[gdal-dev] Most optimal algorithm for contour correctness?
Am creating an app which correctly calculates contours from a DEM file or any height-map given to it. The correctness of the contour holding the most importance, since a person viewing the contours shouldn't end up taking wrong planning decisions and maybe losing their life by the route they choose after looking at the map. I have already tried using GDAL 1.7 source code, compiled it and added some features of my own to it for some other objective. Now I want to add-to/modify the source to be able to use the contour generation function of GDAL in C++. But before proceeding, I wanted to know: 1. If GDAL offers the best free contour generation algorithm available or is there any other library which I can link to my code and feed my DEM map to it and receive contour vector lines (or go thru research papers and implement the contour generation algorithm myself in C++)? If GDAL, then why is it the best? 2. A generated contour will basically be points connected with straight lines. Is it more correct for a contour to be depicted with connected straight lines or will it give a more correct result to use a spline to smoothen out the lines? I won't be interpolating any contours or the DEM because I've read on this website that interpolation leads to incorrect results. -- View this message in context: http://osgeo-org.1560.n6.nabble.com/Most-optimal-algorithm-for-contour-correctness-tp5034148.html Sent from the GDAL - Dev mailing list archive at Nabble.com. ___ gdal-dev mailing list gdal-dev@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/gdal-dev
Re: [gdal-dev] Most optimal algorithm for contour correctness?
May I know why I'm shown a message that "this post has not been accepted by the mailing list yet" even though I received an email saying that I'm already subscribed to the mailing list? -- View this message in context: http://osgeo-org.1560.n6.nabble.com/Most-optimal-algorithm-for-contour-correctness-tp5034148p5034149.html Sent from the GDAL - Dev mailing list archive at Nabble.com. ___ gdal-dev mailing list gdal-dev@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/gdal-dev
Re: [gdal-dev] Most optimal algorithm for contour correctness?
Nav, I don't know about the gdal routines specifically, but: 1. Re. dem/dtm generally, the most significant factor in interpolation results is the quantity (density, really) and quality of the source data, not the interpolation algorithm. 2. Re. contours generally, they are cartographic artifacts, not geographic features and will never be more accurate than the source data (unless you know the data are very "noisy" and ought to be smoothed. 3. Re. segments vs splines, it depends whether the segment end-points are fixed and only their interiors are shifted, or the corners are shifted to make them rounded and the interiors fixed. The former is much better since the end-points are "primary" interpolations (based on data) and the interiors "secondary" (based on primary). Smoothing out the contours (either way) will make them cartographically pleasing, but the degree of "curviness" should depend on the assumed ruggedness of the original terrain (more rugged => less smoothing). Hoping that helps and that others will comment on the specific gdal routines, Martin Feuchtwanger feu...@shaw.ca 604-254-0361 http://members.shaw.ca/geomatics.developer On 13/02/2013 7:15 PM, nav wrote: Am creating an app which correctly calculates contours from a DEM file or any height-map given to it. The correctness of the contour holding the most importance, since a person viewing the contours shouldn't end up taking wrong planning decisions and maybe losing their life by the route they choose after looking at the map. I have already tried using GDAL 1.7 source code, compiled it and added some features of my own to it for some other objective. Now I want to add-to/modify the source to be able to use the contour generation function of GDAL in C++. But before proceeding, I wanted to know: 1. If GDAL offers the best free contour generation algorithm available or is there any other library which I can link to my code and feed my DEM map to it and receive contour vector lines (or go thru research papers and implement the contour generation algorithm myself in C++)? If GDAL, then why is it the best? 2. A generated contour will basically be points connected with straight lines. Is it more correct for a contour to be depicted with connected straight lines or will it give a more correct result to use a spline to smoothen out the lines? I won't be interpolating any contours or the DEM because I've read on this website that interpolation leads to incorrect results. -- View this message in context: http://osgeo-org.1560.n6.nabble.com/Most-optimal-algorithm-for-contour-correctness-tp5034148.html Sent from the GDAL - Dev mailing list archive at Nabble.com. ___ gdal-dev mailing list gdal-dev@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/gdal-dev ___ gdal-dev mailing list gdal-dev@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/gdal-dev
Re: [gdal-dev] Most optimal algorithm for contour correctness?
Hi, I've tackled a similar problem. Correctness of contour is a simple matter, except for one thing. That is the issue of saddles. That issue cannot be solved "correctly" since typically the data can be interpreted in several ways. This is also described in a wikipedia article (google for it, if you like). Imagine a (descending) mountainridge, which may have towers and gaps in it (sometimes referred to as sentinels when climbing). When the (dem) grid is too coarse, these won't show. I found that I had to write my own routine to handle this. Roughly as follows: When gridsquare with values equal or larger than the contourvalue are isolated, except they touch diagonally, you have a potential saddle situation. My "correctness" is that I continue straight on when the average of the four surrounding gridpoints is equal to or larger than the contour value. If not, the contour is divided in two subcontours. Hope this helps and tell me whether you need such code. I have been considering offering it for the gdal and saga communities, but have not had enough time to make the code nice enough. Jan On Thu, Feb 14, 2013 at 4:15 AM, nav wrote: > Am creating an app which correctly calculates contours from a DEM file or > any > height-map given to it. The correctness of the contour holding the most > importance, since a person viewing the contours shouldn't end up taking > wrong planning decisions and maybe losing their life by the route they > choose after looking at the map. > > I have already tried using GDAL 1.7 source code, compiled it and added some > features of my own to it for some other objective. Now I want to > add-to/modify the source to be able to use the contour generation function > of GDAL in C++. > > But before proceeding, I wanted to know: > 1. If GDAL offers the best free contour generation algorithm available or > is > there any other library which I can link to my code and feed my DEM map to > it and receive contour vector lines (or go thru research papers and > implement the contour generation algorithm myself in C++)? If GDAL, then > why > is it the best? > 2. A generated contour will basically be points connected with straight > lines. Is it more correct for a contour to be depicted with connected > straight lines or will it give a more correct result to use a spline to > smoothen out the lines? > > I won't be interpolating any contours or the DEM because I've read on this > website that interpolation leads to incorrect results. > > > > -- > View this message in context: > http://osgeo-org.1560.n6.nabble.com/Most-optimal-algorithm-for-contour-correctness-tp5034148.html > Sent from the GDAL - Dev mailing list archive at Nabble.com. > ___ > gdal-dev mailing list > gdal-dev@lists.osgeo.org > http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/gdal-dev > ___ gdal-dev mailing list gdal-dev@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/gdal-dev
