A national lidar dataset refers to a high-resolution lidar dataset comprising most—and ideally all—of a nation's terrain. Datasets of this type typically meet specified quality standards and are publicly available for free (or at nominal cost) in one or more uniform formats from government or academic sources. National LiDAR datasets are used primarily in topographic mapping, and also for forestry, urban and rural planning, recreational, environmental, engineering, and geological studies and planning, among others.
Countries with national lidar datasets either completed or in progress include:
| Country | Dataset Status | Resolution (pts/m2) | Source | Additional Information | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | Montréal completed, 2015 | 10 | [1] | ||
| Denmark | Completed, 2008, 2013 | 4 | [2],[3] | Pointspacing is from 4/m2 to 1.6m | |
| Estonia | Completed | 0.15-18 | [4] | Planning to cover the country after each four years | |
| Finland | Completed | 0.5 | [5] | ||
| Latvia | In progress, 2013-2018 | 4 | [6] | ||
| Netherlands | Completed, 2003 | 1/25 - 1/16 (AHN1), 6 - 10 (AHN2) | [7],[8], | Pointspacing is 4-5 m for AHN-1 and 6-10 points/m2 for AHN-2. Data became available 2014. AHN-3 (third scan of the country, to be completed 2019) is partially available since September 2015 | |
| Poland | In progress | from 4 to 12 | [13] | IT project for protecting the country against extraordinary threats | |
| Slovenia | Completed, 2015 | 5 | [14] | Created by the Slovenian Environment Agency as a basis for environmental threat protection models. Some landslide- and flood-prone areas were scanned at 10 pts/m2, some remote areas only at 2 pts/m2. Data is available for free for any purpose (attribution is required). | |
| Spain | Completed, 2015. Second survey in progress | 0.5 | [15] | It is part of National Orthophoto Project | |
| Sweden | In progress | 0.5 | [16] | ||
| Switzerland | Completed, in progress (until 2024) | 1, 5 - 15 | [17] | Open Data access,Sample LIDAR Dataset - Switzerland | |
| USA | In discussion | n/a | [18] | National LIDAR Dataset - USA | |
| England | In progress | 0.5, 1.0, 4.0 and 16.0 | [19], [20] | National LIDAR Dataset - England, carried out by the Environment Agency. 75% coverage of England at 2m resolution or higher. Composite, Tiled (historic) LIDAR and Point Cloud are available as Open Data. | |
| New Zealand | In discussion | n/a | [21] | Requests for source point cloud data by contacting LINZ directly at imagery@linz.govt.nz |