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Lidar

I can give you a very high level overview. I have a friend who is a lidar guru and he does all the detail work, so I can't give you specific links.

I will say one thing about it -- you can see old roads in the lidar data that you cannot see in the field, aerials, or are not on maps. For that aspect, it is really cool. We have discovered a road in my area than is not on any map or aerial I know, and I have successfully detected, finding about 25 coppers. It also should work for features like celler holes, old walls that are gone, and other man made features that are not obvious in the field.

Anyway, here is the high level view, someone with more details can chime in.

Basically, there are two components, the returns and the reader. The returns are the actual lidar data. This is almost always public domain, and you have to google for the returns for the area you are interested in. Some states, counties, universities and the like have this online, the trick is googling for the data for the area of interest, Then you can just download the data or read it online, depending on how the site is set up.

Next is the reader. These are public domain/open source clients that visually render the data so you can see the features in the terrain. Once you get one set up, it generally works for most lidar data out there. My friend has a standalone client, tho likely there are web based clients out there now.

That is about all there is too it at a very high level. Start with the area of interest, then google for the returns (usually by county or town or GPS). Then google for a reader that reads it. The site with the returns often has a link to a reader client.

HTH, tho it may not be at the level you are interested in.
 
some of the county tax departments who are more advanced with modern tecnology use tax maps with lidar and you can see all kind of features. Only one in metro atlanta uses it. Dekalb county.

google any county name and GIS tax and you will probably be able to find the tax map. It is apparent if they use Lidar.
 
I started studying Lidar a bit and it is interesting stuff. My daughter is into backcountry hiking and she told me about a software called Caltopo that you subscribe to that provides a Lidar layer (shaded relief) on their mapping software. I decided to subscribe. It works well. It also provides historical topo layers so you can play with these in conjunction with the shaded relief and other layers such as aerial/sat imagery and modern /hybrid topo layers. It is a nice reconnaissance tool. A problem with Lidar/shaded relief is resolution and availability. Generally, the best resolution Lidar is found in more settled/developed areas. You may or may not get much in the boonies, depending upon if a government agency had some interest in the area.
 
I am truly an imbecile at Lidar. My woods hunting buddy is studying AstroPhysics at Uconn. He is a wizard. It's amazing technology
 
I am using Lidar to locate cellar holes/stone foundations on old farms but am very clumsy in using it. Feels like dialing a rotary phone with oven mitts. I know there is a better way but I don't know what it is.
 
"I know there is a better way but I don't know what it is."

Just poke a hole in the oven mitt. It worked for me. ;*)
 
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