UK-Scotland Elevation Model (LIDAR)

Introduction

The UK - Scotland Elevation Model (LIDAR) in 5m grid resolution is a composite digital terrain model (DTM) produced from multiple surveys of high resolution LiDAR scans. The sources of data are the Scottish Government, the Scottish Environmentent Protection Agency, Scottish Water, Scottish Power Network and the UK Environment Agency. The comspoite model has been made by EMD International for use in windPRO and renewable energy application. The original survays are available at different resolutions: from 0.25m to 2.0m grid resolutions. The derived, composite elevation model delivered with windPRO is at 5m resolution (made with bi-linear interpolation). For wind energy modelling, we typically need a more coarse model (5-10m grid resolution) for the data to be operational for the large areas needed. Coverage for the data is approximately 48,000 km2, corresponding to approximately 61% of the Scottish Territory.

Dataset Overview

• Spatial Coverage: 61% of the UK-Scotland territory
• Resolution: 5 m
• Data-type: Digital Terrain Model (DTM)
• Coordinate system (original data):
  • Horizontal: OSGB36 British National Grid (EPSG: 27700)
  • Vertical: Elevations recorded above Ordnance Datum Newlyn
• Version: Data downloaded in December 2020.
• Vertical Accuracy: N/A (but as LiDAR data in the centimeter-range)
• Survey Period: The composite contains data from surveys undertaken from 2000 until 2019.

Composite Dataset Sources

As mentioned above, this dataset is a composite model with data originating from multiple sources and campaigns. The list below outlines the different data sources and a few key parameters:

1. Scottish Public Sector LiDAR (Phase I): 11,845 km2 - Period 2011 to 2012 - 10 sites for flood risk management - 382 data tiles - based on 1m data
2. Scottish Public Sector LiDAR (Phase II): 3,516 km2 - Period 2012 to 2014 - 66 sites for flood risk management - 232 data tiles - based on 1m data
3. Scottish Public Sector LiDAR (Phase III): 11,772 km2 - Period 2015 to 2016 - Overhead power cable network survey - 674 data tiles - based on 50cm data
4. Scottish Public Sector LiDAR (Phase IV): 17,945 km2 - Period 2017 to 2019 - Overhead power cable network - 420 tiles - based on 50cm data
5. UK Environment Agency LiDAR composite: 3,025 km2 - Period 2000 to 2015 - UK Environment Agency surveys - 121 tiles - based on 0.25-2.0m data

Usage Notes

1. Since only 61% of the territory is covered by the LiDAR scans - you may need to void-fill some areas. If you download the data into an elevation grid object, these void-areas can easily be filled with other ready available sources such as the 50m gridded data from OS Land Form or OS Terrain 50.
2. Higher resolution data exist for selected areas in the region based on more recent LiDAR surveys: These are in resolutions from 0.25m to 2m – and may be accessed directly from the UK Open Data web-site or the Scottish Remote Sensing web-site(see links below).