How to download LiDAR data free

In my last few tutorials I have explained about what LiDAR data is and how to analyse it but how to download free LiDAR data online?

In this tutorial I will show you how to download Point Cloud data from USGS National Map.

Before starting this post let me clear you that LiDAR data is also known as Point Cloud data with different name. In this post some time I have written it as LiDAR and some time I have written it a Point Cloud data.

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    Step1: Visit National Map Site

    Visit USGS national map site (https://viewer.nationalmap.gov/basic/

    Step2: Select Area of Interest

    Search for any location or draw polygon or provide coordinates etc.


    For this tutorial I will provide below coordinates

    Min Lat: 43.30099010129026
    Min Lon: -88.85407447814943
    Max Lat: 43.306661588070774

    Max Lon: -88.84051322937013


    Then click on Draw AOI button.

    Step3: Select Map Layer

    Now select USGS Imagery Topo from layer (Top right of map). This selection you are making to better observation.



    Step4: Select LiDAR data type

    Then under data tab (left side) select
    Elevation Source Data (3DEP) – Lidar, IfSARthen select
    Lidar Point Cloud (LPC)
    Then click on Show Availability

    If map colour goes green that means LiDAR is available for that area.



    Step5: Search for LiDAR data Product

    Now click on Find products

    Step6: Choosing best LiDAR data to download

    Now in Products tab list of LiDAR data products will be available. By clicking footprint of each product an AOI will be drawn in map.
    By looking that AOI you can identify and select which product you need to download.

    Step7: Download LiDAR data

    After selecting best LiDAR data, click on any format you want to download (LAS or LAZ)
    That’s all.

    Conclusion

    In this post I have explained how to download LiDAR data from USGS National Map. Though there are various sources to download LiDAR data free but I found National Map of USGS simple and straight forward.

    Listing some other sources to download sample LiDAR data

    Huge list of LiDAR dataset

    Download Autzen dataset

    Autzen is a popular LiDAR data. You can download Autzen LiDAR dataset by clicking below link.

    If you have any question or suggestion regarding this topic see you in comment section. I will try my best to answer.

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