Terrain & elevation
Working with DEMs: slope, aspect, hillshade, contours, profiles and drainage.
Everything on Spatial Workflow about terrain & elevation, in the order that usually works: understand the idea, then run the task, then fix it when it goes wrong. 18 guides in total.
3 learning paths run through this topic — follow one if you would rather work through a route than pick a single guide.
🧭 Start with the concepts
The ideas the how-to guides below assume you already have.
- Digital Elevation Models Explained: DEM, DSM and DTM dem dsm dtm explained
- Vertical Datums Explained: Why Your Elevations Are Off vertical datum explained
- Slope and Aspect Explained: How They Are Computed from a Grid slope aspect explained
- DSM, DTM and CHM from LiDAR: How Each Surface Is Derived lidar surfaces dsm dtm chm explained
⚙️ Then do the task
Step-by-step walkthroughs with code you can copy and adapt.
- How to Calculate Slope and Aspect from a DEM in Python calculate slope python dem
- How to Make a Hillshade from a DEM in Python hillshade python
- How to Generate Contour Lines from a DEM in Python generate contours python
- How to Extract an Elevation Profile Along a Line in Python elevation profile python
- How to Fill Sinks and Derive Flow Direction from a DEM fill sinks flow direction python
- How to Calculate a Viewshed in Python viewshed python
- How to Create a DTM from LiDAR Ground Points in Python create dtm from lidar python
- How to Create a Canopy Height Model from LiDAR canopy height model python
- How to Measure Building Heights from LiDAR in Python building heights from lidar python
- How to Build a TIN and Interpolate Elevations tin interpolation python
🔧 When it breaks
The errors this topic produces, with the cause explained rather than just the command.
Learning paths through this topic
A curated route rather than a list — the guides in the order that builds on itself.
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Terrain & Elevation
Turn a grid of heights into slope, shade, contours and drainage.
Open path → -
LiDAR & Point Clouds
Millions of points, and the surfaces worth deriving from them.
Open path → -
Interpolation & Surfaces
A continuous surface from scattered samples, with its support attached.
Open path →
Related topics
Subjects that keep coming up alongside this one, most overlap first.