Geo-Morphometric Comparison of Global Digital Elevation Models: Nasadem, Copernicus and Alos World 3D

EasyChair Preprint no. 11375, version 2

Abstract

Morphometry encompasses the fundamental measurements and computational modelling of the soil's surface configuration, form, and landform features. It plays an important role in hydrological and hydro-geological studies, and enhances the understanding of hydrological characteristics. Geo-morphometric analysis is an important factor for studying and understanding the development of any river basin. These parameters give clear evidence for the evolution of the basins, including the denudation, surface runoff, and subsurface infiltration, as well as the impact of geological formations and structures on the basin evolution. Several factors control the accuracy of geo-morphometric analysis, including the method of data collection, source of data, digital elevation model (DEM) characteristics, and measurement technique.

Moreover, the origin, nature, and quality of DEMs are known to significantly impact hydrological patterns, making the study of DEM effects on hydrological tasks a central topic in the hydrological domain. DEMs play a pivotal role in understanding and analysing the topographical features of the Earth's surface. With the advent of satellite technology, several open-access global DEMs have been introduced, each with its unique characteristics. This paper presents a preliminary geo-morphometric analysis and comparison of three prominent 30-metre global DEMs: NASADEM, Copernicus GLO-30, and ALOS World 3D (AW3D). By leveraging geographic information system (GIS) techniques, various terrain and geo-morphometric parameters of a selected drainage basin in Cape Town (South Africa) were assessed. Cape Town offers diverse geomorphological contexts suitable for this research

Keyphrases: ALOS World 3D, Copernicus, Digital Elevation Model, Geo-morphometry, NASADEM

@Booklet{EasyChair:11375,
  author = {Chukwuma Okolie and Caleb Ogbeta and Adedayo Adeleke and Julian Smit and Jon Mills},
  title = {Geo-Morphometric Comparison of Global Digital Elevation Models: Nasadem, Copernicus and Alos World 3D},
  howpublished = {EasyChair Preprint no. 11375},

  year = {EasyChair, 2023}}