Training

on
“Remote Sensing and GIS Applications”

DEM Data Processing

Dr. Deepak Patle

Teaching Faculty

Department of Soil and Water Engineering

College of Agricultural Engineering, Jabalpur
Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya, Jabalpur
1
Terminology
➢ DEM – Digital Elevation Models
A DEM represents the elevation of the bare-earth surface,
removing all natural and built features; referenced to datum like
mean sea level.

➢ DSM – Digital Surface Models

A DSM captures both the natural and built/artificial features of
the environment.

➢ DTM – Digital Terrain Models

A DTM typically augments a DEM, by including vector features of
the natural terrain, such as rivers and ridges. A DTM may be
interpolated to generate a DEM, but not vice versa.
DEM, DSM, DTM
Free Global DEM Data Sources
SN DEM Full Name Spatial Source
Resolution

1. SRTM Shuttle Radar Topography 1 arc-second https://earthexplore

r.usgs.gov/
Mission (30 meters)
2. ASTER Advanced Spaceborne 30 m https://asterweb.jpl.
nasa.gov/gdem.asp
Thermal Emission and
Reflection Radiometer
3. JAXA’s Japan Aerospace 30 m https://www.eorc.ja
xa.jp/ALOS/en/datas
Exploration Agency (JAXA)
et/aw3d30/aw3d30_
e.htm
4. CartoDEM Cartosat-1 Digital 1 arc-second https://bhuvan-
app3.nrsc.gov.in/dat
Elevation Model (30 meters)
a/download/index.p
hp
5. ALOS Advanced Land Observing 12.5 m https://asf.alaska.ed
u/data-sets/sar-
PALSAR Satellite-1
data-sets/alos-
Phased Array type L-band palsar/
Synthetic Aperture Radar
DEM
 Fill Sinks
A sink is a pit or depression in a DEM that will obstruct the natural drainage of water
downstream. Sinks are present in the data due to errors, or presence of natural
depressions, ponds or lakes.

67 56 49 46 50
67 56
53 44 37 38 48 53 44

58 55 10 31 24
67 56 49 44 37 38
61 47 21 16 19
53 44 37 55 10 31
53 34 12 12 12 58 55 10 47 21 16
Fill Sinks in DEM

44
44 37 38

55 10 31 16.1

47 21 16 16

10

A sink filling Process

 Eight Direction Pour Point Model

• The D8 Flow Direction method assumes

that the water from any cell will flow to 32 64 128
one of its steepest downslope neighboring
cells.
16 1
• Every cell flows into another cell or off the
grid edge
8 4 2
• Flow direction is calculated as the
direction of steepest downward descent

• Flow direction is calculated for each cell, ESRI Direction encoding

resulting in a new grid theme

ArcHydro Page 69
 Sample Calculation of Slope and Flow Direction
1 1

67 56 49 46 50 Slope: 22 − 21
1

44 37 38

1
22 − 16
Sms = 12 + 12
= 4.24 Smr = 1
=1
53 44 37 38 48 55 22 31

58 55 22 31 24 47 21 16

61 47 21 16 19
1
53 34 12 12 12 47 − 22
Filled Dem
1 58 55 22 Sqm = 12 + 12
= 17.7

61 47 21
a b c d e 47 − 21
f g h i j 53 34 12 Sqr = 1
= 26

k l m n o 47 − 12
Sqw = 12 + 12
= 24.8
p q r s t
u v w x y 47 − 34
Sqv = 1
= 13
Cell Label
Hydrologic Slope
- Direction of Steepest Descent

4.24
26

ArcHydro Page 70
 Hydrologic Slope
- Direction of Steepest Descent

16.3 13.4 12.0 8.0 8.5

9.0 15.6 15.0 11.3 24.0

9.9 33.0 4.2 15.0 5.7

19.1 26.0 9.0 5.0 7.0

19.0 22.0 1.0 -1 1.0

ArcHydro Page 70
Flow Direction Grid
32 64 128

16 1

8 4 2

2 2 4 4 8
1 2 4 8 4
128 1 2 4 8
2 1 4 4 4
1 1 1 2 16
ArcHydro Page 71
 Flow Direction Grid in GIS

32 64 128

16 1

8 4 2
Flow Accumulation

• Each cell has been coded for direction of flow

• Cumulative flow is calculated from flow direction
• Output grid is created where values are the
number of upstream cells
• Lower accumulation values are ridge tops
• Higher accumulation values are valleys & stream
channels
Grid Network

ArcHydro Page 71
 Flow Accumulation Grid
Area draining in to a grid cell

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 3 2 2 0 0 3 2 2 0

0 0 0 0 11 0 1
0 11 1
0 1 0 0 0 1 15 0
0 15
0 2 5 0 2 5 24 1
1
24

Link to Grid calculator

ArcHydro Page 72
 Contributing Area Grid

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

1 4 3 3 1 1 4 3 3 1

1 1 12 1 2 1 1 2
1 12
1 1 2 16 1 1 2 1
1 16
1 3 6 25 2 1 3 6
2
25

The area draining each grid cell including

the grid cell itself.
Flow Accumulation > 5 Cell Threshold
0 0 0 0 0

0 3 2 2 0

0 0 11 0 1

0 0 1 15 0

0 2 5 24 1
Stream Network for 5 cell
Threshold Drainage Area

0 0 0 0 0

0 3 2 2 0

0
0 0 1
11
0 1 0
0
15
0 2 5
1
24
Watershed Draining to Outlet
Thematic Maps derived from DEM
(Elevation, Slope, Aspect, Contour)

22
 Slope

Slope is the ratio of the change in elevation to the actual

distance travelled.

𝑹𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝟏𝟓
➢𝑺𝒍𝒐𝒑𝒆 (𝑷𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕) = 𝐱 𝟏𝟎𝟎 = 𝐱 𝟏𝟎𝟎 = 𝟏𝟐%
𝐑𝐮𝐧 𝟏𝟐𝟓

−𝟏 𝑺𝒍𝒐𝒑𝒆 𝑷𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕
➢𝑺𝒍𝒐𝒑𝒆 𝑫𝒆𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒆 = tan = 𝟔. 𝟖 𝐝𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞
𝟏𝟎𝟎

Rise: ∆Z = 15 ft

Run: ∆X = 125 ft
 Aspect
➢Aspect is the direction in which that slope
faces.

➢This is determined as the direction you would

be facing if you were looking downhill on the
line of steepest descent (Maximum slope)

➢Aspect is the orientation of slope, measured

clockwise in degrees from 0 to 360, where 0 is
north-facing, 90 is east-facing, 180 is south-
facing, and 270 is west-facing.

➢Flat areas are given value 1 NO aspect!

➢Points of the compass are N, NE, E, SE, S, SW,

W, NW, and flat.
 Hillshade
➢Hillshade is a technique used to visualize terrain as shaded
relief, illuminating it with a hypothetical light source.
 Contour
➢A contour line is a line that passes through points having the
same elevation.
 A series of V-shapes
indicates a valley and
the V’s point to higher
elevation.

A series of U shapes
indicates a ridge.
The U shapes will
point to lower
elevation.
 Contour Spacing
Evenly spaced
contours indicate an
area of uniform
slope.

Unevenly spaced
contours indicates
an area with variable
slope.
A series of closed
contours with
increasing elevation
indicates a hill.

A series of closed
contours with
decreasing elevation
indicates a depression
 Contour Intervals
Types of topo map Nature of terrain Recommended interval (feet)
Large Scale Flat 0.5 or 1
Rolling 1 or 2
Hilly 2 or 5
Intermediate scale Flat 1, 2 or 5
Rolling 2 or 5
Hilly 5 or 10
Small scale Flat 2, 5 or 10
Rolling 10 or 20
Hilly 20 or 50

Mountainous 50, 100 or 200

Thank you

Dr. Deepak Patle

[email protected]