Making the Most of Airborne LiDAR for Engineering Geologic Applications

This presentation covers techniques, tools, and tips to leverage the value of airborne LiDAR data. Topics include the pros and cons of publicly available data, contracting your own LiDAR work, LiDAR QA/QC and what it really means, working with point clouds, why in the world you'd want to generate continuously differentiable surfaces, mapping planar structures in bedrock, creating geomorphic derivative maps to accentuate topographic features and aid in geologic interpretation, and using visualization to communicate with colleagues and clients. Several mini-case histories are integrated into the presentation.

Bill Haneberg is a Cincinnati-based consulting geologist specializing in engineering geology, physical hydrogeology, applied structural geology, computational geology, and the use of geologic information to support planning and policy decisions. An author or co-author of more than 100 published papers and abstracts, Bill has worked on topics as diverse as landslide and debris flow hazards, land subsidence, the influence of faults on subsurface fluid flow, the mechanics of geologic structures, and the geologic evolution of the Himalayas. His consulting practice emphasizes the application of modern technologies such as laser scanning, digital photogrammetry, image processing, and computer modeling to help clients solve problems in applied geology. He received the 2006 AEG Claire P. Holdredge Award for his book Computational Geosciences with Mathematica and has served as chair of the GSA Engineering Geology Division.

In addition to his consulting practice, Bill is an Adjunct Professor of Geology at the University of Cincinnati, where he teaches structural geology, and has also taught at Northern Kentucky University, Portland State University, and New Mexico Tech. Before leaving to establish his consulting practice in 1999, Bill was Senior Engineering Geologist and Assistant Director of the New Mexico Bureau of Mines & Mineral Resources. He earned a B.S. cum laude in geology from Bowling Green State University, and both M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in geology from the University of Cincinnati. He is a Licensed Engineering Geologist and Licensed Hydrogeologist (Washington), Professional Geologist (Wisconsin), and Certified Professional Geologist (AIPG).

The Jahns lectureship was established in 1988 by the Association of Environmental & Engineering Geologists and the Engineering Geology Division of the Geological Society of America. Its purpose is to provide funding for distinguished engineering geologists to present lectures at colleges and universities in order to increase awareness of students about careers in engineering geology. The lectureship is named in honor of Dr. Richard H. Jahns (1915-1983), an engineering geologist who had a diverse and distinguished career in academia, consulting, and government.