Abstract
Abstract. In 2016 we first completed the global data processing of digital surface models (DSMs) by using the whole archives of stereo imageries derived from the Panchromatic Remote sensing Instrument for Stereo Mapping (PRISM) onboard the Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS). The dataset was freely released to the public in 30 m grid spacing as the ‘ALOS World 3D - 30m (AW3D30)’, which was generated from its original version processed in 5 m or 2.5 m grid spacing. The dataset has been updated since then to improve the absolute/relative height accuracies with additional calibrations. However the most significant update that should be applied for improving the data usability is the filling of void areas, which correspond to approx. 10% of global coverage, mostly due to cloud covers. In this paper we introduce the updates of AW3D30 filling the voids with other open-access DSMs such as Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) Digital Elevation Model (DEM), Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer Global DEM (ASTER GDEM), ArcticDEM, etc., through inter-comparisons among these datasets.
Highlights
The elevation map of terrain is fundamental data for many geoscience applications e.g., ortho-photo processing, infrastructure design, disaster monitoring, environment monitoring, natural resources survey, and so on
In low-middle latitudes the voids of approx. 10.1 % in original ALOS World 3D - 30m (AW3D30) all land areas were mostly filled with Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM)-1 ver.3 with the rate of 9.8 %
The GDEM ver.3 was used for voids in high steep mountainous areas where the quality of SRTM-1 ver.3 was not enough i.e., a few tiles in Himalaya and Patagonia, while the TDX 90m Digital Elevation Model (DEM) was used for a few tiles in Sahara desert
Summary
The elevation map of terrain is fundamental data for many geoscience applications e.g., ortho-photo processing, infrastructure design, disaster monitoring, environment monitoring, natural resources survey, and so on. The dataset was named ‘ALOS World 3D (AW3D)’, and has 5 m or 2.5 m grid spacing utilizing the optical triplet stereo imageries in 2.5 m resolution while its accuracy was confirmed at 5 m (rms) in vertical and 5 m (rms) in horizontal. 30 m on the equator) grid spacing (i.e., AW3D30) was generated from the original version and was freely released to the public (Tadono et al, 2016). The most significant update that should be applied for improving usability of the data is the filling of void areas, which correspond to approx. 10 % of global land coverage, mostly due to cloud or snow/ice covers in source PRISM imageries. We decided to generate the void-fill version of the AW3D30 by using the other open-access digital elevation models (DEMs) through inter-comparisons among these different datasets. In this paper we report on the details of the void-filling process for the AW3D30
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