NASA’s Commercial Satellite Data Acquisition (CSDA) Program added three digital elevation and digital terrain products from Vantor’s Precision3D Product Line to its Satellite Data Explorer (SDX) data access and discovery tool.
The products are detailed in the table below.
| Data Product | Description |
|---|---|
| Digital Surface Model (DSM) at 1-meter spatial resolution | The DSM is a 3D elevation model derived from imagery captured by Vantor’s constellation of Worldview satellites. It provides precise measurements across all surfaces and terrains and is available in standard formats to facilitate integration into a range of workflows and analysis. It is suitable for a range of applications requiring detailed elevation data, such as urban planning, environmental monitoring, disaster mitigation and response, and terrain mapping. The DSM offers a total of 1,000 data files along with all associated metadata and documentation. |
| Digital Terrain Model (DTM) at 1-meter spatial resolution | The DTM is a 3D elevation model derived from the DSM that offers bare-earth elevation data by removing above-ground features, such as vegetation and buildings, and is designed for analyzing terrain and topography. Created with automated processing techniques, the DTM ensures consistency across all terrain types and is available in a variety of user-friendly formats. This product offers a total of 47,500 data files along with all associated metadata and documentation. |
| Elevation Bundle (DSM + DTM) | The Elevation Bundle, which combines the DSM and DTM products, provides a detailed view of both above-ground features and the underlying bare earth. With global coverage and high-resolution data at 1-, 2-, and 4-meter resolution, this product offers reliable elevation information in all types of terrain, making it a suitable tool for a range of applications from slope analysis to flood modeling. |
| Total of 50 data files along with all associated metadata and documentation. |
| Total of 16 data files along with all associated metadata and documentation. |
| Total of 16 data files along with all associated metadata and documentation. |
All three models allow users to choose from three vertical systems — EGM96, EGM2008, and Ellipsoid — for determining heights and four post spacings (i.e., the distance between measured elevation points): .5 meter (m), 1 m, 2 m, and 4 m. (Note: the default vertical system is EGM2008, the standard international geoid, which means that the heights in the derived elevation model would be in meters above mean sea level.) Use of these models is governed by a United States government End User License Agreement (USG EULA).