Evaluation of the Global Multi-Resolution Terrain Elevation Data 2010 (GMTED2010) using ICESat geodetic control

Abstract

Supported by NASA's Earth Surface and Interior (ESI) Program, we are producing a global set of Ground Control Points (GCPs) derived from the Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) altimetry data. From February of 2003, to October of 2009, ICESat obtained nearly global measurements of land topography (± 86° latitudes) with unprecedented accuracy, sampling the Earth's surface at discrete ~50 m diameter laser footprints spaced 170 m along the altimetry profiles. We apply stringent editing to select the highest quality elevations, and use these GCPs to characterize and quantify spatially varying elevation biases in Digital Elevation Models (DEMs). In this paper, we present an evaluation of the soon to be released Global Multi-resolution Terrain Elevation Data 2010 (GMTED2010). Elevation biases and error statistics have been analyzed as a function of land cover and relief. The GMTED2010 products are a large improvement over previous sources of elevation data at comparable resolutions. RMSEs for all products and terrain conditions are below 7 m and typically are about 4 m. The GMTED2010 products are biased upward with respect to the ICESat GCPs on average by approximately 3 m.

Impacts of DEM resolution, source, and resampling technique on SWAT-simulated streamflow

“…The GMTED2010 has better accuracy than ASTER GDEM2 because it was produced from the SRTM Digital Terrain Elevation Data (STED2) 1-arc-second void-filled data (Carabajal et al, 2011;. The multi-scale smoothing of the EarthEnv-DEM90 that helped in reducing the DEM noise (Robinson et al, 2014) led to better accuracy compared to ASTER GDEM2.…”

Accuracy assessment of SRTM v4 and ASTER GDEM v2 over the Altiplano watershed using ICESat/GLAS data

“…One commonly used method is to compare the DEM with highquality ground control points (GCPs). The GCPs can be obtained using global positioning system (GPS) measurements (Hirt, Filmer, and Featherstone 2010;Zhao et al 2011), topographic maps (Zhao et al 2011), or high-quality radar altimetry data, such as ICESat/GLAS (Billemont 2010;Carabajal et al 2011;Ensle, Heinzel, and Koch 2012;Zhao, Xue, and Ling 2010). Alternatively, remotely sensed DEMs can be compared with high-quality DEMs (Forkuor and Maathuis 2012;Sertel 2010).…”

Important Dispersal Capacity of One Main Species Vector of Bluetongue and Schmallenberg Viruses Culicoides Obsoletus (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) Revealed by Landscape Genetic Analyses 

“…ii. terrestrial habitat: mean global elevation in 2010 (R) [73] and type of landscape cover (urban area, grassland, forest areas and croplands) (R). The four distinct land cover rasters (resolution: ∼1000 m) were generated from the Corine Land Cover 2012 raster (CLC; www.eea.europa.eu; resolution: ∼100 m) ( Fig.…”