ASTER Global Digital Elevation ModelEntry ID: ASTGTM
Abstract: The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) Global Digital Elevation Model (GDEM) was developed jointly by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI).
ASTER is capable of collecting in-track stereo using nadir- and aft-looking near infrared cameras. Since 2001, these stereo pairs have ... been used to produce single-scene (60- x 60-kilomenter (km)) digital elevation models (DEM) having vertical (root-mean-squared-error) accuracies generally between 10- and 25-meters (m).
The methodology used by Japan's Sensor Information Laboratory Corporation (SILC) to produce the ASTER GDEM involves automated processing of the entire ASTER Level-1A archive. Stereo-correlation is used to produce over one million individual scene-based ASTER DEMs, to which cloud masking is applied to remove cloudy pixels. All cloud-screened DEMS are stacked and residual bad values and outliers are removed. Selected data are averaged to create final pixel values, and residual anomalies are corrected before partitioning the data into 1 degree (°) x 1° tiles.
The ASTER GDEM covers land surfaces between 83°N and 83°S and is comprised of 22,702 tiles. Tiles that contain at least 0.01% land area are included. The ASTER GDEM is distributed as Geographic Tagged Image File Format (GeoTIFF) files with geographic coordinates (latitude, longitude). The data are posted on a 1 arc-second (approximately 30–m at the equator) grid and referenced to the 1984 World Geodetic System (WGS84)/ 1996 Earth Gravitational Model (EGM96) geoid.
While the ASTER GDEM 2 benefits from substantial improvements over GDEM 1, users are nonetheless advised that the products still may contain anomalies and artifacts that will reduce its usability for certain applications, because they can introduce large elevation errors on local scales. The data are provided “as is” and neither NASA nor METI/ERSDAC will be responsible for any damages resulting from use of the data.
V002 data set release date: 2009-06-28
V003 data set release date: 2007-03-07
Data Set Characteristics:
Geographic Extent: Global between 83º latitude
Scene Coverage: 1º x 1º tiles
Image Dimensions: 3601 x 3601
Total Number Tiles: V001: 22,604; V002: 22,702
Tile Volume: ~25MB, 6.4 MB compressed
Compression Type: zip
File Format: GEOTIFF
Map Projection: Geographic Lat/Lon
Resolution: 1 arcsecond (30-m horizontal posting at equator)
Data Set Citation
Dataset Originator/Creator: METI/NASA
Dataset Title: ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model
Dataset Release Date: 2009-06-28
Dataset Release Place: Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA
Dataset Publisher: NASA LP DAAC; U.S. Geological Survey
Version: V001, V002Online Resource: https://lpdaac.usgs.gov/
Start Date: 2000-01-01Stop Date: 2011-02-28
ISO Topic Category
Quality Extensive validation of GDEM 2 noted substantial improvements in product quality due specifically to the increased number of acquired ASTER stereo pairs and refinements to the production algorithm (water masking, smaller correlation kernel size, bias removal). These improvements include increased horizontal and vertical accuracy, better horizontal resolution, reduced presence of artifacts, and more realistic values over water bodies.
Users are nonetheless advised that the products still may contain anomalies and artifacts that will reduce its usability for certain applications. The data are provided “as is” and neither NASA nor METI/ERSDAC will be responsible for any damages resulting from use of the data.
Access Constraints You must be a registered user to order this product.
Use Constraints See https://lpdaac.usgs.gov/lpdaac/products/aster_policies for redistribution and citation policies.
Data Set Progress
Distribution Media: HTTP
Distribution Size: ~25 MB uncompressed
Distribution Format: GeoTIFF
Role: TECHNICAL CONTACT
Phone: (Toll Free) (866) 573-3222
Phone: (605) 594-6116
Fax: (605) 594-6963
Email: LPDAAC at usgs.gov
LP DAAC User Services U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center 47914 252nd Street
City: Sioux Falls
Province or State: SD
Postal Code: 57198-0001
Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) publication references: [available online at http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/asterbiblio20120719.pdf]
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, revised 2004, EOS Reference Handbook, a Guide to NASA's Earth Science Enterprise and the Earth Observing System: Greenbelt, Maryland, Goddard Space Flight Center, 261 p. [available online in pdf format at http://eospso.gsfc.nasa.gov/ftp_docs/data_products_1.pdf].
Extended Metadata Properties
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Creation and Review Dates
DIF Creation Date: 2011-08-11
Last DIF Revision Date: 2013-01-31