Goal

The goal of the Red River Basin Mapping Initiative is to develop a high resolution digital elevation model (DEM) for the Red River of the North Basin (RRB) south of the U.S./Canada border using Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR).

Background

The need for accurate elevation data in the RRB has been established by the
International Joint Commission (IJC 2000), the International Flood Mitigation Initiative (IFMI 2000), and the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE 2004) following the
devastating flood of 1997. Highly accurate elevation data are essential to improving disaster preparedness, protecting existing infrastructure, planning flood and drought damage mitigation projects, enhancing agricultural production, and strengthening decision-making capacity at all levels of government.