meets or exceeds USGS Quality Level 1 (QL1) standards, offering higher point density and improved accuracy.<br/><br/>The seamless 0.5m Lidar DEM is made up of data only final vertical accuracy (FVA) checked Lidar data and organized by standards developed and accepted by Minnesota's 3D Geomatics Committee. The DEMs received from contractors were blended to remove overlaps that occurred between LABs and in some cases within LABs and reaggregated using GDAL tools and ArcGIS Pro. <br/><br/>The creation of this seamless data was led by SMEs from Minnesota's Department of Natural Resources (DNR) with MnGeo's support, in collaboration with SME's from Federal, State and County agencies.<br/><br/><br/>