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Evaluation of vertical accuracy of different digital elevation models sources for Buraydah city

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Abstract

Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) are used in a variety of applications and in different scientific disciplines. Analysis of the DEM datasets for these applications requires information about the quality of the elevation data. In this paper, the quality of several DEM datasets has been compared with Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) ground control points for Buraydah city, Saudi Arabia. The DEM datasets include high resolution DEM data extracted from 1-m contour maps (CON-DEM), the Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS World 3D) 30 m resolution, Shuttle Radar Topography Mapping Mission (SRTM) 30 m resolution and Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER GDEM) 30 m resolution images. The vertical accuracy assessment measures were calculated assuming the normality and non-normality of the encountered errors after removing outliers from the elevation’s differences. All DEM datasets represent a strong correlation of DEM errors in comparison with the reference data. The CON-DEM has the highest accuracy of 1.446 m root mean square error (RMSE) followed by ALOS AW3D30 datasets of accuracy 1.746 m. In contrast, the SRTM and ASTER GDEM datasets have the lowest accuracies (2.583 m and 5.667 m RMSE respectively). In addition, results of the robust estimates such as the normalized median (NMAD) and the absolute deviation at the 90% quantile (LE90) are produced to refine the results for non-normal error distribution datasets. The calculations show slight differences of the statistical estimates for some DEM datasets that represent non-normality of the elevation difference when compared with the reference data.

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Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank USGS for SRTM and ASTER datasets, JAXA for ALOS AW3D30 dataset, Qassim Municipality and Ministry of Municipality and Rural Affairs (MOMRA) for providing GNSS reference data on their website and for providing the contour maps. Finally, acknowledgements are extended to anonymous reviewers for their valuable commenst and suggestions, which helped to improve this manscript.

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  1. Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Fayoum University, Fayoum, Egypt

    Ramadan H. Abdel-Maguid

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Abdel-Maguid, R.H. Evaluation of vertical accuracy of different digital elevation models sources for Buraydah city. Appl Geomat 13, 913–924 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12518-021-00398-9

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