Aurora, CO USA – Merrick & Company, a world leader in LiDAR, digital ortho imaging, photogrammetry, and geospatial solutions was awarded a $1.86 million contract with the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC). LiDAR data will be collected over a 3,695 square mile project area. The H-GAC’s Geographic Data Committee (GDC) is made up of over than 60 agencies that participate in geographic information system (GIS) data sharing, education/training, and cost sharing. In addition to raw LiDAR data collected at a 1-meter ground sample distance, Merrick will deliver bare earth and hill shade digital terrain models (DTMs), 1-foot contours, and three-dimensional breaklines. Awarded this month, the final data will be delivered by April 2009.
This area is home to over five-million residents. Not only does the high level of intra-agency cooperation reduce the costs of geospatial data acquisition, better planning for the region’s citizens will result. According to Robert LaBarbera, GISP, H-GAC GIS Program Manager – Data Services Department, “Many of the participating entities could not afford to acquire this level of accurate data on their own.”
Flooding is a major concern in this low lying region. Rapid urbanization is leading to reduced permeable surfaces for runoff and subsidence due to ground water use for the growing population. The geospatial data will be used by the various agencies in numerous GIS applications, including flood modeling and prevention in order to plan for a safe and prosperous future.
Visit H-GAC on the web at www.h-gac.com.
About Merrick & Company
Founded in Denver in 1955, Merrick & Company is a world-leading geospatial solutions, surveying, multidisciplinary engineering, architectural, and construction management firm. The employee-owned company provides these services to municipal, state, federal, and private-sector clients. With approximately 400 employees, Merrick has offices in Aurora and Colorado Springs, CO; Los Alamos and Albuquerque, NM; Atlanta, GA, Ottawa, Canada; Mexico City and Guadalajara, Mexico; Bogota, Colombia.
