High-resolution 3D mapping data is now available for the entire Taranaki region on New Zealand’s North Island.
A ground-breaking aerial LiDAR survey of Taranaki’s land surface has just been completed, opening up a wealth of valuable land-surface and elevation data for a wide range of uses.
Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) partnered with Taranaki Regional Council on the NZ$1m project.
The dataset — collected in 2021 and two years in the making — will be used to generate high-definition 3D maps and models for environmental management and planning.
It will also be used by the Council to manage natural hazards, plan facilities, services and infrastructure, and track changes to the coastline and river channels.
“It’s exciting that we now have accurate elevation information, right down to the property scale, for the entire Taranaki region,” said Bjorn Johns, LINZ Technical Leader, Imagery and Elevation.
“The new digital elevation data provides certainty to councils and landowners and ensures their terrain modelling is as accurate as possible.”
The LiDAR data will enable improved 3D visualisation of the land, providing valuable context for planning and mapping, and is available to anyone via the LINZ Data Service.
“As new datasets across the country are completed and contributed to the LINZ National Elevation Programme, the amount of national coverage increases, giving us the best possible picture of New Zealand,” added Johns.
“It’s fantastic to see the completion of the Taranaki Regional Council-led project and now we can start using that invaluable data to keep caring for our environment and supporting livelihoods,” says Council Director-Operations, Daniel Harrison.
“There is a myriad of applications where we and our partners can use this data and it is available to the public as well. The level of detail is incredible and it will be a really useful tool for our staff.”
Funding for the project came from the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) via LINZ, with contributions from the Council, New Plymouth District Council, Stratford District Council, South Taranaki District Council and the University of Auckland.
The PGF — one of six funds administered by Kānoa – Regional Economic Development & Investment Unit within the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment — is now fully allocated.
Taranaki Regional Council was one of 10 regional councils nationwide given funding from the PGF for regional-scale LiDAR mapping projects.
Mr Harrison said the LiDAR information will help the district councils in land-use planning and assessing the provision of services, while the University of Auckland is interested in the surveys of the Taranaki Maunga volcanic cone.
“We’re expecting surveyors, engineers, construction companies, farm planners and others to find the maps and models useful as well,” he said.
