Evaluation of open Digital Elevation Models: estimation of topographic indices relevant to erosion risk in the Wadi M’Goun watershed, Morocco
Various Global Digital Elevation Models (DEM) are available freely on the Web. The main objective of this work is to evaluate the latest digital elevation models towards the estimation of morphological and topographic erosion parameters in the Wadi M’Goun watershed. We have evaluated multiple DEMs:...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
AIMS Press
2020-06-01
|
| Series: | AIMS Geosciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.aimspress.com/article/10.3934/geosci.2020014/fulltext.html |
| _version_ | 1828554711527063552 |
|---|---|
| author | Maryam Khal Abdellah Algouti Ahmed Algouti Nadia Akdim Sergey A. Stankevich Massimo Menenti |
| author_facet | Maryam Khal Abdellah Algouti Ahmed Algouti Nadia Akdim Sergey A. Stankevich Massimo Menenti |
| author_sort | Maryam Khal |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Various Global Digital Elevation Models (DEM) are available freely on the Web. The main objective of this work is to evaluate the latest digital elevation models towards the estimation of morphological and topographic erosion parameters in the Wadi M’Goun watershed. We have evaluated multiple DEMs: SRTM (3-arcsec resolution, 90 m), ASTER GDEM (1-arcsec resolution, 30 m), SRTMGL1 V003 (30 m), and ALOS-PALSAR (12.5 m). We have applied for this purpose open source GIS software. To compare and evaluate each DEM, different processing methods have been applied to estimate the Wadi M’Goun watershed characteristics, namely Hypsometry, topographic slope extraction, retrieval of Slope Length and Steepness factor (LS-factor) and topographic wetness index. The accuracy of the ALOS-PALSAR and SRTMGL1 V003 (30 m) DEMs met the requirements applying to the required morphometric parameters. DEMs vertical accuracy has been evaluated by applying the root mean square error (RMSE) metric to DEM elevations vs. actual heights of 353 sample points extracted from an accurate survey-based map (toposheet). The RMSE was 1718 mm for ALOS-PALSAR, 1736 for SRTM 1-arcsec, 1958 for ASTER GDEM 1-arcsec and, 3189 for SRTM 3-arcsec. These results indicate that best accuracy is achieved with the high-resolution of the ALOS PALSAR DEM. This study suggests potential uncertainties in the open-source DEMs, which should be taken into account when estimating topographical and morphometric parameters related to erosion risk in the Wadi M’Goun watershed. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T05:40:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1f926bb9cc5c4635a20503aea73631e4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2471-2132 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T05:40:36Z |
| publishDate | 2020-06-01 |
| publisher | AIMS Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | AIMS Geosciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-1f926bb9cc5c4635a20503aea73631e42022-12-22T00:35:55ZengAIMS PressAIMS Geosciences2471-21322020-06-016223125710.3934/geosci.2020014Evaluation of open Digital Elevation Models: estimation of topographic indices relevant to erosion risk in the Wadi M’Goun watershed, MoroccoMaryam Khal0Abdellah Algouti1Ahmed Algouti2Nadia Akdim3Sergey A. Stankevich4Massimo Menenti51 Cadi Ayyad University, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Geology, Laboratory of Geosciences, Geotourism, Natural Hazards and Remote Sensing, Bd. BO 2390, 40000 Marrakech, Morocco1 Cadi Ayyad University, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Geology, Laboratory of Geosciences, Geotourism, Natural Hazards and Remote Sensing, Bd. BO 2390, 40000 Marrakech, Morocco1 Cadi Ayyad University, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Geology, Laboratory of Geosciences, Geotourism, Natural Hazards and Remote Sensing, Bd. BO 2390, 40000 Marrakech, Morocco2 Department of Geology, Faculty of Sciences, Chouaib Doukkali University, Route Ben Maachou, B.P 20, 24000, El Jadida, Morocco3 Scientific Centre for Aerospace Research of the Earth, NAS of Ukraine, 55-B O. Gonchar str., Kiev, 01054, Ukraine4 Geosciences and Remote Sensing Department, Delft University of Technology, Stevinweg 12628 CN Delft, The Netherlands 5 State Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing Science, Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, ChinaVarious Global Digital Elevation Models (DEM) are available freely on the Web. The main objective of this work is to evaluate the latest digital elevation models towards the estimation of morphological and topographic erosion parameters in the Wadi M’Goun watershed. We have evaluated multiple DEMs: SRTM (3-arcsec resolution, 90 m), ASTER GDEM (1-arcsec resolution, 30 m), SRTMGL1 V003 (30 m), and ALOS-PALSAR (12.5 m). We have applied for this purpose open source GIS software. To compare and evaluate each DEM, different processing methods have been applied to estimate the Wadi M’Goun watershed characteristics, namely Hypsometry, topographic slope extraction, retrieval of Slope Length and Steepness factor (LS-factor) and topographic wetness index. The accuracy of the ALOS-PALSAR and SRTMGL1 V003 (30 m) DEMs met the requirements applying to the required morphometric parameters. DEMs vertical accuracy has been evaluated by applying the root mean square error (RMSE) metric to DEM elevations vs. actual heights of 353 sample points extracted from an accurate survey-based map (toposheet). The RMSE was 1718 mm for ALOS-PALSAR, 1736 for SRTM 1-arcsec, 1958 for ASTER GDEM 1-arcsec and, 3189 for SRTM 3-arcsec. These results indicate that best accuracy is achieved with the high-resolution of the ALOS PALSAR DEM. This study suggests potential uncertainties in the open-source DEMs, which should be taken into account when estimating topographical and morphometric parameters related to erosion risk in the Wadi M’Goun watershed.https://www.aimspress.com/article/10.3934/geosci.2020014/fulltext.htmlerosion riskopen demsrtmaster gdemsrtmgl1 v003alos-palsarm’goun watershedcentral high atlas |
| spellingShingle | Maryam Khal Abdellah Algouti Ahmed Algouti Nadia Akdim Sergey A. Stankevich Massimo Menenti Evaluation of open Digital Elevation Models: estimation of topographic indices relevant to erosion risk in the Wadi M’Goun watershed, Morocco AIMS Geosciences erosion risk open dem srtm aster gdem srtmgl1 v003 alos-palsar m’goun watershed central high atlas |
| title | Evaluation of open Digital Elevation Models: estimation of topographic indices relevant to erosion risk in the Wadi M’Goun watershed, Morocco |
| title_full | Evaluation of open Digital Elevation Models: estimation of topographic indices relevant to erosion risk in the Wadi M’Goun watershed, Morocco |
| title_fullStr | Evaluation of open Digital Elevation Models: estimation of topographic indices relevant to erosion risk in the Wadi M’Goun watershed, Morocco |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evaluation of open Digital Elevation Models: estimation of topographic indices relevant to erosion risk in the Wadi M’Goun watershed, Morocco |
| title_short | Evaluation of open Digital Elevation Models: estimation of topographic indices relevant to erosion risk in the Wadi M’Goun watershed, Morocco |
| title_sort | evaluation of open digital elevation models estimation of topographic indices relevant to erosion risk in the wadi m goun watershed morocco |
| topic | erosion risk open dem srtm aster gdem srtmgl1 v003 alos-palsar m’goun watershed central high atlas |
| url | https://www.aimspress.com/article/10.3934/geosci.2020014/fulltext.html |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT maryamkhal evaluationofopendigitalelevationmodelsestimationoftopographicindicesrelevanttoerosionriskinthewadimgounwatershedmorocco AT abdellahalgouti evaluationofopendigitalelevationmodelsestimationoftopographicindicesrelevanttoerosionriskinthewadimgounwatershedmorocco AT ahmedalgouti evaluationofopendigitalelevationmodelsestimationoftopographicindicesrelevanttoerosionriskinthewadimgounwatershedmorocco AT nadiaakdim evaluationofopendigitalelevationmodelsestimationoftopographicindicesrelevanttoerosionriskinthewadimgounwatershedmorocco AT sergeyastankevich evaluationofopendigitalelevationmodelsestimationoftopographicindicesrelevanttoerosionriskinthewadimgounwatershedmorocco AT massimomenenti evaluationofopendigitalelevationmodelsestimationoftopographicindicesrelevanttoerosionriskinthewadimgounwatershedmorocco |