NASADEM Global Slope and Curvature Elevation Data

NASADEM_SC provides slope, aspect angle, profile curvature, and plan curvature derived from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission. The dataset covers about 80% of Earth's total landmass, distributed in 1-degree tiles between 60° N and 56° S latitude. It was produced by NASA's LP DAAC using SRTM telemetry data from the 2000 STS-99 mission.

Use Cases

• Calculate slope values for landslide risk assessment and landform classification.
• Analyze profile curvature for modeling water flow and erosion patterns across terrain.
• Use plan curvature to assess lateral flow convergence and divergence in watershed studies.
• Apply the updated SRTM water body dataset (water mask) for distinguishing land and water features in hydrological models.
• Combine aspect angle data with slope for solar radiation and microclimate analysis.

Strengths

• Global coverage of about 80% of Earth's landmass.
• Data derived from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, a dedicated 11-day radar interferometry mission.
• Improved geolocation accuracy using ICESat GLAS lidar ground control points.

Limitations

• Limited temporal coverage, based primarily on a single mission in February 2000.
• Spatial coverage excludes latitudes above 60° N and below 56° S.
• Specific row counts, column details, and file sizes are unknown.

Provenance

Source

NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (LP DAAC).

Collection Method

Derived from Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) telemetry data, enhanced with ASTER GDEM, ICESat GLAS lidar, and other DEMs for void filling and geoid conversion.

Time Range

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

Freshness

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Geography

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