Spatial Resolution and Algorithm Choice as Modifiers of Downslope Flow Computed from Digital Elevation Models
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12751408 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Keith C Clarke (0000-0001-5805-6056, University of California, Santa Barbara, corresponding author), Su Jin Lee (0000-0003-3405-9935, University of Southern California) |
| Year | 2007 |
| Volume | 34 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 215-230 |
| Publication date | 2007-01-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Cartography and Geographic Information Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1523-0406 • E-ISSN: 1545-0465 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1559/152304007781697875 |
| OpenAlex | W2078602828 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
This research investigated the dependence of computing downslope flow from digital elevation models (DEMs) on two basic elements of the flow calculation: the spatial resolution of the DEM and the algorithm used to compute the downslope flow, specifically how it defines topographic slope and aspect. Six algorithms for downslope flow and downslope accumulation were implemented in MATLAB using different assumptions about components of the computation from the terrain analysis literature. We analyzed the results of downslope flow statistically, thresholded the values to yield streams, and compared the different results with the actual surface streams in the National Hydrographic Database. We repeated the computations using DEMs of 3-m, 30-m, and 90-m resolutions, covering a test area near Santa Barbara, California. We conclude that downslope flow computations are overestimates, and that they are fraught with critical algorithmic assumptions and scale effects. They should be approached with great caution in GIS-based analyses
Algorithm · Cartography · Computation · Digital elevation model · Elevation (ballistics · Flow (mathematics · Geodesy · Geography · Geometry · Hydrography · Remote sensing · Scale (ratio · Terrain · Computer Science · Hydrology and Sediment Transport Processes · Hydrology and Watershed Management Studies · Mathematics · Soil erosion and sediment transport · Geology · Oceanography
| Citations per year | 0.22 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2017 - 2017 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |