Insights
  • Community Spotlight
  • Environmental Resource Assessment & Management

Developing and Managing Lidar Data  

lidar data reveals a river and surrounding parcels

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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  • Success Stories
  • Environmental Resource Assessment & Management

Developing a Database for Ecosystem Service Models 

CSS scientists have been major developers and contributors to the online U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s EcoService Models Library (ESML) database since its inception in 2012. The ESML database contains detailed but concise descriptions of ecosystem service models to facilitate the selection of models by ecosystem scientists for a variety of management and research applications. The…

  • Success Stories
  • Environmental Resource Assessment & Management

Organizing Teams to Monitor Coastal Contaminants

For nearly 40 years NOAA’s National Mussel Watch Program has been monitoring contaminants in coastal waters in over 400 sites around the U.S. by testing sediment and bivalves, such as oysters and mussels. A CSS employee owner organizes and coordinates the regional missions to collect and test samples. This includes developing a schedule and coordinating…

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  • CSS News, Success Stories
  • Emergency Preparedness & Response

Responding to Tangipahoa River Contamination 

Following a fire at Smitty’s Supply facility in Louisiana’s Tangipahoa Parish on August 22, 2025, a CSS employee owner supporting the Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund Technical Assistance and Response Team (START) sub-contract deployed to the scene on August 31 to assist with response efforts. Initially the staff member worked on logistics at the staging warehouse.…