TessaDEM

TessaDEM is a near-global 30-meter Digital Elevation Model (DEM) based on Copernicus DEM[1], NASADEM[2] and MERIT DEM[3].

The aim of TessaDEM is to provide an elevation database representing the Earth terrain by combining 30-meter spatial resolution (Copernicus DEM, NASADEM) with absolute bias, stripe noise, speckle noise and tree height bias removal (MERIT DEM).

To achieve this, elevation readings were merged and adjusted according to several factors such as tree height, urbanization and water presence (Forest Height[4], World Settlement Footprint[5], Global Surface Water[6]).

Overview

Near-global 30-meter Digital Elevation Model (DEM)

Specifications

  • Covered area: 80°S to 84°N latitude.
  • Spatial resolution: 30 meters.
  • Geodesy references: WGS 84, EGM96.

License

TessaDEM is licensed under the Open Database License (ODbL) v1.0.

You are free to:

  • Share: To copy, distribute and use the database.
  • Create: To produce works from the database.
  • Adapt: To modify, transform and build upon the database.

As long as you:

  • Attribute: You must attribute any public use of the database, or works produced from the database, in the manner specified in the ODbL. For any use or redistribution of the database, or works produced from it, you must make clear to others the license of the database and keep intact any notices on the original database.
  • Share-Alike: If you publicly use any adapted version of this database, or works produced from an adapted database, you must also offer that adapted database under the ODbL.
  • Keep open: If you redistribute the database, or an adapted version of it, then you may use technological measures that restrict the work (such as DRM) as long as you also redistribute a version without such measures.

History

  • October 5, 2022: v1.0 (original release).

Access

Work in progress…

Raw data

  • Data splitting: 22,577 files of 1° latitude x 1° longitude.
  • File name: [latitude]_[longitude] of the lower left pixel's center.
  • File rows: 3,600.
  • File columns: 3,600 below 50° latitude; 2,400 between 50° and 60° latitude; 1,800 between 60° and 70° latitude; 1,200 between 70° and 80° latitude; 720 above 80° latitude.
  • Data type: 16-bit signed short integer (little endian byte order).
  • Data unit: meter.

Disclamer

Data accuracy cannot be guaranteed as the presence of buildings, steep slopes and other artefacts may alter spaceborne readings.

References

  1. Copernicus DEM: https://spacedata.copernicus.eu/web/cscda/dataset-details?articleId=394198
  2. NASADEM: https://lpdaac.usgs.gov/documents/1318/NASADEM_User_Guide_V12.pdf
  3. MERIT DEM: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2017GL072874
  4. Forest Height: https://glad.geog.umd.edu/dataset/GLCLUC2020
  5. World Settlement Footprint: https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Mapping_our_human_footprint_from_space
  6. Global Surface Water: https://global-surface-water.appspot.com