Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) has released new high-resolution LiDAR point cloud data captured through aerial scans, providing detailed 3D views of parts of New Zealand's coastline.
This release is part of the 3D Coastal Mapping (3DCM) project, which began in 2025 and aims to map up to 40% of the nation's coastline over three years.
Coverage
- Areas typically extend 200 meters inland from the mean high-water spring coastline and seaward to a water depth of 25 meters.
- Targeted areas include highly populated coastal communities, areas with significant coastal infrastructure, or those at higher risk of coastal inundation.
Purpose
The primary goal is to collect data for understanding coastal change and addressing issues such as sea-level rise, storm surges, and tsunamis.
Statements
Stuart Caie, 3D Coastal Mapping Programme Lead, stated:
"The 3DCM Program has made significant progress toward its objective of mapping up to 40 percent of New Zealand’s coastline. We’re pleased to have reached another milestone on time."
Caie also noted:
"This release is one of several dataset milestones as we continue to make more coastal data available."
Access
- The data is publicly accessible on the LINZ Data Service website.
- An online tracker shows the project's completion progress.