Southeast Minnesota Floodplain Mapping
In the summer of 2007, severe flooding struck southeastern Minnesota. Seven counties and two Mississippi River tributary watersheds were identified as Federal Disaster Areas after the floods. Following a disaster declaration, federal emergency funds were released to help the state recover, and to assist in mitigation of future flooding events by mapping flood-prone areas. Working with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and several stakeholders at the state and local government instances, AeroMetric designed a LiDAR mapping solution that would meet FEMA criteria for floodplain mapping.
The project required a carefully planned flight pattern to account for the significant variances in topography and land cover within the 5,500 square mile project area. Also required was an aggressive delivery schedule, made even more challenging by to the narrow acquisition window to meet leaf-off, snow free conditions, which required 24 hour LiDAR acquisition to beat the first snowstorm that blanketed the area. AeroMetric also coordinated with MnDNR, USGS, MnDOT and numerous local surveyors to establish standard survey procedures for the project, which allowed to overcome discrepancies between the published Minnesota CORS ellipsoid heights and NAVD 88. AeroMetric's expertise in airborne lidar solutions and geodesy, as well as our long standing relationships with the MnDNR, the Minnesota Department of Transportation, and local surveyors across the state proved to be instrumental in facilitating and coordinating project implementation between the various stakeholders, and ultimately meeting and exceeding the stringent accuracy standards required by the MnDNR within schedule and budget.
I-35W Bridge Collapse 
Lake Delton, WI Levee Failure 
