Free LiDAR and mapping data?

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Gary Nobles

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Jul 16, 2008, 2:08:25 PM7/16/08
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Does anyone know of any websites which gives away free uk mapping
data, either as raster getiffs or LiDAR (point clouds) or DEMs etc...

Thanks

Gary

P.S. would it be a good idea to have a list of free data / software on
antiquist?

paulc

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Jul 17, 2008, 6:49:35 AM7/17/08
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Well, yes and no.
There's the OS New Popular Edition which has been scanned and
georeferenced and is also available as a web service ; see
http://www.npemap.org.uk/ Also for download / supply on disc if you
ask nicely.

Most other historical OS is being marketed through Landmark as
'enhanced' product, allowing the OS to make money out of it as a new
publication despite it being out of copyright. There are increasingly
small pools of data where interested individuals are scanning the
original (out of copyright) sheets and putting them online; see
http://www.hipkiss.org/cgi-bin/maps.pl for example.

LiDAR is not free unless you happen to know someone with a system.
University of Cambridge have one as do QinetiQ. I've worked with
Cambridge data and seen the QinetiQ chaps demo their data (incredible
resolution, but then they flew at a very low level) but the
Environment Agency are the main supplier and their data is only
available free to local authorities doing flood plain work. Of course,
you can buy the data; see http://www.geomatics-group.co.uk/lidar.html
If you're interested more in getting some data for testing purposes,
US lidar data is centrally indexed and is available for download with
loads of useful resources: see http://lidar.cr.usgs.gov/ Also, most
lidar is supplied in processed raster format, at least here in the UK;
I haven't seen anything in LAS format apart from it being discussed as
a useful format for laser scan data in the Heritage3D project.

You can get various satellite datasets for free. BlueMarble's data is
available as a (legit) torrent and SRTM data is also available;
http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/srtm/

If you're looking to build a (publicly accessible) website, modern OS
is available for free through the OS OpenSpace project, serving up
data in a googlemaps fashion via web services.

The Open Street Map project is also providing free basemapping as web
services.

atb,
P :-)

Joseph Reeves

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Jul 17, 2008, 6:59:05 AM7/17/08
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There's free Lidar data available from Radiohead:

http://code.google.com/creative/radiohead/

Should you wish to experiment with Thom Yorke's face...

Joseph

2008/7/17 paulc <pjc...@googlemail.com>:

Mark Dover

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Jul 17, 2008, 7:22:49 AM7/17/08
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Hi Gary,

The Environment Agency will also usually provide up to 4 1km squares if you're undertaking research, at no cost. Usually this applies to Uni. Students and staff, but it might be worth contacting Dr Alison Matthews directly. Her contact details are here:

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/commondata/103196/219863?referrer=/science/monitoring/131047/

Best wishes

Mark


AntArch

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Jul 17, 2008, 12:52:15 PM7/17/08
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There's some data on GRADE including a UK and Eire SRTM model I
uploaded some time back.

http://gradedemo.edina.ac.uk/dspace/handle/grade_dspace/196

I believe anyone can access this. If not contact me off-list.

Ant

On Jul 16, 7:08 pm, Gary Nobles <garynob...@yahoo.com> wrote:

Gary Nobles

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Jul 17, 2008, 6:57:57 PM7/17/08
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Is there anyway to become a registered edina user if you do not work
for a university even though the data will be for your own research?

jo.k...@googlemail.com

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Jul 18, 2008, 3:39:52 AM7/18/08
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Hi Gary et al

In answer to the PS part of the question- our nascent local chapter
for OSGeo is trying to put together a list of free data and software
and it will be available on our wiki at http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/United_Kingdom
just as soon as we can find the time to update the page. My personal
feeling is that rather than reinvent the wheel and duplicate efforts
that have already gone on elsewhere, we at Antiquist should just link
to that site.

Regarding LiDAR- at OA we have occasionally been given a couple of
squares (or more) for EH projects. The amount we are given seems to
depend on who we deal with at the Environment Agency.

Good luck with trying to get in at Edina- if you manage it it's a bit
like the holy grail for those of us who don't work in a university
environment...

Jo

On Jul 16, 7:08 pm, Gary Nobles <garynob...@yahoo.com> wrote:

AntArch

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Jul 22, 2008, 6:21:07 AM7/22/08
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a few people asked for my SRTM DEM of the UK so for an unspecified
period of time it will reside here:

http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/arb/SRTM.zip

I've copied and pasted the metadata from GRADE. You may have to re-
check the licence conditions from NASA/JPL but I believe this is fine
for non-commerical work. My processing technique is in the metadata.

This data is in ERDAS imagine format (proprietary but I like it).

Some of you may also be interested in the satellite data that's
available from the Global Landcover Facility in Maryland
http://www.landcover.org/index.shtml.

In fact there's a range of free satellite imagery available (obviously
mostly american - all praise the freedom of information act) just
seach for "landsat free"

I haven't checked in a while but ESA did have some free data and
they're always looking for good research projects. I'm happy to
collaborate if anyone has ideas and require an RS specialist.



On Jul 16, 7:08 pm, Gary Nobles <garynob...@yahoo.com> wrote:
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