| NSF Org: |
EAR Division Of Earth Sciences |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | March 25, 2020 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | July 24, 2023 |
| Award Number: | 1948857 |
| Award Instrument: | Continuing Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Raleigh Martin
ramartin@nsf.gov (703)292-7199 EAR Division Of Earth Sciences GEO Directorate for Geosciences |
| Start Date: | May 1, 2020 |
| End Date: | April 30, 2025 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $286,907.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $394,525.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
FY 2021 = $68,337.00 FY 2022 = $199,989.00 FY 2023 = $57,380.00 |
| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
660 S MILL AVENUE STE 204 TEMPE AZ US 85281-3670 (480)965-5479 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
AZ US 85287-6004 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): |
GEOINFORMATICS, Integrat & Collab Ed & Rsearch |
| Primary Program Source: |
01002223DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT 01002122DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT 01002021DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT 01002324RB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT |
| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.050 |
ABSTRACT
This project will continue support and development of the OpenTopography cyberinfrastructure platform that provides web-based access to high resolution topography from airborne light detection and ranging (lidar), terrestrial laser scanning, radar, and photogrammetry at a range of scales in support of surface Earth process research, training, and education. The availability of high resolution digital topographic data and shallow water bathymetric data has been revolutionary for Earth and environmental sciences and engineering, contributing to the study of Earth surface processes (e.g., earthquakes and volcanos, landslides, riverine sediment transport), vegetation dynamics, and human modification of the Earth's surface. This project will enhance access to data and processing tools that improve efficiency and economic competitiveness, in addition to continuing to facilitate the use of OpenTopography resources in K-12, undergraduate, and graduate STEM education.
The community-focused OpenTopography data facility will continue to grow the amount of high resolution topography data available to the community and expand data access pathways and processing tools, while also strengthening interoperability and ensuring scalability via cloud and high performance computing in order to meet the growing demands of the Earth science research and education community. OpenTopography will also continue its education and training efforts by conducting workshops and training courses along with building supporting tools like computational notebooks and reproducible workflows. These computations and analyses will support academic, educational, and applied use and reuse of the OpenTopography data holdings. Detailed usage metrics will be captured to demonstrate the impact of the resource and return on investment of the data.
This project is jointly funded by the Geoinformatics and the Geomorphology and Land Use Dynamics programs in the Division of Earth Sciences.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
OpenTopography democratizes access to topographic data, services, and knowledge, enabling fundamental scientific discoveries, fostering innovative applications, and advancing geoscience research and education. Topography is a fundamental geomorphic and geophysical observable. Knowledge about and access to topographic data are essential for addressing many Earth science questions. Data and services provided by OpenTopography have resulted in more than 852 peer-reviewed publications, 109 M.S. and PhD theses, 24 book sections, 42 technical reports and other publications from government agencies and the commercial-sector. OpenTopography’s impact spans disciplines across the Earth and natural sciences, remote sensing, computer science, and geographic information science. OpenTopography implements best practices in cyberinfrastructure, allowing us to serve the data and processing needs of a broad community.
Under this award from the NSF, OpenTopography supported the community by strengthening interoperability, broadening spatial coverage through hosted, contributed, and federated access to data - including US Geological Survey 3D Elevation Program and NOAA Coastal Lidar catalogs that collectively span the majority of the US. We have also expanded data access pathways, provided an enhanced suite of processing services such as topographic differencing, and ensured scalability through integration of cloud and high-performance computing resources. OpenTopography supported and trained the user-community through short courses, workshops, online curriculum materials, and initiatives that advance education, training, and workforce development.
As a demonstration of OpenTopography's impact, in 2023 the project received the inaugural Open Science Recognition Prize from the American Geophysical Union for outstanding work and global impact in advancing open science related to Earth and space science. OpenTopography was recognized for outstanding contributions in cyberinfrastructure, data management, training and outreach associated with open access, high resolution topography.
Last Modified: 07/02/2025
Modified by: J Ramon Arrowsmith
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