Access the data

You will be able to access data from the 3DCM programme on the LINZ Data Service and Registry of Open Data on Amazon Web Services (AWS). Data from tide gauge sensors can be accessed from the organisations that own and operate them, for example ports, regional councils, Earth Sciences New Zealand (formerly GNS Science and NIWA) and the UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC).

Coastal mapping

The 3DCM Programme provides a number of datasets that will be published on the LINZ Data Service and the Registry of Open Data on AWS. 

Digital Elevation Models (DEM) at 1m, 2m and 10m resolutions

Image of a Digital Elevation Model of Tokerau Beach, Doubtless Bay, Northland.

Tokerau Beach, Doubtless Bay, Northland

A DEM is a model of the bare earth (or actual ground including the seafloor). It excludes other features captured such as trees, buildings and objects. 

The 2m and 10m resolutions are expected to be available on the Registry of Open Data on AWS by mid-2026.

Digital Surface Model (DSM) at 1m resolution

Image of a Digital Surface Model of Taipa, Doubtless Bay, Northland.

Taipa, Doubtless Bay, Northland

A DSM, in contrast, shows every feature for a particular area, including non-ground features such as buildings, infrastructure and vegetation. The 1-metre DSM only includes the area landward of the drying-line and will be available on the LINZ Data Service.

Point cloud

Image showing how a point cloud can be used to produce a Digital Elevation Model of Whangamoa, Nelson.

Whangamoa, Nelson

A point cloud is all the data points captured before they are processed to produce the DEM or DSM. Point clouds are often viewed in 3D as a cloud of points, hence the name. The data points are classified into sets of likely ground feature types, including things like bare ground, vegetation groups, buildings and seafloor. These further enable users to apply the data to many purposes.

Point clouds are expected to be available on the LINZ Data Service by mid-2026.

Aerial imagery

Aerial image of Otūmoeti, Tauranga Harbour, Bay of Plenty.

Otūmoeti, Tauranga Harbour, Bay of Plenty

High-resolution imagery is captured by cameras at the same time as the LiDAR data. This is primarily used when processing the LiDAR point cloud data to help correct classification of features. The imagery gives us an accurate photographic representation of the earth’s surface and the features on it. It can be used to visualise the landscape or understand how an area has evolved.

Seafloor reflectance

Image showing the seafloor reflectance at Tokerau Beach, Doubtless Bay, Northland.

Tokerau Beach, Doubtless Bay, Northland

Reflectance, also known as intensity, is a record of the strength of the returned laser light, reflected by the seafloor surface and objects. This intensity value is related to the seafloor's composition, roughness, and albedo (reflectivity). Reflectance information can be used for numerous applications, including feature detection, seafloor characterisation and habitat mapping.

Reflectance data is included in the point cloud data as well as compiled as a georeferenced raster image, both are expected to be available on the LINZ Data Service by mid-2026.

LiDAR full-waveform

Graphic showing the components of a LiDAR full-waveform (including bathymetric and topographic), including measuring the vegetation, water column and aquatic habitat.

LiDAR full-waveform (Graphic provided by NV5 Geospatial)

The full-waveform is a record of the complete, continuous return signal from a LiDAR sensor. It provides detail about the structure and composition of objects which allows for more advanced analysis, particularly for understanding vegetation structure (above and below the waterline) and estimating attributes like forest canopy cover and biomass.

Due to the large file size of this raw data, full-waveform files are available on request.

GNSS at Tide Gauges

The Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) data feeds into the PositioNZ network run in partnership with Earth Sciences New Zealand (formerly GNS Science) through the GeoNet Project, which monitors natural hazards in New Zealand.

Screenshot of the LINZ PositioNZ tool showing the GNSS data real-time status for Bluff.

Bluff GNSS data real-time status

The tide gauge sensors are owned and operated by a variety of organisations, such as ports, regional councils and Earth Sciences New Zealand (formerly GNS Science and NIWA). Links to sites with publicly available data are provided below.

Image of the Greater Wellington Regional Council's Environmental Data Dashboard showing tide level data at Queens Wharf on Wellington Harbour.

Data from Auckland, Bluff and Wellington feeds into the Global Sea Level Observing System (GLOSS) Core Network, a global set of 290 tide gauge stations. Data from these and other tide gauge stations is also available from the UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), sea level station monitoring facility.

View more information on the UNESCO:

LINZ uses the data to produce tidal predictions.

View more information about the analysis and prediction of tides.

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