The Status of LiDar in Georgia Presented by Ernie Smith on behalf of the ETWG

The Project Scope At 59,436,431 Sq Mi (more or less), Georgia is composed of 159 Counties and based on the 2010 Census 9,687,653 people. I will focus on the State, Regional Commissions, and counties for this talk as it is the best break point for potential local funding sources (no disrespect to municipal governments).

Lidar enabled Counties Based on the recently completed survey By Terry Jackson and Keith McFadden for the NEEA effort, this is a map showing the extent of LiDAR data availability in Georgia. Just over 22025.545 miles plus the 2 areas which are not complete counties. You can see the uncoordinated local efforts as well as those efforts coordinated by Regional Commissions with assistance from State and Federal Agencies. Note where the data is contiguous. How did this happen?

The Essential Math 159 Counties,12 Regional Commissions 57 Counties with Lidar Calculations based on $300.00 per Sq. Mi. 37,411 Sq Mi to collect ($11,223,300.00) 22,026 Sq Mi collected ($6,607,800.00) To understand who the partners in this effort will be we must look at those entities who have already committed to the acquisition of surface data. As stated earlier this has been done independently, in concert with other counties, and organized by regional commissions. Participation has been voluntary and had support from all areas of government. Tax dollars have been expended.

Counties with Less than 20,000 People 40% of the Geography 43% of the Counties 8% of the Population Local funds have made up the bulk of dollars spent on Lidar data. Since remote sensing is a relatively expensive commodity, the cost to counties is directly related to their digest. Lets look as counties with a digest based on a population below 20,000 citizens.

Counties with More than 20,000 People 90 Counties with 92% of population 60% of the Geography The converse is true as well.

What’s the Cost to the Citizen? Multiply the area in square miles by $300.00 and divide by the population and we establish a cost based on every man, woman, and child in that jurisdiction. For comparison: Lidar for Gwinnett County would cost every person in Gwinnett $.16 While in Baker County the cost would be $30.34 per citizen. The ability to pay is critical.

Where have we already invested? On the whole, Where Lidar data exists, the cost per citizen is about $4.00 or less. Note that where this model is not true, activities that coordinated larger areas and more partners, made this possible.

The Regional Commission Component Nor can we rely on the Regional Commissions to wholly fund a Lidar project due to the dispersion of low population counties as demonstrated. So, what can each RC do? Provide information for the Coordinating entity. ( Complete the survey) Provide education and outreach to their members. Support a larger organizing approach. Facilitate contract management between local governments and other agencies. Keep this movement grassroots.

Risk Map Watershed Approach The FEMA mapping initiative is RISK MAP. The most exciting aspect of this initiative is it’s focus on entire watersheds for greater dependability, better modeling, and improved protection for our citizen’s lives and property. As you can see, the Watersheds have completely ignored our jurisdictional authority confusing the issue of who the partners should be for data collection. So let us look at this aspect.

Critical Watersheds: Chattahoochee 36 Counties contribute to the Chattahoochee Basin 12,032 Sq. mi. 5,036,956 Citizens I chose whole intersecting counties for this analysis. Many are split by a ridgeline that divides the county into multiple watersheds but could be considered as a contributing partner. 22 Counties already had LiDar 7,088 Sq. mi. 4,182,053 Citizens

Critical Watersheds: Flint 42 Counties contribute to the Flint Basin 15,016 Sq. mi. 2,472,996 Citizens Many of the Counties included in the Chattahoochee Basin are also part of the Flint. Geographic coincidence must be considered. 8 Counties already had LiDar 2,856 Sq. mi. 1,728,330 Citizens

Needs Assessment Coordination on a Statewide Basis Preference given to Watersheds Cooperation from all levels of Government Education to all levels of Government Strong Leadership Initiative Leverage all available funding sources The founding principal of all government is to defend and protect it’s constituency. According to FEMA there is no more costly, persistent, recurring, or curable threat than flooding. The need to “defend” all of Georgia is solidly established. To generate an enhanced elevation dataset for the entire state would provide a more uniform and correct base for Floodplain Management saving all of Georgia considerable money, time, and trouble. This dataset could be used again for water resource management and drought planning for all of Georgia. This is not small matter and our response will determine what kind of state and people we are.

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