LIDAR As An Effective Method For Coastal Habitat Mapping

Overview: Mapping along the coastlines of the United States has historically been an epic battle for the most accurate representation of the shoreline. This effort has been felt by all agencies of the government and private sector as inhabitation near our oceans has skyrocketed in the last half century. These agencies look for the most accurate data to convey to their constituents, customers and governing bodies in order to regulate the building of homes and coastal fortifications to benefit the future of the coastal zone, not the welfare of a few homeowners. This has led to nearly four decades of research into the most accurate methods for coastal surveying, including survey grade GPS profiling, ortho-interpretation, elapsed time photos and LIDAR.