Global Digital Elevation Model Comparison Criteria: An Evident Need to Consider Their Application

From an extensive search of papers related to the comparison of Global Digital Elevation Models (hereinafter GDEMs), an analysis is carried out that aims to answer several questions such as: Which GDEMs have been compared? Where have the comparisons been made? How many comparisons have been made? Ho...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Carlos López-Vázquez, Francisco Javier Ariza-López
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-08-01
Series:ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2220-9964/12/8/337
_version_ 1797584513866399744
author Carlos López-Vázquez
Francisco Javier Ariza-López
author_facet Carlos López-Vázquez
Francisco Javier Ariza-López
author_sort Carlos López-Vázquez
collection DOAJ
description From an extensive search of papers related to the comparison of Global Digital Elevation Models (hereinafter GDEMs), an analysis is carried out that aims to answer several questions such as: Which GDEMs have been compared? Where have the comparisons been made? How many comparisons have been made? How have the assessments been carried out? Which is the GDEM option with the lowest RMSE? Analysis shows that SRTM and ASTER are the most popular GDEMs, that the countries where more comparisons have been made are Brazil, India, and China, and that the main type of reference data for evaluations is the use of points surveyed by GNSS techniques. A variety of criteria have been found for the comparison of GDEMs, but the most used are the RMSE and the standard deviation of the elevation error. There are numerous criteria with a more user-centric character in thematic areas, such as morphometry, geomorphology, erosion, etc. However, in none of the thematic areas does there exist a standard method of comparison. This limits the possibilities of establishing a ranking of GDEMs based on their user-focused quality. In addition, the methods and reference data set are not adequately explained or shared, which limits the interoperability of the studies carried out and the ability to make robust comparisons between them.
first_indexed 2024-03-10T23:53:45Z
format Article
id doaj.art-d1ad318771fd4c4e8e8de90a54c54088
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2220-9964
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-10T23:53:45Z
publishDate 2023-08-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information
spelling doaj.art-d1ad318771fd4c4e8e8de90a54c540882023-11-19T01:24:06ZengMDPI AGISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information2220-99642023-08-0112833710.3390/ijgi12080337Global Digital Elevation Model Comparison Criteria: An Evident Need to Consider Their ApplicationCarlos López-Vázquez0Francisco Javier Ariza-López1Laboratorio de Tecnologías de la Información Geográfica (LatinGEO), Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad ORT, Montevideo 11100, UruguayDepartamento Ingeniería Cartográfica, Geodésica y Fotogrametría, Escuela Politécnica Superior, Universidad de Jaén, 23071 Jaén, SpainFrom an extensive search of papers related to the comparison of Global Digital Elevation Models (hereinafter GDEMs), an analysis is carried out that aims to answer several questions such as: Which GDEMs have been compared? Where have the comparisons been made? How many comparisons have been made? How have the assessments been carried out? Which is the GDEM option with the lowest RMSE? Analysis shows that SRTM and ASTER are the most popular GDEMs, that the countries where more comparisons have been made are Brazil, India, and China, and that the main type of reference data for evaluations is the use of points surveyed by GNSS techniques. A variety of criteria have been found for the comparison of GDEMs, but the most used are the RMSE and the standard deviation of the elevation error. There are numerous criteria with a more user-centric character in thematic areas, such as morphometry, geomorphology, erosion, etc. However, in none of the thematic areas does there exist a standard method of comparison. This limits the possibilities of establishing a ranking of GDEMs based on their user-focused quality. In addition, the methods and reference data set are not adequately explained or shared, which limits the interoperability of the studies carried out and the ability to make robust comparisons between them.https://www.mdpi.com/2220-9964/12/8/337DEMGDEMSRTMASTERNASADEMWorldDEM
spellingShingle Carlos López-Vázquez
Francisco Javier Ariza-López
Global Digital Elevation Model Comparison Criteria: An Evident Need to Consider Their Application
ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information
DEM
GDEM
SRTM
ASTER
NASADEM
WorldDEM
title Global Digital Elevation Model Comparison Criteria: An Evident Need to Consider Their Application
title_full Global Digital Elevation Model Comparison Criteria: An Evident Need to Consider Their Application
title_fullStr Global Digital Elevation Model Comparison Criteria: An Evident Need to Consider Their Application
title_full_unstemmed Global Digital Elevation Model Comparison Criteria: An Evident Need to Consider Their Application
title_short Global Digital Elevation Model Comparison Criteria: An Evident Need to Consider Their Application
title_sort global digital elevation model comparison criteria an evident need to consider their application
topic DEM
GDEM
SRTM
ASTER
NASADEM
WorldDEM
url https://www.mdpi.com/2220-9964/12/8/337
work_keys_str_mv AT carloslopezvazquez globaldigitalelevationmodelcomparisoncriteriaanevidentneedtoconsidertheirapplication
AT franciscojavierarizalopez globaldigitalelevationmodelcomparisoncriteriaanevidentneedtoconsidertheirapplication