GLG410/598--Computers in Earth and Space Exploration


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Assignment 9: Digital Elevation Models and USGS' seamless site

This assignment is designed to help you learn the tasks that are described in the tutorial/lecture on Digital Elevation and other data: how to get it from USGS' seamless site and interact with it in ArcMap. You should follow that site and your notes carefully for this assignment.

Tasks

I. For any place in the US with Seamless coverage, choose a landscape or landform of interest (but be careful not to choose too large of an area, or ArcGIS and Seamless won't be happy) follow the demonstration from DEMs in ArcGIS--Lesson 1 and produce the following:
  1. Nice map with color coded and semi-transparent elevation and hillshade below make sure to add explanation and scale bar. Put on your web site as an image. In addition, write a one paragraph description of the landscape depicted in your map and post below the map on your website. Try to stick to basic description, don't do other research. Emphasize only what you can see in your map. An example might be (based on Shaded relief and DEM for the eastern South Mountains):
    This view of the eastern South Mountains near Phoenix Arizona shows a NE-trending mountain rising to about 780 m (about 450 m above the adjacent basin). The range is cut by valleys trending mostly parallel and some normal to the ridge axis. The transition between the mountain front and the basin is intricate and sinuous. A satellite range with an axis parallel to the main range is evident in the southwest. To the northeast, several small hills decorate the basin floor. The hills and the intricate range front are consistent with sedimentation and burial of the foot of this range and indicate its likely prior greater extent. Write this in html or in Word and put on your web site.
  2. Map of elevation difference between NED and SRTM DEMS (remember you have to use the Raster Calculator). Add a nicely formatted legend and Put on your web site as an image.
  3. Have a look at these links (and beyond): Then write a one paragraph explanation of possible reasons for the differences between the two measures of the topography.

II. For any place in the world, choose a landform of interest in Seamless (different from the one above--but be careful not to choose too large of an area, or ArcGIS and Seamless won't be happy) follow the demonstration from DEMs and imagery in ArcScene--Lesson 2 and produce the following:
  1. 3D view of the topography with at least two different and interesting views of the feature. Make a pdf to post on your website. (If you are not in the US, use the 1 arc second SRTM data from Seamless)
  2. 3D view of the area depicted in some imagery (see what is available under the orthoimagery download tab once you have found your target of interest from Seamless) with at least two different interesting views. Make pdfs to post on your website.
  3. Write a one paragraph description of the landscape depicted in your map and turn it in. Try to stick to basic description, don't do other research. Emphasize only what you can see in your 3D views (but include what you see in the imagery). Example (based on this image: ArcScene image of the South Mountains looking west--DOQQ over DEM): This view of the eastern South Mountains near Phoenix Arizona shows a NE-trending mountain rising to about 780 m (about 450 m above the adjacent basin). The small drainages trend opposite to the view. The range is irregular due to the incision of the drainages while the basin is rather flat in the foreground. Between the two, the piedmont steepens as it approaches the range, contacting it in a sharp and sinuous boundary between aggraded sediments and the bedrock of the range. The DOQQ imagery clearly shows the contrast between the finely textured urban area adjacent to the undeveloped (but trail covered--white sinuous lines) mountains. The boundary between the urban environment and the range is abrupt. The foreground shows larger patches of land associated with light industry. Write this in html or in Word and put on your web site .

Grading Rubric (80 points)

Assignment is due Tuesday, April 7, 2009.

GLG410/598 Computers in Earth and Space Exploration


Last modified: March 31, 2009