G.Hudson Mastering GIS

 As indicated in the title of this blog post, Terrain Visualization was the topic for this week's module. This means that we primarily focused on utilizing various types of elevation data, including raster based Digital Elevation Models (DEMs), contours and Triangular Irregular Networks (TINs), to understand the terrain or the 'lay of the land'. This was supplemented by introducing techniques to better display elevation data such as creating a regular or multidirectional hillshade and masking contour labels. The following landcover map is an example of one of the products produced during this week's lab.  To better visualize Yellowstone National Park, I utilized a multidirectional hillshade under the landcover layer displayed at 50 percent transparency. This gives the map reader a better understanding of the various elevations and which types of land cover can be found at those elevations. The colors used for the various types of landcover generally match the landcover ...

Having moved on from the modules regarding data quality, this week we were introduced to surfaces and surface models, more specifically Triangulated Irregular Networks (TINs) and Demographic Elevation Models (DEMs). TINs are based on vector data and are made up of a series of linked triangles that vary in shape and size, but display a 3D representation of a surface. DEMs are based on raster data, more specifically the spot heights associated with each grid part of a raster.  For this lab we were tasked with creating a TIN and DEM, as well as displaying contours based on both of them. We were then tasked with comparing the contours produced by both. Below I have included images of my results.  (a) Contour lines based on the TIN (b) Contour lines based on the DEM The contours produced as a result of the TIN appear to be more jagged, while the contours produced from the DEM have a smoother appearance. There is also a noticeable difference between the derived contours in areas...