The CSIRO, the Australian National University (ANU), the Bureau of Meteorology, Geoscience Australia and the Defence Imagery and Geospatial Organisation have just completed building the finest resolution national computer model of Australia's ground surface topography and river networks.
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The new one-second – or 30-metre resolution – hydrological Digital Elevation Model (DEM) incorporates rivers and streams and is the last in a series of products based on the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission data collected by NASA during a Space Shuttle mission in 2000. It provides nearly 10 times finer resolution and thus much greater detail than previous Australian Digital Elevation Models.
The director of the CSIRO's Water for a Healthy Country Flagship, Dr Bill Young, said the new model is a vast improvement on previous terrain data, producing images of Australia's topography with much greater detail and accuracy than the current model.
"This new model provides the best ever maps of terrain shape and water flow paths across the continent and is expected to dramatically improve our understanding of Australia's landscape and water resources," Dr Young said.
"This 30-metre resolution model will not only revolutionise land and water management applications, but will also enable improvements in many other service areas - for example, calculating improved coverage of mobile phone towers or creating three-dimensional visualisations of the landscape for improved understanding of potential flood extents."
The acting Director of Meteorology, Dr Rob Vertessy, said that the new model will play a vital role in assisting the Bureau to undertake national water resources assessments and water accounting.
"This new national model will give Australians a reliable definition of stream networks and catchment boundaries needed to account for and forecast water movement through the landscape," Dr Vertessy said.
"The Bureau will be making extensive use of this Digital Elevation Model and embedding it in some of our key water information products and services."
Speaking after the launch of the Digital Elevation Model at the Bureau of Meteorology offices in Canberra last week, Innovation Minister Senator Kim Carr said it would help farmers, businesses and the community, and help achieve the Gillard Labor Government's goals for water reform in Australia.
"The Digital Elevation Model is a fantastic tool for organisations like the Bureau of Meteorology, the CSIRO and all levels of government to improve water resource management outcomes for Australia," Senator Carr said.
"That is good news for the environment, farmers, business and all Australians.”
For more information visit here.
Or, for comparison images between the old 9-second resolution DEM and the new 1-second resolution DEM visit here.
The DEM is available from Geoscience Australia here.
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