United States 10-Meter Resolution Digital Elevation Models

A 1/3 arc-second (approximately 10-meter) resolution collection of bare-earth elevation data covering the conterminous United States, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and other territories. The dataset provides foundational elevation information in meters, referenced to the NAD83 and NAVD88 datums, and is continually updated as new data become available. It is derived from diverse source data processed to a common coordinate system.

Use Cases

• Perform hydrologic modeling using the bare-earth elevation surface to delineate watersheds and simulate water flow.
• Create topographic maps and 3D visualizations for resource monitoring and planning applications across the United States.
• Analyze elevation data for earth science studies, such as landslide susceptibility or coastal inundation modeling.
• Compare current and historical DEM tiles (identified by YYYMMDD date suffixes) to assess landscape changes over time.

Strengths

• Provides 10-meter resolution elevation data, offering detailed topographic information.
• Offers national coverage for the conterminous United States, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and other territorial islands.
• Data is continually updated in a current folder, with historical versions retained for comparison.
• Elevation values are standardized to common datums (NAD83 and NAVD88) and units (meters and decimal degrees).

Limitations

• Coverage in Alaska is limited, not providing the same seamless national extent as other regions.
• The dataset consists of tiled GeoTIFF files, which may require mosaicking or specialized GIS tools for large-area analysis.
• As a derived product from diverse sources, local accuracy may vary depending on the original data collection methods.

Provenance

Source

U.S. Geological Survey's 3D Elevation Program (3DEP), part of The National Map.

Collection Method

Derived from diverse source data (including lidar and Ifsar) processed to a common coordinate system and vertical measure.

Time Range

Historical data retained; collection is ongoing with continual updates.

Freshness

Updated continually; last metadata update recorded as 2026-01-06.

Geography

Conterminous United States, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, other U.S. territorial islands, and limited areas of Alaska.