Edina JÓZSA, Péter KALMÁR

Assessing the applicability of EU-DEM dataset to landform classification using the geo-morphons approach: the case study of the eastern Mecsek mountains region

Józsa, E., Kalmár, P.: Assessing the applicability of EU-DEM dataset to landform classification using the geo-morphons approach: the case study of the eastern Mecsek mountains region. Kartografické listy, 2014, 22 (2).

Abstract: The availability of global coverage digital surface models (like ASTER GDEM or SRTM) and the variation of fused models based on these (like EU-DEM) still has a great impact on scientific researches, as it provides a fairly good base dataset with a low production time and expenses. However, validation reports of the initial digital surface models (DSMs) convinced different characteristics and errors, so it is necessary to examine these prior to use. It is more important in the case of the EU-DEM product, because it has been published without a formal validation. The presented research goes further than just identifying the errors, it attempts to moderate or correct the height differences. For this reason altering the false values of the land cover and filtering the occurring noise was implemented. The correction of the model was verified with statistical and visual methods. Using the novel method of geomorphons for landform classification over the low mountainous and piedmont region of the Eastern Mecsek Mountains generated representative results about the possible application of the EU-DEM for geomorphological studies in areas with similar topography.

Keywords: EU-DEM, digital surface model, denoising, geomorphon, piedmont, Eastern Mecsek Mountains