SRTM: Global Topographic Map with 30-Meter Resolution

NASA and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) produced Earth's most extensive global topographic map from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) in February 2000. The mission mapped 80% of Earth's land mass from 56°S to 60°N, with a resolution of three arc-seconds (about 295 feet at the equator). The final data release covers Australia, New Zealand, and over 1,000 islands in the South Pacific, South Indian, and Atlantic oceans.

Use Cases

• Generate digital elevation models for hydrological modeling based on the 30-meter spatial sampling and 16-meter vertical accuracy.
• Create perspective views and shaded relief maps for virtual Earth exploration based on the described image types.
• Analyze land topography in regions previously obscured by cloud cover based on the radar interferometry data.
• Support infrastructure and urban planning with precise topographic data based on the horizontal and vertical accuracy specifications.

Strengths

• Covers 80% of Earth's land mass, providing near-global coverage.
• Data is 30 times more precise than the best global maps available at the time of creation.
• Has a spatial resolution of three arc-seconds and specifications including 16-meter absolute vertical accuracy.
• Final release includes unprecedented uniform detail for Australia, New Zealand, and over 1,000 islands.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count, file formats, and sample data are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data collection occurred over 11 days in February 2000; temporal coverage is limited to that period.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Acquired via the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) using C-Band and X-Band interferometric synthetic aperture radars on the space shuttle Endeavour.

Time Range

February 2000 (11-day mission).

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-10 19:28:06.846483; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global land mass from 56°S to 60°N latitude, with detailed coverage of Australia, New Zealand, and islands in the South Pacific, South Indian, and Atlantic oceans.