Dewberry has been selected by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to facilitate, acquire, and process lidar data across northern California, within the areas of Keefer Slough, Upper Pit, Russian Mendocino, Alpine, and Cow Creek, as well as all of Mendocino County. The data will support the USGS 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) and the FEMA Risk Mapping, Assessment, and Planning (Risk MAP) program.

The firm has been tasked under the USGS Geospatial Products and Services Contract (GPSC3) to collect and process 1,228 square miles of quality level 1 (QL1) lidar topographic data for Mendocino County to improve process efficiency, timber harvesting, ecological impact, and permit applications. This pilot project will determine how restoration needs can be met for fish and wildlife.

Currently, there is not enough lidar data in the public domain for timberlands. The new collection of data will be used to validate existing datasets and serve as a new information source for assessment, modeling, and stream density. This information will be added to the public domain to determine the impacts of timber harvesting.

Dewberry has also been tasked to acquire, process, and quality control the collection of 2,201 square miles of quality level 2 (QL2) lidar data across five additional areas in northern California for FEMA floodplain mapping. The data collection includes breaklines required to hydro-flatten inland ponds, lakes, streams, and rivers, as well as tidal and non-tidal boundary waters after extracting hydrographic feature geometry using point cloud information and intensity imagery. The firm will perform all data post-processing and classification steps to develop the requisite deliverables.

“This project is challenging since the coastal weather in northern California is generally cloudy and rainy, and there was a short window between leaf off and snow to be able to collect data. The acquisition proceeded well with the exception of two FEMA areas, which are delayed until this summer due to excessive snow this season in higher elevations that is expected to linger. We expect to complete the data acquisition this summer,” said Dewberry’s Elise MacPherson, who is managing the task order for the USGS GPSC3 contract.