LiDAR and Contour Data

Welcome to the LiDAR Information Page!
In the year 2014, Polk County made an agreement with Ayres and Associates, Madison, to acquire aerial LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) data in the spring of 2015.  The LiDAR data has been processed and classified to support a bare earth surface model and 2' topographic contours.  Bare earth LiDAR surface met FEMA vertical accuracy standards (0.61 feet RMSEz using FEMA compliant/NSSDA testing procedures).

LiDAR Derivatives
  • 2-foot contours by tile in ESRI shapefile format.
  • Project-wide Hydro-flattened breaklines in ESRI shapefile format.
  • Project-wide Digital Elevation Model (DEM) in ESRI GRID format.
  • Project-wide Digital Surface Model (DSM) in ESRI GRID format.
  • Project-wide intensity images in ESRI GRID format.
  • Ground control report.
  • FGDC compliant metadata.

LiDAR Data
Obtain LiDAR data from the GIS Data Portal.

Data Use
Agriculture/Conservation Planning
Slope data can be used for water flow, run-off, and erosion modeling.

Emergency Management
Flood, storm damage response and mitigation plans.

Engineering and Transportation
Elevation data can be used for preliminary site engineering and road planning.

Floodplain Mapping
Contour data accepted by FEMA can be used for National Flood Insurance Program mapping.

Forestry Management
Tree canopy characterization and modeling.

Hazard Planning
Elevation data aids emergency planners in determining where contaminants would collect in a disaster situation.

Hydrography Mapping
Hydro-flattened breaklines will be compiled for ponded water that is 2 acres or greater and double lined streams with a minimum width of 20 feet.  This data will improve the accuracy of the Polk County Zoning Shoreland District and parcel mapping.

Search and Rescue
Slope data and contours can be used to identify access points and topographic barriers for response teams.

Shoreline Planning
Slope data can be used for erosion and conservation planning along lakes and rivers.

Stormwater Management
Flow direction, speed, and volume can be modeled in rural and urban settings.

Utility Planning
Slope and vegetation data used for siting of utility poles, lines, and pipelines.
Ayres Associates

Contact
GIS Coordinator
Brad Runeberg
(715) 485-9256

Office Hours

M-F, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM

Division of Environmental Services
Department of Land Information

Polk County Government Center
100 Polk County Plaza, Suite 130
Balsam Lake, WI 54810
[directions]