MnTOPO

MnTOPO is a web application for viewing, printing and downloading high-resolution elevation data for the State of Minnesota that was collected using LiDAR technology. It runs on a variety of devices including desktop PCs, tablets, and mobile phones.

The data you see and download in MnTOPO was made possible by the Minnesota elevation mapping project. 

MnTOPO Audience Applications

MnTOPO has been developed with three primary audience applications in mind: casual terrain exploration, terrain-data analysis and LiDAR point cloud analysis.

Terrain Explorers

Terrain explorers are those who generally only want to use MnTOPO to view or print information without having to download data or use specialized desktop mapping software. With just a web browser, these users can efficiently explore the terrain and other base maps in conjunction with various map layers such as contour lines and flood data. They can also draw lines in the viewer to generate elevation profiles and click point locations to determine elevations for individual terrain cells. Terrain explorers are typically landowners, hikers, bikers, hunters, real estate agents and other folks that are simply exploring the terrain within the viewer.

Terrain Analysts

After exploring the terrain for an area of interest in the viewer, a user may choose to download the digital elevation model (DEM) terrain data for use in specialized mapping software – usually CAD or GIS – to conduct terrain-data analysis work. Terrain-data analysts are typically hydrologists, academics, engineers, landscape architects, foresters, wildlife and fisheries biologists, graphic artists and archaeologists, and the list is growing.

LAS Point Cloud Analysts

After using the viewer to explore a specific project area, an analyst interested in the LiDAR point cloud can download native elevation LAS data for use in specialized desktop software. LAS data, short for LASer, is a binary public file format designed for the interchange of 3-dimensional LiDAR point cloud data. Point cloud data analysts are typically advanced users looking to take the application of LiDAR data to the next level by generating their own specialized terrains, profiles of buildings, and tree canopies.

Map Display

The display is fast since the information is “tile-cached” (saved in pieces at predefined scales). MnTOPO can zoom to 12 different scales with more detailed information shown as one zooms in. The elevation data coverage includes Minnesota and a portion of South Dakota that contributes surface water to Minnesota. MnTOPO provides choices of several layers of information to display over four background basemaps.

• Basemaps include roads, color air photos, color terrain and black-and-white terrain.
• Overlays include contour lines at 2-foot, 10-foot, and 50-foot intervals, acquisition flight lines (click on a line to find out more about the LiDAR data collected in that area), and FEMA floodplain boundaries.
• MnTOPO works well on a tablet or larger screen. It also displays on mobile phones, however, the small screens on most phones limit the functionality and viewing experience.

MnTOPO Credits

MnTOPO is a collaborative effort between staff from the Minnesota Information Technology (MNIT) at Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and MNIT at Minnesota Geospatial Information Office (MnGeo). Funding was provided by the Clean Water Fund of the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment.