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.

Contributing Authors

Adam Simmons Adam Simmons
Keith Barber Keith Barber
Fred Woods Fred Woods
Chris Vaughan Chris Vaughan
Matthew Husted Matthew Husted
Jessica Calloway Jessica Calloway
The "Impossible" Map: USGS Completes Its Billion-Dollar Lidar Moonshot
Adam Simmons Adam Simmons

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.

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