Alaska 2 Arc-second Digital Elevation Models from USGS 3DEP

The USGS 3DEP program provides a continually updated collection of 2 arc-second (approximately 60-meter resolution) digital elevation models covering Alaska. These DEMs represent the bare-earth topographic surface and serve as the foundational elevation layer for the National Map. Data are processed to a common coordinate system (NAD 83) and vertical datum (NAVD 88), with elevations in meters.

Use Cases

• Hydrologic modeling based on topographic elevation data
• Resource monitoring and mapping based on bare-earth surface representation
• Earth science studies based on foundational elevation information
• Geospatial visualization based on tiled, seamless DEM layers

Strengths

• Seamless coverage of Alaska
• Approximately 60-meter (2 arc-second) resolution
• Data are continually updated as new sources become available
• Elevations are referenced to the North American Vertical Datum of 1988

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment

Provenance

Source

USGS National Map 3DEP Downloadable Data Collection

Collection Method

Derived from diverse source data processed to a common coordinate system and vertical measure

Geography

Alaska