Computational Modelling of Terrains

The Computational Modelling of Terrains book is an open resource dedicated to the computational modeling of terrains, offering a deep dive into the algorithms and methodologies essential for working with geospatial elevation data. It provides comprehensive coverage of techniques used for reconstructing, manipulating, and extracting valuable information from terrain datasets. The book explores various fundamental terrain representations, including Triangulated Irregular Networks (TINs), raster grids, point clouds, and contour lines, detailing their characteristics and appropriate use cases. Furthermore, it discusses diverse applications such as visibility analysis and runoff modeling, demonstrating the practical utility of these computational approaches. The resource also addresses advanced techniques for efficiently handling large datasets, a critical aspect in modern geospatial analysis, and examines related topics like global elevation models and bathymetric datasets.

Primarily serving as the main reference for an MSc course in the Netherlands, this book is designed for students who have already completed introductory courses in GIS and programming. Each chapter is structured as a self-contained lesson, often supplemented by accompanying videos that introduce key ideas or elaborate on specific parts of the material. The content spans a wide array of subjects, beginning with the acquisition of elevation measurements and progressing through different spatial interpolation methods, including both deterministic techniques and kriging. It covers conversions between terrain representations, analysis of topographic properties, and advanced processing of point clouds. Other significant topics include the handling of massive terrains, determining the spatial extent of point sets, and the specialized processing of bathymetric data to produce hydrographic charts. This comprehensive approach ensures a thorough understanding of terrain modeling principles and applications.