Dayton, Ohio – The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has contracted with Woolpert for the first 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) project awarded in conjunction with the Broad Agency Announcement (BAA), released in mid-2014. The USGS has received BAA funding proposals from multiple states in support of this 3DEP initiative. The USGS is in the process of awarding the BAA projects throughout the country, with this 3DEP project in Mississippi being the first. The data will be collected using lidar (light detection and ranging), which is an optical remote-sensing technique that uses laser light to densely sample the surface of the earth, producing highly accurate x, y, z measurements. According to the USGS, the data will be used to support high-value applications, such as flood risk management, agriculture and precision farming, infrastructure and construction management, natural resource management and conservation, and geologic resource assessment and hazard mitigation. In Mississippi, the data will be used to update soil surveys, slope maps and wetland delineations, as well as by archaeologists for the preservation of historic sites in river deltas. Woolpert has led the geospatial industry in lidar technology for more than a decade. The 104-year-old company is a national architecture, engineering and geospatial firm headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, and has offices throughout the United States. Visit www.woolpert.com