LIDAR map

 

http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories/s798.htm

LIDAR is an abbreviation for 'light detection and ranging.' This is a remote sensing technology like radar that uses light from a laser instead of micro waves to measure distance and other properties.  The uses of this technology go into almost every field like agriculture, military, law enforcement, physics, and the list goes on.  These maps are great at mapping a surface with very high resolution as to include every change in elevation.  The map above was made using LIDAR to show a 3-d model of Manhattan, New York.