Over the last few years the SCO has published several maps and articles on LiDAR data in Wisconsin. Other organizations, including the Wisconsin DNR, the US Geological Survey, and the Wisconsin Geographic Information Coordination Council (WIGICC), have also been collecting and distributing information about LiDAR data. In an effort to bring together these various sources of LiDAR information, we created an interactive Web map containing basic information about known county LiDAR projects in the state.

Although some counties have been collecting LiDAR data since the mid-2000s, the biggest impetus for acquiring this data came from Department of Commerce CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) funds starting in 2010. The grant program is significant in that it directly facilitiated the collection of high-resolution elevation data for the southern part of Wisconsin. Much of this data has now been acquired or is in the final stages of processing. 

A few notes about the map:

(1) It shows only LiDAR projects. Photo-derived elevation projects are not included. 

(2) It shows most-current projects only. Multiple projects are not shown in those cases where a county has more than one.

(3) It shows county projects only. It does not show projects for individual cities, coastal areas, river corridors, etc.

(4) It does not show counties with planned projects except for the CDBG-funded counties that have funding in place.

You can click on any colored county on the map to get more information about LiDAR data for that county. The information displayed should be self-explanatory for the most part. Project attributes include year of data acquisition, project status, and whether or not the project used CDBG funds. Data-specific attributes include the availability of point cloud and breakline data, DEM (digital elevation data) resolution, contour interval, LiDAR post spacing (sampling interval), and vertical RMSE (root mean squared error). 

Note that the RMSE value does not necessarily refer to measured RMSE, but instead indicates the accuracy threshold that the data conform to, based on national LiDAR data standards. Two of these standards are the US Geological Survey LiDAR Guidelines (Ver. 13) and the FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) LiDAR standards.

Missing counties on the map indicate that we are not aware of any existing LiDAR project for that county, although such a project may be planned for.

As noted, this map combines information from previous maps and surveys. The assistance of the following organizations is gratefully acknowledged: Wisconsin DNR, US Geological Survey, Ayers Associates, LION (Land Information Officers Network), WLIA (Wisconsin Land Information Association), WIGICC (Wisconsin Geographic Information Coordination Council), and LIOs from individual counties.

Please direct inquiries or comments to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it at (608) 262-6852.