Illinois Height Modernization Program: Showcase of LiDAR Data Applications
This Showcase of LiDAR Data Applications documents real-world uses of Illinois LiDAR data. Projects address highway engineering, flood prediction, agricultural land management, mining subsidence, monitoring archaeological features, locating sinkholes, and applied geologic science.
March, 2012
Mapping Natural and Cultural Features For Ecological Restoration [2.5 MB pdf]
In the process of ecological restoration planning, Applied Ecological Services (AES) used both bare earth and first return LiDAR datasets to better understand the natural resources and cultural history of Stronghold Camp and Retreat Center located in central Ogle County, Illinois. Situated along the scenic bluffs of the Rock River, this property has a diverse and rich combination of karst, cultural and vegetation resources that were mapped quickly and accurately with LiDAR data.
Related resources:
Applied Ecological Services, Inc. (AES)
Image created using Ogle County 2009 LiDAR
Improving Illinois Highways [1.3 MB pdf]
The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) has responsibility for planning, construction and maintenance of Illinois' extensive transportation network, which encompasses, highways and bridges, airports, public transit, rail freight and rail passenger systems. IDOT has recently begun to employ LiDAR data to supplement traditional route surveys and to analyze delineations of flood easements, drainage areas, roadside ditches, and sizing of culverts.
Related resources:
Illinois Department of Transportation
Image created using Carroll County 2009 LiDAR
Water Resource Analysis and Flood Prediction [2.75 MB pdf]
LiDAR elevation data has been incorporated into most aspects of flood studies at Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Office of Water Resources. LiDAR data and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mapping applications have greatly improved the efficiency and accuracy of traditional water resource analyses.
Related resources:
Illinois Department of Natural Resources - Office of Water Resources
Image created using Will County 2004 LiDAR
Agricultural Drainage Problems [1.5 MB pdf]
The Clarence Smith farm, located in northwest Kendall County, Illinois, contains a natural depression (~5 acres) that has historically been prone to flooding. LiDAR elevation data of the area created a detailed image that can be used as an additional tool in planning future repairs to the existing field tile system.
Related resources:
Image created from Kendall County 2010 LiDAR
Updating Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps and More [1.2 MB pdf]
The Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS) has made a huge commitment, signing a Cooperating Technical Partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to perform the full spectrum of tasks necessary to "modernize" Illinois' Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM). High-resoultion LiDAR elevation data is an indispensible component of that work.
Related resources:
Illinois Floodplain Maps - Map Modernization Project
Flood zones mapped using Will County 2004 LiDAR
Detection of Old Longwall Coal Mine Boundaries [1.65 MB pdf]
Newly acquired LiDAR data has been used to generate detailed surface topography maps for Grundy County. These maps show that in some cases the roughly 2 feet of ground subsidence, that was part of longwall mining operations, can still be detected over 100 years later.
Related resources:
Coal Mines in Illinois, Coal City Quadrangle Map and Report [2.9 MB pdf]
Longwall Mining -- history on page 17 [<1 MB pdf]
Image created from Grundy County 2008 LiDAR LiDAR elevation data has been acquired and used in the mapping of the Oregon 7.5-minute Quadrangle in Ogle County, Illinois.The high-resolution data allows for accurate location of field observations and results in higher quality geologic maps. Related resources: Oregon Quadrangle - Bedrock Geology Image created using Ogle County 2009 LiDAR Illinois has over 58,000 reported archaeological sites containing 9000+ prehistoric earthen mounds. Many of these mounds sites were reported early in the last century and the records are missing critical data on location, size, numbers, and current condition. Since mounds are protected by state law their location and condition is important information for both the preservationist and development communities. Related resources: Illinois State Archaeological Survey - LiDAR Image created from Jo Daviess County 2008 LiDAR Lineaments, sinkholes and some other karst features can be excellent groundwater flow paths. This can lead to potential groundwater contamination in areas with high volumes of contaminants at the ground surface. Detailed LiDAR elevation data have great value for the use in characterization of Karst Terrane which can lead to proper regulation of surface materials and waste in those areas. Related resources: Illinois State Geological Survey - Geobit 7: Karst Landscapes of Illinois Image created using Jo Daviess County 2008 LiDAR Illinois State Geological Survey scientists are using LiDAR elevation data to better understand
the fabric and geometry of the crevice karst aquifers that constitute the groundwater resources of Jo Daviess
County in northwestern Illinois.Collapse of sediment into crevices creates sinkholes that can be directly oberved
in the LiDAR elevation data. Related resources: Illinois State Geological Survey - Geobit 7: Karst Landscapes of Illinois Image created using Jo Daviess County 2008 LiDAR Ice-walled lake plains are periglacial landforms that formed after glacial ice stagnates.
Ranging from 30 feet to 6 miles across, there are more than 2,500 of them in Illinois,
with the highest concentrations in DeKalb, Kane, and Livingston Counties. They also occur
elsewhere in North America, most notably in the Dakotas, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.
In Illinois, ice-walled lake plains are subtle landforms, and shaded relief maps of LiDAR
data are instrumental in helping to identify and map them. Related resources: DeKalb Mounds of northeastern Illinois [1.8 MB pdf] Ice-walled lake terraces LiDAR poster [12.2 MB pdf] Surface Geology of Hampshire Quadrangle [5.2 MB pdf]
Image created from Lake County 2004 LiDAR Sand dunes are a particularly prominent landform feature within the Green River Lowland of Whiteside
County. The exceptional horizontal resolution (~3 ft.) and vertical resolution (~1 ft.)
of LiDAR elevation data makes it ideal for examining the morphology of these dunes, which have
heretofore not been mapped in this detail. Related resources: Illinois State Geological Survey - May 2010 Activity Highlights Distribution of Surficial Eolian and Outwash Sand Deposits, Lee County, Illinois [3.8 MB pdf] Surficial Sand Deposits, Bureau County, Illinois Image created using Whiteside County 2009 LiDAR
Geologic Mapping in Ogle County [1.6 MB pdf]
Monitoring Illinois Prehistoric Burial Mounds [1.8 MB pdf]
Characterizing Karst Terrane in Illinois [1.4 MB pdf]
Detecting Karst Features in Forested Terrain [1.7 MB pdf]
Ice-walled Lake Plains in Illinois [1.4 MB pdf]
Morphology of Dune Complexes [1.6 MB pdf]