Assessing Geomorphic Effects of Hurricane Hilary, CA 2023
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.5069/G9G73BX2
OT Collection ID: OT.102026.6340.1
OT Collection Name: Assessing Geomorphic Effects of Hurricane Hilary, CA 2023
Short Name: CA23_West
Collection Platform: Airborne Lidar
OT Collection ID: OT.102026.6340.1
OT Collection Name: Assessing Geomorphic Effects of Hurricane Hilary, CA 2023
Short Name: CA23_West
Collection Platform: Airborne Lidar
Download and Access Products:
| Point Cloud Data | opentopoID: OTLAS.102026.6340.1 | ||
| Raster Data | opentopoID: OTSDEM.102026.6340.1 |
Collection Overview:
In August 2023, Hurricane Hilary brought widespread heavy rainfall to Southern California. Some normally arid desert areas received more than their typical annual rainfall, which triggered debris flows, flash floods, and large-scale sediment movement. Lidar data was collected shortly after the storm to capture evidence of how the landscape changed during this event. This project and its research is being conducted within the structure of the Center for Land Surface Hazards (CLaSH). Its goal is to document erosion, deposition, impacts on infrastructure, and to improve understanding of cascading hazards. The data also support the development and testing of next-generation hazard models.
Dataset Acknowledgement: Data collection was funded by NSF grant awards: 2224871 and 2344994
Dataset Citation: Clark, M., West, A.J. (2026). Assessing Geomorphic Effects of Hurricane Hilary, CA 2023. National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping (NCALM). Distributed by OpenTopography. https://doi.org/10.5069/G9G73BX2. Accessed 2026-10-08 Copied to Clipboard
Use License: CC BY 4.0
Dataset Keywords: lidar, geomorphology, erosion, hurricane, california, hazards
Survey Date: 09/26/2023
Publication Date: 10/07/2026
In August 2023, Hurricane Hilary brought widespread heavy rainfall to Southern California. Some normally arid desert areas received more than their typical annual rainfall, which triggered debris flows, flash floods, and large-scale sediment movement. Lidar data was collected shortly after the storm to capture evidence of how the landscape changed during this event. This project and its research is being conducted within the structure of the Center for Land Surface Hazards (CLaSH). Its goal is to document erosion, deposition, impacts on infrastructure, and to improve understanding of cascading hazards. The data also support the development and testing of next-generation hazard models.
Dataset Acknowledgement: Data collection was funded by NSF grant awards: 2224871 and 2344994
Dataset Citation: Clark, M., West, A.J. (2026). Assessing Geomorphic Effects of Hurricane Hilary, CA 2023. National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping (NCALM). Distributed by OpenTopography. https://doi.org/10.5069/G9G73BX2. Accessed 2026-10-08 Copied to Clipboard
Use License: CC BY 4.0
Dataset Keywords: lidar, geomorphology, erosion, hurricane, california, hazards
Survey Date: 09/26/2023
Publication Date: 10/07/2026
Data Provider and Roles:
Funder Collector Principal Investigators
Funder Collector Principal Investigators
- A. Joshua West - University of Southern California
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6909-1471 - Marin Clark - University of Michigan
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6141-8422
Total Number of Points:
707,129,618 pts
Area: 85.5 km2
Point Density: 8.27 pts/m2
Classifications:
Raster Resolution: 1.0 meter
Coordinate System:
Horizontal: NAD83 (2011) / UTM Zone 11N Meters [EPSG: 6340]
Vertical: NAVD88 (GEOID 12B) [EPSG: 5703]
Units: meter
Survey Report: N/A
LAS Validation Data Report: Reports
Area: 85.5 km2
Point Density: 8.27 pts/m2
Classifications:
| Class 1 - Unclassified | 30,243 |
| Class 2 - Ground | 261,924,704 |
| Class 3 - Low Vegetation | 191,574,213 |
| Class 4 - Medium Vegetation | 91,618,005 |
| Class 5 - High Vegetation | 54,716,461 |
| Class 6 - Building | 33,187 |
| Class 7 - Low Point (low noise) | 16,999 |
| Class 8 - Model Key/Reserved | 107,154,470 |
| Class 18 - High Noise | 61,336 |
Raster Resolution: 1.0 meter
Coordinate System:
Horizontal: NAD83 (2011) / UTM Zone 11N Meters [EPSG: 6340]
Vertical: NAVD88 (GEOID 12B) [EPSG: 5703]
Units: meter
Survey Report: N/A
LAS Validation Data Report: Reports
Tile Index in Shapefile Format:
Download
Dataset Boundary in GeoJSON Format:
Point Cloud: CA23_West.geojson
Raster: CA23_West.geojson
Dataset Extent (Bounding Box): North: 34.190573° South: 34.091158° East: -116.701001° West: -116.84416°
Dataset Boundary in GeoJSON Format:
Point Cloud: CA23_West.geojson
Raster: CA23_West.geojson
Dataset Extent (Bounding Box): North: 34.190573° South: 34.091158° East: -116.701001° West: -116.84416°