NOAA Releases High-Resolution Coastal Data

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced a new land cover dataset that can help coastal communities assess their risk from sea level rise and plan for mitigation measures.

The land cover data improves on past available data with higher resolution that is 900 times more detailed than before. “Land cover data is frequently used in coastal management applications, and is the backbone of key predictive models for sea level rise and stormwater management,” explains a press release from NOAA. Local jurisdictions can use the data to assess flood risk, understand land use impacts, model future infrastructure projects, and more.

The project was funded with $8 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and private sector partnerships. According to the release, “This announcement is particularly important for Alaska, as the state has never had widespread high-resolution land cover data.”