William Matthew Cushing
William Matthew Cushing's work has been primarily to support international work, assisting developing countries in building their spatial data infrastructures. Matt's focus is on geographic information systems (GIS) and the integration of this technology with the science of remote sensing.
William Matthew Cushing (Matt) began his career at EROS as a contractor in 2002 and joined USGS in 2010. His work has been primarily to support international work, assisting developing countries in building their spatial data infrastructures. Matt's focus is on geographic information systems (GIS) and the integration of this technology with the science of remote sensing. Much of this international work focused on activities in West Africa, Latin America, and Afghanistan. In West Africa, he supports the development of land cover trends, analyzing data from 1975 to the present. In Latin America, Matt collaborated with the Pan-American Institute of Geography and History (PAIGH), CAF – Development Bank of Latin America, and Latin American countries to support their efforts in spatial data infrastructure (SDI) development. Under this collaboration, he created and designed several online tools to enhance their data distribution and data discovery methods. In Afghanistan, he supports the Afghanistan Geological Survey in a similar capacity, providing training and technical support to advance their SDI to improve the commercial viability of the minerals extractive industry. In 2019 Matt joined the Coastal National Elevation Database (CoNED) Program. Under CoNED, Matt splits his time assisting the team in processing and validating high resolution topographic and bathymetric datasets and managing CoNED's online data distribution strategy.
Science and Products
Lower Androscoggin Watershed Hydrologic Unit 8 Seamless 1-m DEM Pilot, 2013 to 2020
To advance the USGS 3D National Topography Model (3DNTM) including the next generation of the 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) and the 3D Hydrography Program, USGS is producing a new one-meter resolution seamless digital elevation model (DEM) product. The project is funded by the Inflation Reduction Act. This dataset is a 1-m seamless DEM prototype that was created from several different 3D Elevation P
Sea-level rise and high tide flooding inundation probability and depth statistics at Biscayne National Park, Florida
This dataset includes elevation-based probability and depth statistics for estimating inundation under various sea-level rise and high tide flooding scenarios in and around the National Park Service’s Biscayne National Park. For information on the digital elevation model (DEM) source used to develop these datasets refer to the corresponding spatial metadata file (Danielson and others, 2023). This
Sea-level rise and high tide flooding inundation probability and depth statistics at Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida
This dataset includes elevation-based probability and depth statistics for estimating inundation under various sea-level rise and high tide flooding scenarios in and around the National Park Service’s Big Cypress National Preserve. For information on the digital elevation model (DEM) source used to develop these datasets refer to the corresponding spatial metadata file (Danielson and others, 2023)
Topobathymetric Model of the Northern Gulf of Mexico, 1885 to 2021
To support U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) storm surge modeling for the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA), Lowermost Mississippi River Management Program (LMRMP), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Coastal National Elevation Database (CoNED) Applications Project has created an integrated 1-meter topobathymetric digital elevation model (TBDEM) for the Northern Gulf o
Topobathymetric Model of the Coastal Georgia, 1851 to 2020
To support Hurricane Florence impact modeling of storm-induced flooding and sediment transport, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Coastal National Elevation Database (CoNED) Applications Project has created an integrated 1-meter topobathymetric digital elevation model (TBDEM) for coastal Georgia. High-resolution coastal topobathymetric data are required to characterize flooding, storms, and sea-l
Topobathymetric Model of the Coastal Carolinas, 1851 to 2020
To support Hurricane Florence impact modeling of storm-induced flooding and sediment transport, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Coastal National Elevation Database (CoNED) Applications Project has created an integrated 1-meter topobathymetric digital elevation model (TBDEM) for coastal North Carolina, and South Carolina. High-resolution coastal topobathymetric data are required to characterize f
West Africa Land Use Land Cover Time Series
This series of three-period land use land cover (LULC) 2-kilometer resolution datasets (1975, 2000, and 2013) aids in monitoring change in West Africa’s land resources (exceptions: Capo Verde at 500 meters, the Gambia at 1 kilometer and Tchad at 4 kilometers). To monitor and map these changes, a 26 general LULC class system was used. The classification system that was developed was primarily inspi
Mitigating disparate elevation differences between adjacent topobathymetric data models using binary code
Integrating coastal topographic and bathymetric data for creating regional seamless topobathymetric digital elevation models of the land/water interface presents a complex challenge due to the spatial and temporal gaps in data acquisitions. The Coastal National Elevation Database (CoNED) Applications Project develops topographic (land elevation) and bathymetric (water depth) regional scale digital
Authors
William M. Cushing, Dean J. Tyler
Projected sea-level rise and high tide flooding at Biscayne National Park, Florida
IntroductionNational parks and preserves in the South Atlantic-Gulf Region contain valuable coastal habitats such as tidal wetlands and mangrove forests, as well as irreplaceable historic buildings and archeological sites located in low-lying areas. These natural and cultural resources are vulnerable to accelerated sea-level rise and escalating high tide flooding events. Through a Natural Resource
Authors
Hana R. Thurman, Nicholas M. Enwright, Michael J. Osland, Davina L. Passeri, Richard H. Day, Bethanie M. Simons, Jeffrey J. Danielson, William M. Cushing
Projected sea-level rise and high tide flooding at Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida
IntroductionNational parks and preserves in the South Atlantic-Gulf Region contain valuable coastal habitats such as tidal wetlands and mangrove forests, as well as irreplaceable historic buildings and archeological sites located in low-lying areas. These natural and cultural resources are vulnerable to accelerated sea-level rise and escalating high tide flooding events. Through a Natural Resource
Authors
Hana R. Thurman, Nicholas M. Enwright, Michael J. Osland, Davina L. Passeri, Richard H. Day, Bethanie M. Simons, Jeffrey J. Danielson, William M. Cushing
Celebrating ten years of collaboration
Since the GEOSUR Program launched in 2007, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center has had the honor of collaborating with CAF, PAIGH, and others supporting the Latin America GEOSUR Program. The catalyst for starting the program was the convergence of regional geospatial activities USGS, PAIGH, and CAF had been involved in and they seized the opportu
Authors
W. Matthew Cushing
Hydropower assessment of Bolivia—A multisource satellite data and hydrologic modeling approach
This study produced a geospatial database for use in a decision support system by the Bolivian authorities to investigate further development and investment potentials in sustainable hydropower in Bolivia. The study assessed theoretical hydropower of all 1-kilometer (km) stream segments in the country using multisource satellite data and a hydrologic modeling approach. With the assessment covering
Authors
Naga Manohar Velpuri, Shahriar Pervez, W. Matthew Cushing
Landscapes of West Africa: A window on a changing world
Our global ecosystem is and has always been complex, dynamic, and in constant flux. Science tells us how natural forces of enormous power have shaped and reshaped Earth’s surface, atmosphere, climate, and biota again and again since the planet’s beginnings about 4.5 billion years ago. For most of the planet’s history those environmental changes were the result of the interaction of natural process
Authors
G. Gray Tappan, W. Matthew Cushing, Suzanne E. Cotillon, John A. Hutchinson, Bruce Pengra, Issifou Alfari, Edwige Botoni, Amadou Soulé, Stefanie M. Herrmann
Low-head hydropower assessment of the Brazilian State of São Paulo
This study produced a comprehensive estimate of the magnitude of hydropower potential available in the streams that drain watersheds entirely within the State of São Paulo, Brazil. Because a large part of the contributing area is outside of São Paulo, the main stem of the Paraná River was excluded from the assessment. Potential head drops were calculated from the Digital Terrain Elevation Data,whi
Authors
Guleid A. Artan, W. Matthew Cushing, Melissa L. Mathis, Larry L. Tieszen
Demonstration of a conceptual model for using LiDAR to improve the estimation of floodwater mitigation potential of Prairie Pothole Region wetlands
Recent flood events in the Prairie Pothole Region of North America have stimulated interest in modeling water storage capacities of wetlands and their surrounding catchments to facilitate flood mitigation efforts. Accurate estimates of basin storage capacities have been hampered by a lack of high-resolution elevation data. In this paper, we developed a 0.5 m bare-earth model from Light Detection A
Authors
S. Huang, Caitlin Young, M. Feng, Hans Karl Heidemann, Matthew Cushing, D.M. Mushet, S. Liu
Ecoregions and land cover trends in Senegal
This study examines long-term changes in Senegal's natural resources. We monitor and quantify land use and land cover changes occurring across Senegal using nearly 40 years of satellite imagery, aerial surveys, and fieldwork. We stratify Senegal into ecological regions and present land use and land cover trends for each region, followed by a national summary. Results aggregated to the national lev
Authors
G. Gray Tappan, M. Sall, E.C. Wood, Matthew Cushing
Science and Products
Lower Androscoggin Watershed Hydrologic Unit 8 Seamless 1-m DEM Pilot, 2013 to 2020
To advance the USGS 3D National Topography Model (3DNTM) including the next generation of the 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) and the 3D Hydrography Program, USGS is producing a new one-meter resolution seamless digital elevation model (DEM) product. The project is funded by the Inflation Reduction Act. This dataset is a 1-m seamless DEM prototype that was created from several different 3D Elevation P
Sea-level rise and high tide flooding inundation probability and depth statistics at Biscayne National Park, Florida
This dataset includes elevation-based probability and depth statistics for estimating inundation under various sea-level rise and high tide flooding scenarios in and around the National Park Service’s Biscayne National Park. For information on the digital elevation model (DEM) source used to develop these datasets refer to the corresponding spatial metadata file (Danielson and others, 2023). This
Sea-level rise and high tide flooding inundation probability and depth statistics at Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida
This dataset includes elevation-based probability and depth statistics for estimating inundation under various sea-level rise and high tide flooding scenarios in and around the National Park Service’s Big Cypress National Preserve. For information on the digital elevation model (DEM) source used to develop these datasets refer to the corresponding spatial metadata file (Danielson and others, 2023)
Topobathymetric Model of the Northern Gulf of Mexico, 1885 to 2021
To support U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) storm surge modeling for the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA), Lowermost Mississippi River Management Program (LMRMP), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Coastal National Elevation Database (CoNED) Applications Project has created an integrated 1-meter topobathymetric digital elevation model (TBDEM) for the Northern Gulf o
Topobathymetric Model of the Coastal Georgia, 1851 to 2020
To support Hurricane Florence impact modeling of storm-induced flooding and sediment transport, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Coastal National Elevation Database (CoNED) Applications Project has created an integrated 1-meter topobathymetric digital elevation model (TBDEM) for coastal Georgia. High-resolution coastal topobathymetric data are required to characterize flooding, storms, and sea-l
Topobathymetric Model of the Coastal Carolinas, 1851 to 2020
To support Hurricane Florence impact modeling of storm-induced flooding and sediment transport, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Coastal National Elevation Database (CoNED) Applications Project has created an integrated 1-meter topobathymetric digital elevation model (TBDEM) for coastal North Carolina, and South Carolina. High-resolution coastal topobathymetric data are required to characterize f
West Africa Land Use Land Cover Time Series
This series of three-period land use land cover (LULC) 2-kilometer resolution datasets (1975, 2000, and 2013) aids in monitoring change in West Africa’s land resources (exceptions: Capo Verde at 500 meters, the Gambia at 1 kilometer and Tchad at 4 kilometers). To monitor and map these changes, a 26 general LULC class system was used. The classification system that was developed was primarily inspi
Mitigating disparate elevation differences between adjacent topobathymetric data models using binary code
Integrating coastal topographic and bathymetric data for creating regional seamless topobathymetric digital elevation models of the land/water interface presents a complex challenge due to the spatial and temporal gaps in data acquisitions. The Coastal National Elevation Database (CoNED) Applications Project develops topographic (land elevation) and bathymetric (water depth) regional scale digital
Authors
William M. Cushing, Dean J. Tyler
Projected sea-level rise and high tide flooding at Biscayne National Park, Florida
IntroductionNational parks and preserves in the South Atlantic-Gulf Region contain valuable coastal habitats such as tidal wetlands and mangrove forests, as well as irreplaceable historic buildings and archeological sites located in low-lying areas. These natural and cultural resources are vulnerable to accelerated sea-level rise and escalating high tide flooding events. Through a Natural Resource
Authors
Hana R. Thurman, Nicholas M. Enwright, Michael J. Osland, Davina L. Passeri, Richard H. Day, Bethanie M. Simons, Jeffrey J. Danielson, William M. Cushing
Projected sea-level rise and high tide flooding at Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida
IntroductionNational parks and preserves in the South Atlantic-Gulf Region contain valuable coastal habitats such as tidal wetlands and mangrove forests, as well as irreplaceable historic buildings and archeological sites located in low-lying areas. These natural and cultural resources are vulnerable to accelerated sea-level rise and escalating high tide flooding events. Through a Natural Resource
Authors
Hana R. Thurman, Nicholas M. Enwright, Michael J. Osland, Davina L. Passeri, Richard H. Day, Bethanie M. Simons, Jeffrey J. Danielson, William M. Cushing
Celebrating ten years of collaboration
Since the GEOSUR Program launched in 2007, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center has had the honor of collaborating with CAF, PAIGH, and others supporting the Latin America GEOSUR Program. The catalyst for starting the program was the convergence of regional geospatial activities USGS, PAIGH, and CAF had been involved in and they seized the opportu
Authors
W. Matthew Cushing
Hydropower assessment of Bolivia—A multisource satellite data and hydrologic modeling approach
This study produced a geospatial database for use in a decision support system by the Bolivian authorities to investigate further development and investment potentials in sustainable hydropower in Bolivia. The study assessed theoretical hydropower of all 1-kilometer (km) stream segments in the country using multisource satellite data and a hydrologic modeling approach. With the assessment covering
Authors
Naga Manohar Velpuri, Shahriar Pervez, W. Matthew Cushing
Landscapes of West Africa: A window on a changing world
Our global ecosystem is and has always been complex, dynamic, and in constant flux. Science tells us how natural forces of enormous power have shaped and reshaped Earth’s surface, atmosphere, climate, and biota again and again since the planet’s beginnings about 4.5 billion years ago. For most of the planet’s history those environmental changes were the result of the interaction of natural process
Authors
G. Gray Tappan, W. Matthew Cushing, Suzanne E. Cotillon, John A. Hutchinson, Bruce Pengra, Issifou Alfari, Edwige Botoni, Amadou Soulé, Stefanie M. Herrmann
Low-head hydropower assessment of the Brazilian State of São Paulo
This study produced a comprehensive estimate of the magnitude of hydropower potential available in the streams that drain watersheds entirely within the State of São Paulo, Brazil. Because a large part of the contributing area is outside of São Paulo, the main stem of the Paraná River was excluded from the assessment. Potential head drops were calculated from the Digital Terrain Elevation Data,whi
Authors
Guleid A. Artan, W. Matthew Cushing, Melissa L. Mathis, Larry L. Tieszen
Demonstration of a conceptual model for using LiDAR to improve the estimation of floodwater mitigation potential of Prairie Pothole Region wetlands
Recent flood events in the Prairie Pothole Region of North America have stimulated interest in modeling water storage capacities of wetlands and their surrounding catchments to facilitate flood mitigation efforts. Accurate estimates of basin storage capacities have been hampered by a lack of high-resolution elevation data. In this paper, we developed a 0.5 m bare-earth model from Light Detection A
Authors
S. Huang, Caitlin Young, M. Feng, Hans Karl Heidemann, Matthew Cushing, D.M. Mushet, S. Liu
Ecoregions and land cover trends in Senegal
This study examines long-term changes in Senegal's natural resources. We monitor and quantify land use and land cover changes occurring across Senegal using nearly 40 years of satellite imagery, aerial surveys, and fieldwork. We stratify Senegal into ecological regions and present land use and land cover trends for each region, followed by a national summary. Results aggregated to the national lev
Authors
G. Gray Tappan, M. Sall, E.C. Wood, Matthew Cushing