For over five years CSS employee owners have supported NOAA’s Digital Coast data development and management, training development and delivery, and tool development and management through our subcontract with Lynker Technologies supporting NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management. As part of this effort, CSS employee owners process lidar data from many sources to make it available for custom and bulk downloads from the NOAA Data Access Viewer. This involves ensuring data quality and consistency and preparing the data for dissemination. The end goal is to provide elevation data users with the data they need to make the best decisions for coastal mapping and management efforts.

Graphic shows a flat surface next to a steep incline. A suspension bridge  reaches over the flat surface
High resolution lidar data provides enough detail to show specific and identifiable features and landmarks, like the Golden Gate Bridge.

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split pane with 1-meter land cover data on left showing details of roads, buildings, creeks, and wetlands. 30-meter land cover data on right showing blocky colors that don't provide details.

New Heavily Desired High Resolution Land Cover Data for the U.S. 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently announced the launch of the long desired high-resolution coastal land cover data. This highly anticipated data are available for most coastal areas of the U.S., including Alaska and the U.S. territories.    CSS employee owners contributed to the release of this data set by participating in production activities and…

Contributing to Wind Energy Area Designations 

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) recently announced two Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) in the Gulf of Mexico. The WEAs are located off the coasts of Galveston, Texas, and Lake Charles, Louisiana and have the potential to power nearly three million homes.   BOEM collaborated with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to identify…

View over a valley with a fog settled between the mountains

Monitoring Air Quality in California’s San Joaquin Valley

CSS employee owners supported the deployment and operation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) air quality monitoring trailer (WEAVE COM – Western Enhanced Air quality VEhicle for COmmunity Monitoring) in California’s San Joaquin Valley in during late fall and early winter of 2024.  Elevated particulate matter (PM2.5) is frequently found throughout the valley during…