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NOAA's National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) is building high-resolution digital
elevation models (DEMs) for select U.S. coastal regions. These integrated bathymetric-topographic
DEMs are used to support tsunami forecasting and modeling efforts at the NOAA Center
for Tsunami Research, Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL). The DEMs are
part of the tsunami forecast system SIFT (Short-term Inundation Forecasting for Tsunamis)
currently being developed by PMEL for the NOAA Tsunami Warning Centers, and are used
in the MOST (Method of Splitting Tsunami) model developed by PMEL to simulate tsunami
generation, propagation, and inundation. Bathymetric, topographic, and shoreline data
used in DEM compilation are obtained from various sources, including NGDC, the U.S.
National Ocean Service (NOS), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Canadian Hydrographic
Service (CHS), the Puget Sound Lidar Consortium (PSLC), the Joint Airborne Lidar Bathymetry
Technical Center of Expertise (JALBTCX), Canadian Digital Elevation Data (CDED) and
other international, federal, state, and local government agencies, academic institutions,
and private companies. DEMs are referenced to the vertical tidal datum of Mean High
Water (NAVD88) and horizontal datum of World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS 84). Grid spacings
for the DEMs range from 1/3 arc-second (~10 meters) to 3 arc-seconds (~30 meters). |