GEOSPATIAL FRONTIERS
A Publication by Project Geospatial
LOOKING BEYOND
THE MAP
Geospatial Frontiers, a new publication from Project Geospatial, brings together leading voices and experts from across the geospatial ecosystem to tackle the industry's most pressing challenges. Through in-depth articles and discussions, Geospatial Frontiers aims to explore innovative solutions and spark critical conversations that will shape the future of geospatial technology and its applications.
AUTHORS
Adam Simmons
Keith Barber
Fred Woods
The "Impossible" Map: USGS Completes Its Billion-Dollar Lidar Moonshot
At Geo Week 2026, the USGS officially announced the completion of its decade-long "moonshot": the 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) baseline. This monumental $1 billion collaborative effort successfully mapped the entire United States with high-resolution lidar, creating the first continuous national "digital twin" of the country’s topography. Dive into how this unprecedented dataset was built through a "coalition of the willing" and discover how it is already revolutionizing everything from flood modeling to infrastructure planning.