Trees, bedrock hills, and small lakes in the eastern Boundary Waters near the Kekekabic Trail. Lidar point cloud (22.34 points/m2!) from USGS via @opentopography.org. Viewed with lidRviewer.

OpenTopography will be hosting a short course on Sept. 23, 2026 prior to the start of the 2026 CLaSH Annual Meeting in Boulder, CO. Deadline extended: Applications and meeting registration are now due by July 31. Learn more & register: sites.google.com/umich.edu/20...

Please don't go chasing Horseshoe Falls... Niagara Falls may seem timeless, but it's always evolving. High resolution topographic data like lidar lets us measure the falls and monitor the erosion that continues to reshape this iconic landscape. youtube.com/shorts/NCoY_...

Please don't go chasing Horseshoe Falls... #shorts #geology

Niagara Falls may seem timeless, but it's always evolving. High resolution topographic data like lidar lets us measure the falls and monitor the erosion that continues to reshape this iconic…

youtube.com

Southern Driftless Area, with deep gullies on steep slopes hidden by trees and then uncovered. Looks like the drainage areas of the gullies above the woods were taken out of crop production in the last 25 years, and from the road I didn't see evidence of recent erosion in the gullies.

OpenTopography is pleased to announce the availability of two new continental to global-scale digital terrain models (DTMs): ANADEM, covering South America, and the Global Ensemble Digital Terrain Model (GEDTM), covering nearly all global landmasses. Read more: opentopography.org/news/new-mac...

OpenTopography will be hosting a short course on Sept. 23, 2026 prior to the start of the 2026 CLaSH Annual Meeting in Boulder, CO. Course is free of charge to selected meeting participants. Applications and meeting reg. due by July 24. Learn more & register: sites.google.com/umich.edu/20...

The Cuyahoga River in Ohio has been on fire over a dozen times, which lead to modern environmental regulations. We know the importance of keeping our rivers clean, but what about the land around them? Using lidar, we can look at the floodplain along the Cuyahoga River. youtube.com/shorts/-q3Ct...

Cuyahoga River: Flood and Fire

The Cuyahoga River in Ohio has been on fire over a dozen times, which lead to modern environmental regulations. We know the importance of keeping our rivers clean, but what about the land around…

youtube.com

I should also add that many of these creations would not be possible without the freely available data collected by federally funded science (your tax dollars at work!!) and housed in one place by the amazing folks at @opentopography.org.

Ryan J Hollister@phaneritic.bsky.social · last mo.

BTW, one of the Lawetlat’la boxes will be the 400th I’ve sold. I cannot believe it. I truly appreciate everyone’s support! I am humbled they continue to sell and that they bring joy to folks.

Five UAS #lidar datasets of Stroubles Creek in Blacksburg, Virginia (Virginia Tech's StREAM Lab) published on OpenTopography. Access the datasets here: portal.opentopography.org/dataSearch?s...

Department of Geographical Sciences at University of Maryland@umdgeography.bsky.social · last mo.

🚁🌿 Nearly a decade of drone lidar data is now publicly available through @opentopography.org thanks to GEOG Principal Lecturer Jonathan Resop. The datasets provide a high-resolution record of stream restoration and landscape change ⤵️ go.umd.edu/2c2k

Why do rivers meander over time? With satellite imagery and topography data, we can see how erosion and deposition play a role in forming river meanders. youtube.com/shorts/QUEtu...

Why do rivers meander over time? #shorts #geology

Have you ever wondered why rivers curve and bend across the landscape? Through satellite imagery and topographic data, we can see how erosion and deposition work together to move river channels…

youtube.com

When we say "chai tea," it's really like saying "tea tea." Just like how saying "crag rock" is like saying "rock rock." Seneca Rocks in West Virginia are a prime example of a crag, and a popular traditional vertical climbing location on the East Coast. youtube.com/shorts/IMmq1...

Crags: Seneca Rocks Rock! #shorts #geology

When we say "chai tea," it's really like saying "tea tea." Just like how saying "crag rock" is like saying "rock rock." Seneca Rocks in West Virginia are a prime example of a crag, and a popular…

youtube.com

Registration is now open for the 2026 Near-surface Geophysics Community Input Workshop. Please join us if you are interested in helping to define the future of near-surface geophysics research and infrastructure. More details & registration: events.ringcentral.com/events/near-...

Near-surface Geophysics Community Input Workshop

Get tickets to Near-surface Geophysics Community Input Workshop, taking place August 25, 2026 to August 26, 2026. RingCentral Events is your source for engaging events and experiences.

events.ringcentral.com

EarthScope Consortium@earthscope.org · 2mo ago

Apply to the 2026 Near-Surface Geophysics Community Input Workshop on August 25 & 26 in Albuquerque, NM. The NGS workshop will bring the community together to shape future science support and collaboration. Travel support available for selected applicants. Apply here: https://loom.ly/d-cl6m4

OT has new datasets, including lidar surveys supporting research in fire-prone SoCal regions and slot canyon studies in Arizona. New USGS 3DEP datasets in NV, OH, and OR, along with Community Dataspace datasets from China, Virginia, and Iceland are also available. opentopography.org/news/april-2...

OpenTopography is working to improve our user experience and interface, and we are conducting a UI/UX study in partnership with the CRUX Lab at Arizona State. Feedback from this ~15 min study will directly contribute to improving the OT platform. Access the study: study.uxtweak.com/cardsort/eS3...

The Topography Data Component fetches land elevation data from OpenTopography and loads it into an Xarray DataArray. Learn more about the Topography Data Component at github.com/csdms/bmi-to....

GitHub - csdms/bmi-topography: Fetch and cache land elevation data from OpenTopography through an API, BMI, or CLI

Fetch and cache land elevation data from OpenTopography through an API, BMI, or CLI - csdms/bmi-topography

github.com

Recent dataset additions on OpenTopo include the nationwide 0.5-meter Netherlands Digital Elevation Model (AHN4), new USGS 3DEP and NOAA Coastal lidar datasets across the United States, and a high-resolution SfM dataset of Italy’s Stromboli volcano. See more ➡️ opentopography.org/news/january...

OpenTopography's Spring 2026 webinar series kicks off this week! Join us in March and April for a series of hour-long webinars—perfect for those who are seeking to make better use of lidar data in their research and teaching. Register in advance ⬇️ opentopography.org/news/2026_we...

More of the demo: An area of coppice dunes (nebkha) and a dry wash east of the headquarters of Jornada Experimental Range, New Mexico. The grassland-shrubland regime shift story. Data from @opentopography.org. Example of why I often like a basic gray hillshade to bring out landforms.

Edge of Olympic National Park along the Bogachiel R southeast of Forks, Washington, visualized with a lidar point cloud from @opentopography.org . Left: Canopy height (m), Right: 3D view of point cloud. Used lidR and lidRviewer. Class demo of lidar for tomorrow.

We have a great series of EarthScope webinars coming up this spring! Tune in next Thursday, March 19 at 12 pm MT to hear Dr. Zhiang Chen (Arizona State University) present on "Robotics for Geoscience: More Data, New Analyses." Register ➡️ https://loom.ly/4tabSl8

Identifying #forest canopy gaps is important for understanding forest development & biological diversity. New R notebook outlines a workflow to detect canopy gaps from Canopy Height Models derived from ALS #lidar data. Available at: github.com/OpenForest4D... #RemoteSensing #Forestry #GoogleColab

How can lidar track a forest's recovery after a fire? 🌲🔥 In this study of the #Kaibab National Forest, researchers used multi-temporal #lidar data to map forest structure and canopy changes over time. Explore the interactive map here: of4d.sdsc.edu/usecases/kai... #RemoteSensing #Wildfire

New Windows GUI for the OpenTopography RiverREM package by @rockiceandsnow.bsky.social 👇 More info on RiverREM: opentopography.org/blog/new-pac... github.com/OpenTopograp...

Matthew Morriss@rockiceandsnow.bsky.social · 6mo ago

If you want to try my tool, which currently is only working on windows, please take a look at my latest v1.0.0 release: github.com/morrismc/REM... everything should be projected in UTM! if you have any issues, please log them on GH! #ClaudeCode @opentopography.org

Everyone loves 3D prints of #lidar topography! We put together a how-to tutorial video using the DEMto3D #QGIS plugin to make prints like these examples from @bayesmap.bsky.social. Check it out: opentopography.org/learn/3D_pri...

Andre Jalobeanu @ BayesMap Solutions@bayesmap.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Printing a few #LiDAR DEM tiles from the French #LiDARHD from #IGN around our village (Le Rove, France). Will be on display at our booth at #GeoWeek in Denver. Used Dem23D #QGIS plugin plugins.qgis.org/plugins/DEMt... works great, simple to use, highly recommended!

Since its initiation, OpenTopography data and resources have enabled over 1,500 peer-reviewed publications across increasingly diverse science disciplines, demonstrating the broad applications of open topographic data. Read more about OT's publication impact ⬇️ opentopography.org/blog/ot-bibl...

Here’s a nice Saturday Surprise. I just posted 19 new volcano tissue box covers in my Etsy shop. They are 3D printed scale models made using lidar scans from federally funded USGS projects and my photogrammetry. Thanks to @opentopography.org for organizing the data! phaneritic.etsy.com

OpenTopography invites you to join a series of weekly, hour-long webinars. The first webinar introduces OT and our new resources, and the subsequent three are aimed at those with familiarity with lidar who are seeking to make better use of these data. Register: opentopography.org/news/2026_we...

We're recruiting new members to serve on OpenTopography's advisory committees! These committees represent OT's users and ensure that activities are aligned with the needs and initiatives of the scientific and educational communities. Learn more & apply: opentopography.org/news/AC_nomi...

Cipriano Hills, Organ Pipe Cactus NM (NE of Quitobaquito Springs). I hope you like this but I really just made it for my own nostalgic enjoyment. Data from @opentopography.org, visualized with #rayshader.

Check out the latest datasets now available on OpenTopography, which include over a dozen new USGS 3DEP datasets, new NOAA Coastal Lidar, and data collected over the Eaton Fire in Los Angeles, California. opentopography.org/news/decembe...