Dipti Kothari, an intern with MapD, has developed an open source project that uses LiDAR to create a 3D visualization of tree coverage around buildings and the impact of rising sea levels on buildings on Jekyll Island, GA. LiDAR stands for Light Detection and Ranging, a surveying technique which scans a surface using laser light and returns a densely populated 3D point cloud. It lets you answer questions which were previously impractical or impossible to answer. For example, you can calculate the precise tree coverage around every building on an island. Trees are natural windbreakers, lessening the damage caused by hurricanes.