QGIS
Open SourceVerified
The free, open-source GIS that has become the default spatial platform for water engineers worldwide.
Geospatial & Hydro-GISActiveQGIS HydrologyTerrain Analysis
SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission)
StableThe original free global DEM — 30m/90m elevation from an 11-day shuttle radar mission, still a baseline today.
by NASA / USGS / NGA
- Pricing
- Gov-Public
- License
- US Government (public domain)
- Commercial use
- Permitted
- Ecosystem
- GDAL, Any GIS, Google Earth Engine
- Platform
- Windows, macOS, Linux
About SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission)
SRTM flew a single-pass radar interferometer aboard Endeavour for 11 days in February 2000 and mapped elevation across nearly all of Earth's land surface between 60°N and 56°S. USGS distributes it as 1 arc-second (~30m) and 3 arc-second (~90m) void-filled tiles, free, through EarthExplorer and the wider geospatial ecosystem.
A quarter-century on it remains the default comparison point for every newer global DEM, and its void-filled 30m product is still perfectly usable for watershed delineation and screening-level hydraulics anywhere NASADEM or Copernicus DEM isn't already the obvious upgrade.
Where it fits in the workflow
TerrainCatchmentRainfallRunoffRoutingHydraulicsMappingReporting
Alternatives to SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission)
Other geospatial & hydro-gis tools covering similar workflow stages.
WhiteboxTools
Open SourceVerified
500+ fast geospatial analysis tools with the best DEM hydrology toolkit in open source.
Geospatial & Hydro-GISActiveDEM ProcessingTerrain Analysis
JAXA's 30m global DSM from PRISM stereo imagery — a strong third opinion alongside SRTM and Copernicus DEM.
Geospatial & Hydro-GISStableSatellite DEM DataDEM Processing
ASTER GDEM
Gov-Public
A 30m global DEM reaching to 83° latitude — the go-to where SRTM/NASADEM have no coverage at all.
Geospatial & Hydro-GISStableSatellite DEM DataDEM Processing
Arc Hydro
Free
Esri's free hydrology framework for ArcGIS Pro — terrain preprocessing and the data model behind many agency workflows.
Geospatial & Hydro-GISActiveWatershed DelineationDEM Processing
Copernicus DEM (GLO-30 / GLO-90)
Gov-Public
ESA's TanDEM-X-derived global DEM — the most accurate free global surface model available today.
Geospatial & Hydro-GISActiveSatellite DEM DataDEM Processing