OpenTopography
@opentopography.org
Open access to high-resolution, Earth science-oriented topography data, and related tools & resources. US National Science Foundation supported. #lidar https://www.opentopography.org
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OpenTopography
@opentopography.org
· Mar 13
OpenTopography: Unveiling the Earth's Surface
YouTube video by OpenTopography
youtu.be
New short (3 minute) video answers the question "What is OpenTopography?":
Reposted by OpenTopography
Grading is going quickly today, so time to ponder crafting a new volcano for my tissue box collection. Here's a hillshade of the likely candidate courtesy of the awesome folks @opentopography.org making USGS data accessible to educators and artists like me.
So, what is the mountain's name?
So, what is the mountain's name?
September 17, 2026 at 8:07 PM
Grading is going quickly today, so time to ponder crafting a new volcano for my tissue box collection. Here's a hillshade of the likely candidate courtesy of the awesome folks @opentopography.org making USGS data accessible to educators and artists like me.
So, what is the mountain's name?
So, what is the mountain's name?
OpenTopography has new lidar datasets, including NOAA data around the San Francisco Bay and bathymetry data along major Appalachian rivers, two large USGS 3DEP datasets in southern California, and a Community Dataspace dataset from southern Japan.
opentopography.org/news/august-...
opentopography.org/news/august-...
September 15, 2026 at 5:48 PM
OpenTopography has new lidar datasets, including NOAA data around the San Francisco Bay and bathymetry data along major Appalachian rivers, two large USGS 3DEP datasets in southern California, and a Community Dataspace dataset from southern Japan.
opentopography.org/news/august-...
opentopography.org/news/august-...
Reposted by OpenTopography
Flying through Death Valley, from south to north, to illustrate the differences between the alluvial fans on the eastern and western sides. Flow accumulation maps draped over a digital elevation model. Data: USGS 3DEP (download it from @opentopography.org); processing with @whiteboxgeo.bsky.social
September 8, 2026 at 7:16 PM
Flying through Death Valley, from south to north, to illustrate the differences between the alluvial fans on the eastern and western sides. Flow accumulation maps draped over a digital elevation model. Data: USGS 3DEP (download it from @opentopography.org); processing with @whiteboxgeo.bsky.social
OpenTopography is excited to announce the launch of a new Point Elevation API— a fast, lightweight service that returns the elevation for any location on Earth from our global and regional dataset collection with a single web request.
Learn more: opentopography.org/blog/new-poi...
Learn more: opentopography.org/blog/new-poi...
September 3, 2026 at 4:01 PM
OpenTopography is excited to announce the launch of a new Point Elevation API— a fast, lightweight service that returns the elevation for any location on Earth from our global and regional dataset collection with a single web request.
Learn more: opentopography.org/blog/new-poi...
Learn more: opentopography.org/blog/new-poi...
New data releases on OpenTopography bring new high resolution topographic coverage across Europe, Central America, and the U.S.
See all new data releases: opentopography.org/news/july-20...
See all new data releases: opentopography.org/news/july-20...
September 1, 2026 at 3:15 PM
New data releases on OpenTopography bring new high resolution topographic coverage across Europe, Central America, and the U.S.
See all new data releases: opentopography.org/news/july-20...
See all new data releases: opentopography.org/news/july-20...
Reposted by OpenTopography
One factor for catastrophic event in #Nepal is, among other things, the extremely steep relief. Difference in elevation of ~4000m over just a few km. #geomorphology and natural hazards in #Himalaya are unlike anything found anywhere else in the world.
@esaearth.esa.int DEM from @opentopography.org
@esaearth.esa.int DEM from @opentopography.org
August 28, 2026 at 10:37 AM
One factor for catastrophic event in #Nepal is, among other things, the extremely steep relief. Difference in elevation of ~4000m over just a few km. #geomorphology and natural hazards in #Himalaya are unlike anything found anywhere else in the world.
@esaearth.esa.int DEM from @opentopography.org
@esaearth.esa.int DEM from @opentopography.org
White Sands National Park in New Mexico is an incredibly unique desert with pure white sand, true to its name. But how did the sand get there?
youtube.com/shorts/rd0l_...
youtube.com/shorts/rd0l_...
Wonders of White Sands #shorts #geology
White Sands National Park in New Mexico is an incredibly unique desert with pure white sand, true to its name. But how did the sand get there?
youtube.com
August 25, 2026 at 7:06 PM
White Sands National Park in New Mexico is an incredibly unique desert with pure white sand, true to its name. But how did the sand get there?
youtube.com/shorts/rd0l_...
youtube.com/shorts/rd0l_...
Reposted by OpenTopography
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.
July 26, 2026 at 3:20 PM
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...
Deadline extended: Applications and meeting registration are now due by July 31.
Learn more & register: sites.google.com/umich.edu/20...
July 27, 2026 at 5:42 PM
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...
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_...
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
July 14, 2026 at 5:24 PM
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_...
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_...
Reposted by OpenTopography
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.
July 12, 2026 at 11:04 PM
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...
Read more: opentopography.org/news/new-mac...
July 9, 2026 at 7:08 PM
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...
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...
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...
July 8, 2026 at 4:36 PM
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...
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...
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
July 2, 2026 at 9:43 PM
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...
youtube.com/shorts/-q3Ct...
Reposted by OpenTopography
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.
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.
Good morning! If you happen to need a new scale model volcano tissue box cover that erupts tissue, I’ll have a new batch of 20 listed by 11am PST this morning. This batch includes:
L’úx (Mt Edgcumbe, Sitka AK)
Lawetlat’la (St Helens)
Tahoma (Rainier)
Erebus (Antarctica)
Shop: phaneritic.etsy.com
L’úx (Mt Edgcumbe, Sitka AK)
Lawetlat’la (St Helens)
Tahoma (Rainier)
Erebus (Antarctica)
Shop: phaneritic.etsy.com
July 1, 2026 at 6:36 PM
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.
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...
🚁🌿 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
The datasets provide a high-resolution record of stream restoration and landscape change ⤵️
go.umd.edu/2c2k
Principal Lecturer Jonathan Resop Makes Decade of Drone Lidar Data Publicly Available
go.umd.edu
June 29, 2026 at 3:50 PM
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...
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...
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
June 24, 2026 at 6:24 PM
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...
youtube.com/shorts/QUEtu...
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...
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
June 9, 2026 at 6:31 PM
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...
youtube.com/shorts/IMmq1...
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-...
June 3, 2026 at 5:56 PM
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-...
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.org/news/april-2...
May 12, 2026 at 4:15 PM
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.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...
Access the study: study.uxtweak.com/cardsort/eS3...
May 11, 2026 at 4:04 PM
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...
Access the study: study.uxtweak.com/cardsort/eS3...
Reposted by OpenTopography
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
March 24, 2026 at 4:07 PM
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....
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...
See more ➡️ opentopography.org/news/january...
March 17, 2026 at 4:04 PM
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...
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...
Register in advance
⬇️
opentopography.org/news/2026_we...
March 16, 2026 at 5:30 PM
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...
Register in advance
⬇️
opentopography.org/news/2026_we...
Reposted by OpenTopography
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.
March 11, 2026 at 1:40 AM
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.