Puget Sound LIDAR Consortium

The Puget Sound LIDAR Consortium (PSLC) website historically served as a significant resource for accessing LiDAR data pertaining to the Puget Sound region. Supported by the University of Washington's Department of Earth and Space Sciences and the UW Map Collection, the platform made valuable geospatial information available to researchers and the public. Its initial mission was to consolidate and distribute high-resolution topographic data derived from airborne laser scanning.

However, the site's current status is explicitly described as a "zombie organization" by its webmaster, indicating that it is no longer actively maintained or updated. While the site remains operational and inquiries are answered, updates are infrequent and made primarily at the webmaster's discretion or in collaboration with specific researchers. Users are strongly advised to consider the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) LiDAR portal as the primary and more current alternative. The DNR portal is acknowledged as a major competitor and collaborator that diligently maintains its data and interface.

Despite its transition to a less active role, the PSLC website represents an important historical effort in providing open data for environmental, geological, and topographic studies in Washington state. The data available through this portal has contributed to various applications, including terrain analysis, watershed mapping, and understanding geomorphological processes. Its legacy continues through the availability of its archived datasets, even as newer resources take precedence for contemporary data needs.