Search for geospatial/GIS data

Find GIS data held at MIT and other institutions

2 results returned

  1. Title: Solar Insolation, Minnesota] (2006-2012)

    Contributors:

    Summary: The Minnesota Solar Suitability Analysis attempts to provide solar insolation analysis for the entire State of Minnesota. As far as we are aware, it is the only project of its scale in existence; similar studies have been limited to metro areas or focus on rooftop insolation. The project's existence is feasible because of statewide, freely available aerial lidar coverage. And the commitment of the team to work long hours on this unfunded project. The project finds itself at the intersection of renewable energy, big data analysis, geospatial technology, and open data availability. This data provides a measure of incedent solar radiation as it is intercepted by the earth surface, or features (such as vegetation and buildings) standing above the earth surface. The data is intended to be used to assess the suitability of a site for solar panel (photovoltaic cell) installations. The analysis used to produce this dataset looks at geographic location, surface slope, surface aspect, and the effects of shading based on local topography and adjacent structures. A digital surface model was generated from raw LiDAR data. Then, using this DSM, an individual locations on a grid surface were assessed for the amount of direct and indirect radiation that reaches the surface. This analysis was conducted at a 1m resolution for the entire state of Minnesota.

    View full record

  2. Title: Digital Surface Model [Minnesota] (2006-2012)

    Contributors:

    Summary: A 1m resolution digital surface model that was generated from raw lidar data. This dataset was an intermediate product of a process to model potential solar insolation for the state of Minnesota. The Digital Surface Model (DSM) was created to represent the terrain and all object present on that terrain. This included buildings, tree cover, roads, and other natural and human-altered landscapes. In effect, the DSM is a three dimensional representation of Minnesota. It was generated using a Streaming Delauney Triangulation process through rapidlasso's LAStools software package. In this process, triangles are iteratively generated using nearby lidar returns and values for each point are determined by extracting interpolated elevation from the surface of the triangle. The result is a 1 meter resolution raster covering the state. Lidar is a form of active remote sensing technology that uses light pulses, most commonly in the near-infrared wavelengths, to collected surface elevation data. A laser scanner, mounted in an aircraft and combined with high-accuracy GPS, collects light returns that are interpolated into a point cloud. Each point represents one return from a laser pulse. The laser pulse has the ability to penetrate vegetation, multiple laser returns can be gathered for each pulse including the returns from below the vegetation.The accuracy of lidar returns allow for a unique, multi-faceted analytical dataset. The first point returns can be used to interpolate a topology of Minnesota that models the objects (i.e. building, trees, etc) and geography resting upon the terrain. The lidar point files for the state of Minnesota used in the study were collected between 2006 and 2012 through an intergovernmental initiative with the primary object of providing improved elevation data for flood mapping. In some regions, existing lidar data was acquired and transformed to new state standards. Areas where data did not exist or could not be transformed, were collected by contracted vendors. The composite data forms a seamless coverage of the state with a resolutions of at least 1.5 meters. Refer to metadata.html for full details.

    View full record

Need help?

Ask GIS