This data set is derived from the original 2005 B4 lidar dataset collected over the southern San Andreas and San Jacinto fault zones in southern California, USA. These data have provided a fundamental resource for study of active faulting in southern California since they were released in 2005. However, these data were not classified in a manner that allowed for easy differentiation between bare ground surfaces and the objects and vegetation above that surface. This reprocessed (classified) dataset allows researchers easy and direct access to a "bare-earth" digital elevation data set as gridded half-meter resolution rasters (elevation and shaded relief), "full-feature" digital elevation models as gridded one-meter resolution rasters (elevation and shaded relief) and as classified (according to ASPRS standards) point clouds in binary .laz format, and a spatial index in shapefile and Google Earth KML format. The reprocessing of the 2005 B4 dataset was performed by Dr. Stephen B DeLong, USGS Earthquake Hazards Program, as a service to the community. The data available here were originally published on the USGS ScienceBase website as Classified point cloud and gridded elevation data from the 2005 B4 Lidar Project, southern California, USA.

Original B4 project description: The B4 Lidar Project collected lidar point cloud data of the southern San Andreas and San Jacinto Faults in southern California. Data acquisition and processing were performed by the National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping (NCALM) in partnership with the USGS and Ohio State University through funding from the EAR Geophysics program at the National Science Foundation (NSF). Optech International contributed the ALTM3100 laser scanner system. UNAVCO and SCIGN assisted in GPS ground control and continuous high rate GPS data acquisition. A group of volunteers from USGS, UCSD, UCLA, Caltech and private industry, as well as gracious landowners along the fault zones, also made the project possible. If you utilize the B4 data for talks, posters or publications, we ask that you acknowledge the B4 project. The B4 logo can be downloaded here. More information about the B4 Project.

Publications associated with this dataset can be found at NCALM's Data Tracking Center