Interact with the Lumpy Geoid we call Earth

The geoid is a model of Earth’s mean sea level, used as a baseline to measure true elevation. Formats like GeoTIFF, ASCII Grid, and LAS/LAZ capture terrain height with geoid reference. These formats enable accurate elevation data essential for diverse industries, supporting modeling, analysis, and visualization across engineering, geospatial sciences, design, and technology.

🌍 Formats & Terrain Products

Overview:

This page helps you understand the types of geospatial data formats we use and supply — including raster and vector formats — and how elevation and terrain products can vary across these formats.

🧭 Data Types

1. Vector Data (Contours, Points, Lines, Polygons)

Vector formats represent real-world features with geometry and attributes.

Format	Description	Use Case	Example
`.shp` + sidecar files (`.shx`, `.dbf`, `.prj`)	ESRI Shapefile	Contour lines, boundaries	5m interval contour lines
`.geojson`	Web-friendly vector format	Interactive web maps	Catchment boundaries
`.kml/.kmz`	Google Earth format	Visualising location-based data	Farm plots or boreholes
`.gdb`	ESRI Geodatabase	Stores multiple feature layers	National terrain layers

Common Vector-Based Terrain Products:

Contour Lines: Elevation lines (e.g. 50cm; 1.5m or 5m intervals)
Watersheds / Catchments: Derived from elevation models
Slope Classes: Vectorized terrain classifications
Aspect Zones: Directions of terrain slopes

2. Raster Data (Gridded Datasets)

Raster formats represent data as a matrix of cells (pixels), each with a value.

Format	Description	Use Case	Example
`.tif` / `.geotiff`	Georeferenced image	Elevation, slope, NDVI	30m ALOS DSM
`.asc` (ASCII Grid)	Text-based grid	Elevation or distance grids	ASCII SRTM height map
`.img`	ERDAS Imagine format	Large terrain datasets	National coverage DEM
`.vrt`	Virtual raster	Mosaicked datasets	Multi-tile DEM
`.nc`	NetCDF format	Time-series or multi-band data	Climate surfaces
`.bil` / `.hdr`	Band interleaved by line	Remote sensing	Elevation models from radar

Common Raster-Based Terrain Derivatives:

Digital Elevation Models (DEM): Raw surface elevation
Hillshade: Simulated shaded relief
Slope (° or %): Steepness of terrain
Aspect: Direction the slope faces
Curvature: Convexity/concavity of terrain
HAND (Height Above Nearest Drainage): Flood modeling
Flow Accumulation / Direction: Hydrological modeling
Euclidean Distance: Distance to nearest feature (e.g., water body)

🏔️ Elevation Products by Format

Product	Vector or Raster	Common Formats	Description
Contours	Vector	`.shp`, `.kml`, `.dwg`	Derived from elevation data at regular intervals
Raw DEMs	Raster	`.tif`, `.asc`, `.img`	Digital representation of surface height
Hillshade	Raster	`.tif`, `.pdf`	Shaded relief for visualization
Slope/Aspect	Raster	`.tif`, `.asc`	Derived terrain properties
Distance to Feature	Raster	`.tif`	Distance from each pixel to rivers, roads, etc.
Catchments & Flow Paths	Vector	`.shp`, `.gdb`	Watershed boundaries, stream networks
Elevation Profiles	Vector + Raster	`.shp` + underlying DEM	Profiles generated from elevation values

🎨 Format Guide by Use Case

🎯 Use Case	🎨 What They’re Doing	✅ Recommended Format(s)	🛠 Tools They Use
Graphic Designers	Making prints, apparel, merch	SVG, PNG, PDF, TIFF, EPS	Illustrator, Photoshop, Affinity, Canva
3D Artists & Makers	CNC, 3D printing, terrain models	STL, OBJ, heightmap PNG (greyscale)	Blender, Fusion360, Cura, Rhino
Laser Cutters / Engravers	Carving wood, leather, acrylic	SVG, DXF, EPS	LightBurn, Glowforge, RDWorks
Print on Demand	T-shirts, mugs, bags, maps	PNG (transparent or high-res), TIFF, PDF	Printful, Redbubble, Zazzle
Map Makers & Cartographers	Artistic & scientific maps	GeoTIFF, Shapefile, SVG, PDF	QGIS, ArcGIS, Mapbox Studio
Web & App Developers	Terrain visualizations, APIs	GeoJSON, MBTiles, PNG tiles, DEM (raster)	Mapbox GL, Leaflet, CesiumJS
Architects / Landscape Designers	Site analysis, topographic study	DXF, DWG, GeoTIFF, Contour SHP	AutoCAD, Revit, ArchiCAD
Textile & Surface Designers	Patterns, wraps, weaves	TIFF, EPS, SVG	Illustrator, Spoonflower
Game Developers / World Builders	Build 3D terrain maps	Heightmap PNG, DEM, OBJ, GeoTIFF	Unity, Unreal Engine, Tiled, World Machine
Educators / NGOs / Students	Learning kits, wall maps	PDF, PNG, GeoTIFF, Shapefile	Any graphics software, QGIS

✅ Summary Table (Cheat Sheet)

Format	Type	Editable	Georeferenced	Best For
`.shp`	Vector	✅	✅	Features (contours, catchments)
`.geojson`	Vector	✅	✅	Web and APIs
`.kml`	Vector	✅	✅	Google Earth
`.tif`	Raster	✅	✅	Terrain, climate, imagery
`.asc`	Raster	✅	✅	Simple elevation grids
`.img`	Raster	✅	✅	Legacy terrain data
`.gdb`	Vector/Raster	✅	✅	Complex geodatabases