ArcNews
Winter 2012/2013
Vol. 34, No. 4
Discovering and Mapping Natural Hazards with Lidar
Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries Uses GIS to Serve Data
On February 17, 2011, President Barack Obama declared a major disaster in the state of Oregon due to a severe winter storm that caused flooding, mudslides, landslides, and debris flows during the previous month. Western Oregon counties, including Clackamas, Clatsop, Crook, Douglas, Lincoln, and Tillamook, were all affected. The total public assistance cost estimate is more than $6 million.
To help mitigate events like this and maintain a safe environment for those living in the state, Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI) is using light detection and ranging (lidar) data to more accurately find and analyze hazards like landslides and debris flow. DOGAMI also makes this lidar data available to the public using an innovative solution based on ArcGIS, the standard GIS platform used in the state.
