| Abstract: | Few studies have compared algorithms for mapping surface slope and aspect from digital elevation models. Those studies that have compared these algorithms treat slope and aspect angles independently. The evaluation and comparison of surface orientation algorithms may also be conducted by treating slope and aspect as characteristics of a bi-directional vector normal to the surface. Such a comparison is more appropriate for selecting an accurate surface orientation algorithm for applications that use bi-directional measurements, such as modeling solar radiation or removing the topographic effect from remotely sensed imagery. This study empirically compared the slope angle and bi-directional surface angle estimated from five slope/aspect algorithms using a synthetic terrain surface and an actual terrain surface. The most accurate algorithm is consistently that which uses only the four nearest neighboring elevations in the grid. |
