SRTM 3″ DEM (versions 1, 2, 3, 4) validation by means of extensive kinematic GPS measurements: a case study from North Greece

In 2000, the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) provided for the first time a global high-quality digital elevation model (DEM) at resolution levels of one and three arcseconds, using single-pass synthetic aperture radar (SAR) interferometry. In January and February 2008, an extensive four-day kinematic global positioning system (GPS) (KGPS) campaign was carried out in the vicinity of the city of Thessaloniki (North Greece), during which more than 60 000 points were collected, providing an unprecedented density of measurements in the order of 20 points km−2. The purpose of the present study was to assess the vertical accuracy of the four versions of SRTM 3″ DEMs that are currently available over the Internet for public use, on the basis of the KGPS data collected.

[1]  A. Jarvis.  Hole-field seamless SRTM data, International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) , 2008 .

[2]  Walter H. F. Smith,et al.  Bathymetry from space: Rationale and requirements for a new, high-resolution altimetric mission , 2006 .

[3]  K. Feigl,et al.  Radar interferometry and its application to changes in the Earth's surface , 1998 .

[4]  T. Farr,et al.  Shuttle radar topography mission produces a wealth of data , 2000 .

[6]  R. Goldstein,et al.  Topographic mapping from interferometric synthetic aperture radar observations , 1986 .

[7]  E. Rodríguez,et al.  A Global Assessment of the SRTM Performance , 2006 .

[8]  A. Roth,et al.  The shuttle radar topography mission—a new class of digital elevation models acquired by spaceborne radar , 2003 .

[9]  Thomas A. Hennig,et al.  The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission , 2001, Digital Earth Moving.

[10]  Alexander Braun,et al.  Verification of the Vertical Error in C-Band SRTM DEM Using ICESat and Landsat-7, Otter Tail County, MN , 2007, IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing.

[11]  G. Miliaresis,et al.  Vertical accuracy of the SRTM DTED level 1 of Crete , 2005 .

[12]  P. Lohmann,et al.  QUALITY ASSESSMENT AND VALIDATION OF DIGITAL SURFACE MODELS DERIVED FROM THE SHUTTLE RADAR TOPOGRAPHY MISSION (SRTM) , 2000 .

[13]  R. Goldstein,et al.  Crossed orbit interferometry: theory and experimental results from SIR-B , 1988 .

[14]  Fuk K. Li,et al.  Synthetic aperture radar interferometry , 2000, Proceedings of the IEEE.

[15]  P. Gamba,et al.  SRTM data Characterization in urban areas , 2012 .

[16]  Yuri Gorokhovich,et al.  Accuracy assessment of the processed SRTM-based elevation data by CGIAR using field data from USA and Thailand and its relation to the terrain characteristics , 2006 .

[17]  David T. Sandwell,et al.  Accuracy and resolution of shuttle radar topography mission data , 2003 .

[18]  G. Suna,et al.  Validation of surface height from shuttle radar topography mission using shuttle laser altimeter , 2003 .

[19]  Kevin Amaratunga,et al.  Analysis and characterization of the vertical accuracy of digital elevation models from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission , 2005 .

[20]  Mark Mulligan,et al.  Practical use of SRTM data in the tropics : Comparisons with digital elevation models generated cartographic data , 2004 .

[21]  Marian Werner,et al.  Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) Mission Overview , 2001 .

[22]  Charles Elachi,et al.  High-resolution land topography , 2006 .

[23]  K. Nikolakopoulos,et al.  SRTM vs ASTER elevation products. Comparison for two regions in Crete, Greece , 2006 .

[24]  John D. Vona,et al.  Vegetation height estimation from Shuttle Radar Topography Mission and National Elevation Datasets , 2004 .

[25]  A. Braun,et al.  Calibration of the shuttle radar topography mission X-SAR instrument using a synthetic altimetry data model , 2002 .

[26]  R. Goldstein,et al.  Mapping small elevation changes over large areas: Differential radar interferometry , 1989 .