Download DEM Data Command

Downloading DEM (Digital Elevation Model) data is a fundamental step in acquiring detailed information about the Earth’s topography. DEM data provide elevation values for various geographic locations, allowing for the creation of 3D terrain models. These models find applications in fields such as environmental analysis, urban planning, hydrological modeling, and more.

In CivilGEO software, the Download DEM Data command allows the user to download elevation data for the project area. If a coordinate reference system (CRS) is defined and the user is zoomed into an area that is no more than 100 square miles (260 square kilometers) in size, this command can be used to download high-resolution DEM data for various countries around the world, including:

Australia
Austria
Canada
France
Germany
Portugal
USA

Note: The horizontal spatial resolution of DEM data varies, depending upon the region being modeled, but typically varies from 0.5 to 9 meters. For example, most of Canada and about one-half of the USA are available in 1-meter resolution. Another quarter of the USA is available in 3-meter resolution and the entire USA is available in 9-meter resolution.

Follow the steps below to use the Download DEM Data command:

From the Map Data ribbon menu, click the Download DEM Data command.
The Add Elevation Layer dialog box will be displayed. Note that the Download Elevation DEM tab is already selected.
From the Terrain Elevation Source section, the user can select the terrain source to download the DEM data for the project area.
Note: Based on the terrain source selected in the Terrain source dropdown entry, the contents of the data panel will be changed.
From the Elevation Data Boundary Limits section, the user can choose an option to define the elevation data limit as well as desired DEM resolution to be downloaded.
From the Terrain Grid Specifications section, the user can specify the file location, name, and format to save the downloaded DEM elevation file by clicking the […] button beside the DEM Elevation file entry.
After specifying all the required options, click the [OK] button.
The software will create a new elevation grid file at the specified location and load the downloaded elevation grid file as a new layer in the Map Data Layers panel.