We are pleased to announce that sales of the much anticipated WorldDEM produced by Airbus Defense and Space are under way! For the past three years, Airbus’ twin high-resolution radar satellites, TerraSar-X and TanDEM-X, have imaged the entire land surface of our planet multiple times to create the first ever 12-meter (m) global elevation model. The WorldDEM is ideal for all mapping projects requiring accurate elevation models including orthorectification, floodplain determination, mineral exploration and hydrocarbon development.
The key product specifications of Airbus’ WorldDEM are as follows:
A comparison of 30-m SRTM and 12-m WorldDEMTM elevation data over Arkansas, USA.
WorldDEM Specifications
- Resolution: 12-m
- Coverage: entire landmass of the Earth, ~150 million square kilometers (sq km)
- Absolute Vertical Accuracy: 4-m Linear Error 90% (LE90)
- Relative Vertical Accuracy: < 2-m LE90 (slopes ≤ 20%), < 4-m LE90 (slopes > 20%)
- Absolute Horizontal Accuracy: < 10-m Circular Error 90% (CE90)
- Vintage: all data collected within 3 years
- Source: interferometry from synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites TerraSAR-X & TanDEM-X
- Minimum Order: 500 sq km per polygon
- File Format: GeoTIFF
- Projection: geographic WGS84 (EGM2008, vertical datum), meter vertical unit
- Product Line Options:
- WorldDEMcore – unedited digital surface model (DSM), includes spikes, wells and voids
- WorldDEMTM – DSM including removal of artifacts and water body flattening
- WorldDEM DTM – artifacts and surface features removed, i.e. a digital terrain model (DTM)
WorldDEM Coverage and Pricing
A coverage map of the one-degree cells that are currently ready for production. All of the regions on this map are either red (i.e. pre-production phase) or yellow (ready for production). Areas that are ready for production will take approximately four to eight weeks to deliver once an order is placed.WorldDEM data has a 500 sq km minimum order size with a 10-km width requirement. Prices for two of the product lines have been set:
- WorldDEMcore – $10.80 per sq km
- WorldDEMTM – $13.50 per sq km
Currently, there are portions of the United States, Canada and Australia that are ready for production. In the coming months, the rest of the world will be released. For the estimated release dates of regions not currently ready for production, please email the Apollo Mapping team at sales@apollomapping.com.
WorldDEM Samples
You can download three 12-m WorldDEMTM samples here:
- Buraydah, Saudi Arabia – desert with agriculture present; 576 m to 737 m
- Mjosa Lake, Norway – hilly terrain with large water bodies; 100 m to 840 m
- Wagga Wagga, Australia – forest and urban with many water bodies; 137 m to 922 m
For more information about 12-m WorldDEM data, please send us an email at sales@apollomapping.com.
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