LiDAR maps were made of Iowa and I have studied my locality and they are indeed amazing.
The Iowa dataset was collected when the leaves were off the trees so the trees are essentially erased from the maps. (note, this did not occur with evergreens which turn up as little cones on the maps)
Additionally, the processing of the data erased almost all the buildings. It is a curious effect, the interstate dirt work is clearly shown, but not the overpasses. My farm buildings are gone, but the flat sites prepared for them is shown.
IIRC, the Iowa LiDAR map has a data point (elevation) every 5 feet on a grid. The ability to discern elevation changes is around 4-5 inches. Fence rows, driveways, abandoned right of ways, old forgotten ditches, bulldozed farmsteads, and many other features are apparent.
The Iowa map can also be over laid with roads and some property lines. I found a long abandoned farm road on a hill slope near here that turned out to be aligned with the center line of an 80 acre parcel; this indicates that road was likely originally a fence row. Now overgrown, I'm hoping to clear it for ATV riding this summer.
The Iowa DNR website that contains the LiDAR maps, also has aerial photography going back to the 1930s also. it's an amazingly useful tool.
About the only actual problem I've noticed with the LiDAR map is that the aircraft that carried the equipment apparently wasn't high enough to allow the LiDAR beam to penetrate fully into some of the ravines around here because of the look angle. Percentage-wise, this is a very small area, but since it is mostly ravines and some cliffs/steep slope, the omissions are a little annoying, those examples being some interesting terrain here.
I also noticed a long and apparently deep trench in some wooded area very close to one of my fields. I went there, cut through the brush and overgrowth and found a long long abandoned county road. And as confirmation, an old county map does show a road in that exact location.
I can vouch for the usefulness of this technology, it is an amazingly powerful and useful tool. The Romans are going to lose MANY secrets.
The Iowa dataset was collected when the leaves were off the trees so the trees are essentially erased from the maps. (note, this did not occur with evergreens which turn up as little cones on the maps)
Additionally, the processing of the data erased almost all the buildings. It is a curious effect, the interstate dirt work is clearly shown, but not the overpasses. My farm buildings are gone, but the flat sites prepared for them is shown.
IIRC, the Iowa LiDAR map has a data point (elevation) every 5 feet on a grid. The ability to discern elevation changes is around 4-5 inches. Fence rows, driveways, abandoned right of ways, old forgotten ditches, bulldozed farmsteads, and many other features are apparent.
The Iowa map can also be over laid with roads and some property lines. I found a long abandoned farm road on a hill slope near here that turned out to be aligned with the center line of an 80 acre parcel; this indicates that road was likely originally a fence row. Now overgrown, I'm hoping to clear it for ATV riding this summer.
The Iowa DNR website that contains the LiDAR maps, also has aerial photography going back to the 1930s also. it's an amazingly useful tool.
About the only actual problem I've noticed with the LiDAR map is that the aircraft that carried the equipment apparently wasn't high enough to allow the LiDAR beam to penetrate fully into some of the ravines around here because of the look angle. Percentage-wise, this is a very small area, but since it is mostly ravines and some cliffs/steep slope, the omissions are a little annoying, those examples being some interesting terrain here.
I also noticed a long and apparently deep trench in some wooded area very close to one of my fields. I went there, cut through the brush and overgrowth and found a long long abandoned county road. And as confirmation, an old county map does show a road in that exact location.
I can vouch for the usefulness of this technology, it is an amazingly powerful and useful tool. The Romans are going to lose MANY secrets.
The granting of a pardon is an imputation of guilt, and the acceptance a confession of it.
