Enhancing the Utility of LiDAR Data through Collaborations: NASA Carbon Monitoring System, NASA Ice Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite-2, and USGS 3-D Elevation Program

The NASA Carbon Monitoring System (CMS) applications efforts engage stakeholders from all sectors – federal, state and local agencies, non-governmental organizations, academia, and the private sector – with the NASA-funded carbon scientists to ensure that the data products developed are used in diverse applications and decision-making contexts. As the CMS focuses on prototyping Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) system capabilities for local and regional applications, the number of projects using commercial airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology increased. Another source of airborne and eventually spaceborne LiDAR data with huge carbon research and application potential is the Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2). In addition to NASA's CMS and ICESat-2, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has launched its own airborne LiDAR data collection efforts, the 3-D Elevation Program (3DEP), which will update the high-resolution topography data of the entire U.S. and territories, except Alaska will be mapped with Interferomtric Synthetic Aperture Radar (IfSAR) instead. The 3DEP is expected to generate $1.2 billion to $13 billion in new benefits annually for end users of enhanced elevation data in critical application areas, such as flood risk management, hazards management, natural resources conservation, amongst others. This paper will explore potential collaboration opportunities among CMS, ICESat-2, and other NASA efforts to leverage the USGS 3DEP effort and maximize the utility of collected LiDAR data. We will discuss potential application areas of these data, specifically in carbon accounting and management. The paper will include an example of how a combination of CMS and 3DEP data are already poised to enable regional-based applications of LiDAR in the Chesapeake Bay area. Furthermore, we will have an in depth discussion of the benefits and challenges of the applications and partnerships developed among these NASA and USGS data collection endeavors.