OpenTopography

OpenTopography serves as a premier online platform for accessing high-resolution topography data and associated tools. It offers a centralized hub for discovering and utilizing diverse topographic datasets, significantly simplifying the process of data acquisition for researchers, educators, and the public. The platform integrates data from various sources, including the USGS 3D Elevation Program.

The datasets available through OpenTopography include lidar point clouds, digital elevation models (DEMs), and SRTM data, covering a wide range of geographic areas such as the White River in Indiana, Auckland in New Zealand, Yaquina Head in Oregon, and the Flatirons in Colorado. These data types support various applications, from relative elevation models and hillshade images to D8 flow direction maps and 3D visualizations.

Beyond data provision, OpenTopography offers valuable learning resources such as online training modules, curriculum for educators, and workshops & short courses. These resources enable users to effectively leverage the high-resolution topographic data for research, educational purposes, and practical applications in fields like hydrology, geomorphology, and geology.