USGS LiDAR Data Dictionary

Beginning Date

• Field Definition:  The beginning and ending date are used to indicate the date range for data acquisition. The beginning date is the first day of acquisition as provided by the vendor.

                 Format:
                 DD-MMM-YY
 

Coordinates - Decimal Degrees

• Field Definition:  The latitude and longitude are provided in decimal degrees for the following fields:

                 Values:
                 Scene Center Latitude and Longitude
                 Northeast (NE) Corner Latitude and Longitude
                 Northwest (NW) Corner Latitude and Longitude
                 Southeast (SE) Corner Latitude and Longitude
                 Southwest (SW) Corner Latitude and Longitude

                 Latitude Format Decimal Degrees: -90.000 through 90.000
                 Longitude Format Decimal Degrees: -180.000 through 180.000

                Number of decimal places will vary by dataset – check collection in EE.
 

Coordinates - Degrees, Minutes, Seconds

• Field Definition:  The latitude and longitude are provided in degrees, minutes, and seconds for the following fields:

                 Values:
                 Scene Center Latitude and Longitude
                 Northeast (NE) Corner Latitude and Longitude
                 Northwest (NW) Corner Latitude and Longitude
                 Southeast (SE) Corner Latitude and Longitude
                 Southwest (SW) Corner Latitude and Longitude

                Longitude Format:
                DDDMMSS.SSH
                DDD = Degree(s) with a range of 0 through 180
                MM = Minute(s) with a range of 0 through 59
                SS.SS = Second(s) with a range of 0 through 59.99
                H = Hemisphere with E for east and W for west

                Latitude Format:
                DDMMSS.SSH
                DD = Degree(s) with a range of 0 through 90
                MM = Minutes(s) with a range of 0 through 59
                SS.SS = Second(s) with a range of 0 through 59.99
                H = Hemisphere with N for north and S for south
 

Datum

• Field Definition:  The horizontal reference system associated with the data such as NAD83 or WGS84.
   

Ending Date

• Field Definition:  The beginning and ending date are used to indicate the date range for data acquisition. The ending date is the last day of acquisition as provided by the vendor.

                 Format:
                 DD-MMM-YY
 

LiDAR Entity ID

• Field Definition:  An EarthExplorer field used to identify each point cloud data file.
   

Map Projection

• Field Definition:  The European Petroleum Survey Group (EPSG) number assigned for the specific map projection or coordinate system used to represent the location of the data.
   

Nominal Pulse Spacing

• Field Definition:  The Nominal Pulse Spacing (NPS) in meters has been calculated for each tile for EarthExplorer. This calculation for the average spacing of lidar pulses is based on the pulse density value.
   

Pulse Density

• Field Definition:  The number of pulses per square meter for each tile has been calculated for EarthExplorer. This calculation is based on the number of first return pulses divided by the area of the tile.
   

Project

• Field Definition:  A name given to a set of LiDAR point cloud data files that identifies the area and year of coverage.
   

Projection Zone

• Field Definition:  The FIPS number or zone is used for State Plane projections. UTM zone is used for UTM projections.
   

Pulse and NPS Units

• Field Definition:  The unit of measurement associated with the Pulse Density and NPS fields.

                 Values:
                 Meters
 

State/Province/Country

• Field Definition:  This field is used to identify the state, province, or country in which the data were acquired.
   

Vendor

• Field Definition:  Vendor is the name of the company that acquired the data.
   

Vendor Scene ID

• Field Definition:  The scene ID that is used for data from the original vendor.
   

Vertical Datum

• Field Definition:  The vertical reference system associated with the data such as NAVD88.