Illinois LiDAR Data and Aerial Imagery - New Collections and Future Plans

Presentation Type: Presentation (30 minutes)

Skill Level: Beginner, Intermediate

Intended Audience: GIS User

Abstract

Since the Fall of 2024, new LiDAR data has been collected for 41 Illinois counties with federal monies. These data will be delivered over the Winter and into the Spring. Additionally, the long-awaited E911 leaf-off aerial imagery, acquired in 2023 through 2024, has recently been delivered. This presentation will give a brief preview of these data collections and explain how users will be able to access them. I will also dive briefly into the topic of potential future LiDAR data acquisitions for our state and any related funding constraints.

Presenter(s)

Matthew Jefferson

Remote Sensing Data Analyst, Illinois State Water Survey

Matthew Jefferson, GISP, CFM, is a Remote Sensing Data Analyst at the Illinois State Water Survey, a division of the Prairie Research Institute of the University of Illinois. At the Water Survey, Matt is a part of the Coordinated Hazard Assessment and Mapping Program where he is primarily involved with flood hazard studies. Matt is also a part of Illinois Height Modernization program where his duties include providing quality assurance and quality control of the LiDAR data that is collected as part of the program. Matt graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a degree in geography and has been working in the GIS field for over 20 years, including more than 10 years of providing QAQC for LiDAR data.