Modeling terrain elevation data in MATLAB [articol]

Abstract

Topography is basic to many earth surface processes. It is used in analyses in ecology, hydrology, agriculture, climatology, geology, pedology, geomorphology, and many others, as a means both of explaining processes and of predicting them through modeling. Through this paper we consider the implementation of an algorithm for representation of real elevation data in MATLAB. This algorithm takes the DEM (Digital Elevation Model) data and constructs a 1201x1201 elevation matrix corresponding to a tile of 1 degree latitude and degree longitude. The DEM data was obtained by NASA’s SRTM mission in 2000 and was made publicly available in June 2004. This offers an almost worldwide coverage of elevation data that can be further analyzed in MATLAB, for example for finding the pattern for water flow accumulation.