NASADEM: Global Digital Elevation Model at 1 Arc Second Resolution

NASADEM_HGT provides global elevation data at 1 arc second spacing, covering about 80% of Earth's landmass between 60° N and 56° S latitude. The dataset was derived from Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) telemetry, launched on February 11, 2000, and enhanced with ASTER GDEM, ICESat GLAS, and other sources. It is distributed by NASA's Land Processes DAAC in 1-degree by 1-degree tiles, including DEM, scene count, and water mask layers.

Use Cases

• Terrain analysis and slope calculation based on the 1 arc second elevation data.
• Hydrological modeling and watershed delineation using the elevation and water mask layers.
• Geolocation correction and validation for other remote sensing data using the improved ground control points.
• Generating 3D visualizations and maps from the global elevation tiles.

Strengths

• Covers about 80% of Earth's landmass between 60° N and 56° S latitude.
• Derived from SRTM radar interferometry and enhanced with multiple sources including ASTER GDEM and ICESat GLAS for improved accuracy.
• Data is provided at a high resolution of 1 arc second spacing.

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.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (LP DAAC).

Collection Method

Derived from Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) telemetry and enhanced with ASTER GDEM, ICESat GLAS, and other DEM sources.

Time Range

Primary SRTM data collected during the STS-99 mission launched February 11, 2000.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-12 23:53:09.966520; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global land coverage between 60° N and 56° S latitude.