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Topography Data Access and Tools
NASA data detail topography across the land surface, ocean, cryosphere, terrestrial hydrosphere and within the context of climate change. Our datasets and tools help researchers translate these interconnected data points into actionable knowledge.
Topography Featured Observation Method: ICESat-2
NASA's Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) allows scientists to measure the elevation of ice sheets, glaciers, sea ice, and land across Earth's temperate and tropical regions, as well as take stock of the vegetation in forests worldwide. ICESat-2 carries the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS), which sends 10,000 pulses of laser light to the ground per second and then measures how long it takes them be reflected back by the surface to determine the area's elevation.
Learn more about ICESat-2/ATLAS near real-time data provided by NASA's Land, Atmosphere Near real-time Capability for Earth observation (LANCE).
ICESat-2 carries the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS), which sends pulses of laser light to the ground, collects the returning photons in a telescope, and records the photon travel time.
Learn more about ICESat-2/ATLAS near real-time data provided by NASA's Land, Atmosphere Near real-time Capability for Earth observation (LANCE).
ICESat-2 carries the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS), which sends pulses of laser light to the ground, collects the returning photons in a telescope, and records the photon travel time.
Data from NASA’s ICESat-2 mission provide incredibly accurate measurements of Earth elevation change—and much more.
8 MIN READ
The five new datasets are the result of a joint effort by NASA’s Satellite Needs Working Group Management Office (SNWG MO), ICESat-2 team, and Land, Atmosphere Near real-time Capability for EOS (LANCE).
3 MIN READ
This is the first in a four-part webinar series to introduce NASA's Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation-2 (ICESat-2) platform and the platform's data, tools, and applications.
This ACCESS 2015 project focused on OpenAltimetry, a cloud-ready web-based application for discovery, access, and visualization of ICESat and ICESat-2 data.
Topography Datasets
| Dataset | Platforms | Instruments | Temporal Extent | Location Keywords | Spatial Extent | Data Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burned and Unburned Field Site Data, Noatak, Seward, and North Slope, AK, 2016-2018 | FIELD SURVEYS | SOIL MOISTURE PROBE, THERMOMETERS | 2016-07-22 to 2018-08-27 | ALASKA | N: 69.6632 S: 65.0181 E: -148.641 W: -164.929 | multiple |
| Circumpolar Arctic Vegetation, Geobotanical, Physiographic Maps, 1982-2003 | FIELD SURVEYS, LANDSAT-5 | STEEL MEASURING TAPE, AVHRR | 1982-06-01 to 2010-09-30 | N: 90 S: 55.8 E: 180 W: -180 | multiple | |
| CMS: LiDAR Data for Forested Areas in Paragominas, Para, Brazil, 2012-2014 | Airplane | LIDAR | 2012-07-27 to 2014-12-27 | N: -2.55319 S: -3.76718 E: -46.7931 W: -48.4958 | multiple | |
| CMS: LiDAR Data for Forested Sites on Borneo Island, Kalimantan, Indonesia, 2014 | Airplane | LIDAR | 2014-10-18 to 2014-11-30 | N: 3.211 S: -2.758 E: 118 W: 109.816 | LAZ | |
| CMS: LiDAR Data for Mangrove Forests in the Zambezi River Delta, Mozambique, 2014 | Airplane | AIRBORNE LASER SCANNER | 2014-05-05 to 2014-05-05 | N: -18.7928 S: -18.893 E: 36.2918 W: 36.1495 | multiple | |
| CMS: LiDAR-derived Canopy Height, Elevation for Sites in Kalimantan, Indonesia, 2014 | Airplane | LIDAR | 2014-10-18 to 2014-11-30 | N: 3.21104 S: -2.7625 E: 118 W: 109.813 | GeoTIFF | |
| CMS: LiDAR-derived Tree Canopy Cover for States in the Northeast USA | MODELS, Airplane | Computer, AIRBORNE LASER SCANNER, CAMERAS | 2008-01-01 to 2014-08-30 | MARYLAND, DELAWARE, PENNSYLVANIA, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA | N: 43.0987 S: 37.7092 E: -74.1541 W: -81.1415 | GeoTIFF |
| CMS: Mangrove Canopy Height Estimates from Remote Imagery, Zambezi Delta, Mozambique | Airplane, SPACE SHUTTLES, WORLDVIEW-2, TSX | AIRBORNE LASER SCANNER, SRTM, SAR | 2011-10-14 to 2014-05-06 | N: -18.6269 S: -18.915 E: 36.3389 W: 36.1186 | GeoTIFF | |
| CO2 and CH4 Fluxes from Waterbodies, Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska, 2016-2019 | SATELLITES, FIELD SURVEYS, COMPUTERS | Sentinel-2 MSI, SENTINEL-1 C-SAR, WATER BOTTLES, Computer | 2016-07-07 to 2019-07-07 | ALASKA | N: 61.6781 S: 60.895 E: -162.073 W: -163.82 | multiple |
| Delta-X: AirSWOT L2 Geocoded Water Surface Elevation, MRD, LA, 2021, V3 | King Air | AirSWOT | 2021-03-26 to 2021-09-12 | LOUISIANA | N: 29.86 S: 28.98 E: -90.21 W: -91.6 | multiple |
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