The 3D Nation Elevation Requirements and Benefits Study, led through a partnership between NOAA and USGS, with Dewberry as the contractor lead, is now available, and the results can be found through this website: https://www.usgs.gov/3d-elevation-program/3d-nation-elevation-requirements-and-benefits-study.  The 3D Nation Study builds on the National Enhanced Elevation Assessment (NEEA, Dewberry, 2012) to document U.S. topographic, and inland, nearshore, and offshore bathymetric 3D elevation data requirements and benefits.  The NEEA was a seminal study and the 3D Nation Study is even more comprehensive in the terrestrial, coastal, and ocean geographies and technical information it covers. 

Kudos and congratulations to Sue Hoegberg, Dewberry’s project leader, along with Ashley Chappell at NOAA and Allyson Jason at USGS for leading this important effort.  It was a long haul made more challenging by government shutdowns and COVID.  But the payback is tremendous and the results are already being evaluated to help design the next generation of 3DEP along with new ocean and coastal mapping work in NOAA.  This is a good government story that would not be possible without the vibrant private mapping sector represented by MAPPS.

This study is foundational to our future direction of the 3D National Topography Model that integrates elevation and hydrography in 3D and provides the terrestrial component of the 3D Nation vision we share with NOAA to build a continuous elevation/hydrography surface from the peaks of our mountains to the depths of our waters.