<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE metadata SYSTEM "http://thor-f5.er.usgs.gov/ngtoc/metadata/fgdc-std-001-1998.dtd">
<metadata>
   <idinfo>
      <citation>
         <citeinfo>
            <origin>Hope Morgan, NC Emergency Management, GIS Manager - GTM</origin>
            <pubdate>20180801</pubdate>
            <title>2017 LiDAR Acquisition and Associated Products for Phase Five Counties in North Carolina</title>
            <geoform>Lidar point cloud</geoform>
         </citeinfo>
      </citation>
      <descript>
         <abstract>The data set was collected specific to the 2017 Phase Five project area consisting of 21 North Carolina counties. LiDAR data for the project and the validation site was collected by a single aerial vendor on ESP team between February 10, 2017 and April 10, 2017 using Geiger-mode Avalanche Photodiode (GmAPD) sensors. The aerial vendor on the ESP team was Harris Corporation (Harris).Three GmAPD (Geiger-mode) sensors (serial numbers 001,002 and 003) were used for the data collection of LiDAR data at a 0.35 meter nominal post spacing (NPS). he following counties were collected in the February through April, 2017 collection: Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga and Yancey.All data was collected during leaf-off conditions. Ground survey support for the project included the establishment of GPS base stations and the collection of control points used for calibration. All data was delivered in the North Carolina State Plane Coordinate System, with a horizontal datum of NAD83 (2011), vertical datum of NAVD88 (Geoid 12B), in US Survey Feet. Data was delivered tiled to a 2,500 foot by 2,500 foot tiling scheme unless otherwise specified in this product description. All LiDAR was delivered in LASer (LAS) version 1.4 standard format. Products for this project derived from the source LiDAR included: intensity images in GeoTIFF format, hydro-flattening breaklines in ESRI File Geodatabase format, Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) in TIF format, ESRI Terrain Datasets (by county) in ESRI File Geodatabase format, product and project-level metadata, and project reports to include the Report of Survey, Post-Acquisition Report, and Project Report. All LiDAR and derivative products for this project met the specifications stipulated in Delivery Order 35, the NC LiDAR Standard, and the USGS minimum standards for QL1 LiDAR data. This project was a joint effort between NC Emergency Management, NC Geodetic Survey, and the NCDOT. The following people served as the main representatives for each stakeholder: NC Emergency Management- Hope Morgan (primary contact) and John Dorman; NC Geodetic Survey- Gary Thompson and Watson Ross; NCDOT- Keith Johnston and Marc Swartz, and the United States Geological Survey (USGS.</abstract>
         <purpose>The purpose of this project was to update existing LiDAR data, originally collected between 2000 and 2005, with more accurate and clearly defined LiDAR data utilizing the latest in sensor technology. Although created for the North Carolina Floodplain Mapping Program for specific use in the engineering aspects of floodplain delineation, the data were also developed to address the elevation data requirements of the broader geospatial community. The North Carolina Floodplain Mapping Program was established in response to the extensive damage caused by Hurrican Floyd in 1999.</purpose>
         <supplinf>NCEM GTM Contract No. 286-000030 ESP CONTRACTOR: ESP Associates SUBCONTRACTORS: Harris Corporation, Greenman-Pederson Inc., Surdex Corporation. Lidar data were acquired and calibrated by Harris Corporation. All follow-on processing was completed by the prime contractor and subcontractors Harris Corporation, Greenman-Pederson Inc., and Surdex Corporation .</supplinf>
         <lidar>
            <ldrinfo>
               <ldrspec>North Carolina Emergency Management Hybrid Specifications 2016</ldrspec>
               <ldrsens>IntelliEarth GmAPD LiDAR</ldrsens>
               <ldrmaxnr>1</ldrmaxnr>
               <ldrnps>0.35</ldrnps>
               <ldranps>8</ldranps>
               <ldrdens>8</ldrdens>
               <ldradens>8</ldradens>
               <ldrfltht>5182</ldrfltht>
               <ldrfltsp>220</ldrfltsp>
               <ldrscana>15</ldrscana>
               <ldrscanr>16</ldrscanr>
               <ldrpulsr>50</ldrpulsr>
               <ldrpulsd>0.5</ldrpulsd>
               <ldrpulsw>0.15</ldrpulsw>
               <ldrwavel>1064</ldrwavel>
               <ldrmpia>0</ldrmpia>
               <ldrbmdiv>0.035</ldrbmdiv>
               <ldrswatw>2390</ldrswatw>
               <ldrswato>55</ldrswato>
               <ldrcrs>NAD_1983_2011_StatePlane_North_Carolina_FIPS_3200_Feet</ldrcrs>
               <ldrgeoid>National Geodetic Survey (NGS) Geoid12B</ldrgeoid>
            </ldrinfo>
            <ldraccur>
               <ldrchacc>0.30</ldrchacc>
               <rawnva>0.142</rawnva>
               <rawnvan>1634</rawnvan>
               <clsnva>0.142</clsnva>
               <clsnvan>1634</clsnvan>
            </ldraccur>
            <lasinfo>
               <lasver>1.4</lasver>
               <lasprf>6</lasprf>
               <laswheld>Withheld (ignore) points were identified in these files using the standard LAS Withheld bit.</laswheld>
               <lasolap>Standard LAS overlap bit not used due to 55 percent overlap project design</lasolap>
               <lasintr>5</lasintr>
               <lasclass>
                  <clascode>1</clascode>
                  <clasitem>Processed, but Unclassified</clasitem>
               </lasclass>
               <lasclass>
                  <clascode>2</clascode>
                  <clasitem>Bare Earth Ground</clasitem>
               </lasclass>
               <lasclass>
                  <clascode>3</clascode>
                  <clasitem>Low Vegetation 0.5 to 3 feet</clasitem>
               </lasclass>
               <lasclass>
                  <clascode>4</clascode>
                  <clasitem>Medium Vegetation 3 to 10 feet</clasitem>
               </lasclass>
               <lasclass>
                  <clascode>5</clascode>
                  <clasitem>High Vegetation 10 to 220 ft</clasitem>
               </lasclass>
               <lasclass>
                  <clascode>6</clascode>
                  <clasitem>Building 800 square feet or larger, automated filter</clasitem>
               </lasclass>
               <lasclass>
                  <clascode>7</clascode>
                  <clasitem>Noise, Low</clasitem>
               </lasclass>
               <lasclass>
                  <clascode>9</clascode>
                  <clasitem>Water</clasitem>
               </lasclass>
               <lasclass>
                  <clascode>10</clascode>
                  <clasitem>Breakline Proximity</clasitem>
               </lasclass>
               <lasclass>
                  <clascode>11</clascode>
                  <clasitem>Noise, High</clasitem>
               </lasclass>
               <lasclass>
                  <clascode>13</clascode>
                  <clasitem>Roads, NCDOT assets</clasitem>
               </lasclass>
               <lasclass>
                  <clascode>14</clascode>
                  <clasitem>Bridges, NCDOT assets</clasitem>
               </lasclass>
            </lasinfo>
         </lidar>
      </descript>
      <timeperd>
         <timeinfo>
            <rngdates>
             <begdate>20170210</begdate>
             <enddate>20170410</enddate>
            </rngdates>
         </timeinfo>
         <current>ground condition</current>
      </timeperd>
      <status>
         <progress>Complete</progress>
         <update>None planned</update>
      </status>
      <spdom>
       <bounding>
         <westbc>-84.261637</westbc>
         <eastbc>-81.121100</eastbc>
         <northbc>36.314697</northbc>
         <southbc>35.244710</southbc>
       </bounding>
      </spdom>
      <keywords>
         <theme>
            <themekt>None</themekt>
            <themekey>Model</themekey>
            <themekey>LAS Point Cloud</themekey>
            <themekey>Remote Sensing</themekey>
            <themekey>Elevation Data</themekey>
            <themekey>Lidar</themekey>
            <themekey>Geiger</themekey>
            <themekey>Hydrology</themekey>
         </theme>
         <place>
           <placekt>None</placekt>
        	<placekey>North Carolina</placekey>
        	<placekey>Ashe County</placekey>
        	<placekey>Avery County</placekey>
        	<placekey>Buncombe County</placekey>
        	<placekey>Burke County</placekey>
        	<placekey>Caldwell County</placekey>
        	<placekey>Cherokee County</placekey>
        	<placekey>Clay County</placekey>
        	<placekey>Graham County</placekey>
        	<placekey>Haywood County</placekey>
        	<placekey>Henderson County</placekey>
        	<placekey>Jackson County</placekey>
        	<placekey>Macon County</placekey>
        	<placekey>Madison County</placekey>
        	<placekey>McDowell County</placekey>
        	<placekey>Mitchell County</placekey>
        	<placekey>Polk County</placekey>
        	<placekey>Rutherford County</placekey>
        	<placekey>Swain County</placekey>
        	<placekey>Transylvania County</placekey>
        	<placekey>Watauga County</placekey>
                <placekey>Yancey County</placekey>
         </place>
      </keywords>
      <accconst>No restrictions apply to these data.</accconst>
      <useconst>None. However, users should be aware that temporal changes may have occurred since this dataset was collected and that some parts of these data may no longer represent actual surface conditions. Users should not use these data for critical applications without a full awareness of its limitations. Acknowledgement of the North Carolina Emergency Management and the U.S. Geological Survey would be appreciated for products derived from these data.</useconst>
      <ptcontac>
         <cntinfo>
            <cntorgp>
               <cntorg>ESP Associates</cntorg>
               <cntper>Harold Rempel</cntper>
            </cntorgp>
            <cntpos>Project Manager</cntpos>
            <cntaddr>
               <addrtype>mailing</addrtype>
               <address>P.O. Box 7030</address>
               <city>Charlotte</city>
               <state>NC</state>
               <postal>28241</postal>
            </cntaddr>
            <cntvoice>803-835-0851</cntvoice>
            <cntemail>hrempel@espassociates.com</cntemail>
         </cntinfo>
      </ptcontac>
      <ptcontac>
         <cntinfo>
            <cntorgp>
               <cntorg>ESP Associates</cntorg>
               <cntper>Daniel Hill</cntper>
            </cntorgp>
            <cntpos>NC PLS: L-4137</cntpos>
            <cntaddr>
               <addrtype>mailing</addrtype>
               <address>P.O. Box 7030</address>
               <city>Charlotte</city>
               <state>NC</state>
               <postal>28241</postal>
            </cntaddr>
            <cntvoice>803-835-0875</cntvoice>
            <cntemail>dhill@espassociates.com</cntemail>
         </cntinfo>
      </ptcontac>
      <datacred>The ESP Team, consisting of ESP Associates, Greenman-Pederson Inc.,Surdex Corporation, and Harris Corporation, performed all data collection, ground support, and data processing for this project.</datacred>
      <native>MicroStation Connect Version 10.11; TerraScan Version 19.003; ESRI ArcGIS 10.4.1, Windows 7 Operating System, ESP Analyst, ESP Utilities</native>
   </idinfo>
   <dataqual>
      <logic>ESP Assocites tested the classified LAS files for both vertical and horizontal accuracy. All data covers the project area, tile to tile with no gaps or no data areas exceeding specifications</logic>
      <complete>These LAS data files include all data points collected. No points have been removed or excluded. A visual qualitative assessment was performed to ensure data completeness. No void areas or missing data exist. The point cloud is of good quality and data passes Non-Vegetated Vertical Accuracy specifications.</complete>
      <posacc>
         <vertacc>
            <vertaccr>The project specifications require that Non-Vegetated Vertical Accuracy (NVA) and Vegetated Vertical Accuracy (VVA) be computed for calibrated and classified lidar point cloud files. The required accuracy (ACCz) is: 18.13 cm at a 95% confidence level for NVA, derived according to NSSDA, i.e., based on RMSE (z) of 9.25 cm in the bare earth? and "urban" land cover classes. The NVA was tested with 1464  checkpoints located in bare earth and urban (non-vegetated) areas. These check points were not used in the calibration or post processing of the lidar point cloud data. The checkpoints were distributed throughout the project area and were surveyed using GPS techniques. See survey report for additional survey methodologies. Elevations from the classified lidar surface were measured for the x,y location of each check point. Elevations interpolated from the lidar surface were then compared to the elevation values of the surveyed control points. AccuracyZ has been tested to meet 18.13 cm or better Non-Vegetated Vertical Accuracy at 95% confidence level using RMSE(z) x 1.9600 as defined by the National Standards for Spatial Data Accuracy (NSSDA); assessed and reported using National Digital Elevation Program (NDEP)/ASRPS Guidelines.</vertaccr>
            <qvertpa>
               <vertaccv>0.157</vertaccv>
               <vertacce>Tested 0.157 meters NVA at a 95% confidence level using RMSE(z) x 1.9600 as defined by the National Standards for Spatial Data Accuracy (NSSDA). The NVA of the classified lidar point cloud files was calculated against TINs derived from the final calibrated and controlled data using 1464 independent NVA checkpoints.</vertacce>
            </qvertpa>
         </vertacc>
      </posacc>
      <lineage>
         <procstep>
            <procdesc>LAS Point Classification: The point classification is performed as described below. The bare earth surface is then manually reviewed and edited using TIN visualization and profiles to ensure correct classification on the Class 2 (Ground) points as well as the other classifications required by NCEM. After the bare-earth surface is finalized, it is then used to generate all hydro-breaklines through heads-up digitization in a 3D environment for all rivers equal to or larger than 100 feet in width and all closed water bodies equal to or greater than 2 acres. Island equal or greater than 1 acre are mapped are included. All ground (Class 2) lidar data inside of the Lake Pond and Double Line Drain hydro flattening breaklines were classified to water (Class 9) using ESP Utilities. A buffer of 1 foot was also used around each hydro-flattened feature to classify ground (Class 2) points within the buffer to breakline proximity (Class 10). All Lake Pond Island and Double Line Drain Island features were reviewed in ESP Analyst and checked to ensure that the ground (Class 2) points were reclassified to the correct classification after the automated classification was completed. Overlap data was not processed as Geiger mode LiDAR is flown at a 55 percent overlap with a Palmer scanner. Road polygons derived from heads-up digitization from aerial imagery and the LiDAR were derived for only state-maintained roads per the latest available road database from the North Carolina Department of Transportation. These polygons were then used to classify all ground points with the road edges to roads (Class 13). All remaining classifications required by NCEM such as buildings (Class 6) and vegetation strata (Classes 3, 4, and 5) were derived using automated filters in Terrascan then checked for gross errors and review to ensure that a 98 percent confidence level in classification was met. All data was manually reviewed and any remaining artifacts in the ground (Class 2) removed using functionality provided by ESP Analyst. ESP Analyst was used as a final check of the bare earth dataset. ESP Utilities was then used to create the deliverable industry-standard LAS files for both the All Point Cloud Data. ESP Utilities was used to verify full LAS header and projection information.</procdesc>
            <procdate>2017</procdate>
         </procstep>
      </lineage>
   </dataqual>
   <spdoinfo>
      <direct>Point</direct>
   </spdoinfo>
   <spref>
      <horizsys>
         <planar>
            <gridsys>
               <gridsysn>State Plane Coordinate System 1983</gridsysn>
               <spcs>
                  <spcszone>3200</spcszone>
                  <lambertc>
                     <stdparll>34.33333333</stdparll>
                     <stdparll>36.16666667</stdparll>
                     <longcm>36.16666667</longcm>
                     <latprjo>33.75000000</latprjo>
                     <feast>2000000.00261667</feast>
                     <fnorth>0.0</fnorth>
                  </lambertc>
               </spcs>
            </gridsys>
            <planci>
               <plance>coordinate pair</plance>
               <coordrep>
                  <absres>0.01</absres>
                  <ordres>0.01</ordres>
               </coordrep>
               <plandu>feet</plandu>
            </planci>
         </planar>
         <geodetic>
            <horizdn>North American Datum of 1983  (2011)</horizdn>
            <ellips>Geodetic Reference System 80</ellips>
            <semiaxis>6378137</semiaxis>
            <denflat>298.257222101</denflat>
         </geodetic>
      </horizsys>
      <vertdef>
         <altsys>
            <altdatum>North American Vertical Datum of 1988 GEOID12B</altdatum>
            <altres>0.01</altres>
            <altunits>feet</altunits>
            <altenc>Explicit elevation coordinate included with horizontal coordinates</altenc>
         </altsys>
      </vertdef>
   </spref>
   <metainfo>
      <metd>20180801</metd>
      <metc>
         <cntinfo>
            <cntorgp>
               <cntorg>NC Emergency Management</cntorg>
            </cntorgp>
            <cntaddr>
               <addrtype>mailing</addrtype>
               <address>NCNG Campus- Bowers Building, 4105 Reedy Creek Road</address>
               <city>Raleigh</city>
               <state>NC</state>
               <postal>27607</postal>
               <country>USA</country>
            </cntaddr>
            <cntvoice>919-825-2336</cntvoice>
            <cntfax>919-715-0408</cntfax>
            <cntemail>Hope.Morgan@ncdps.gov</cntemail>
         </cntinfo>
      </metc>
      <metstdn>FGDC Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata</metstdn>
      <metstdv>FGDC-STD-001-1998</metstdv>
   </metainfo>
</metadata>
