authority: folia
slug: dtm
name: Digital Terrain Model
domain: land
subdomain: topography
authority_id: folia:dtm
parent: elevation
aliases:
  - digital-terrain-model
  - bare-earth-elevation
external_ids:
  cf_standard_name: surface_altitude
canonical_units: m
external_validations:
  product:
    id: usgs-3dep-10m
    docs_url: https://www.usgs.gov/3d-elevation-program
  stac:
    extension: raster
    field: raster:bands
    docs_url: https://github.com/stac-extensions/raster
description: |
  Elevation of the bare-earth surface — buildings, trees, and other
  above-ground features are removed (typically via LiDAR classification
  or photogrammetric filtering). Distinguished from DSM by what gets
  captured: in a forest, DTM is the ground beneath the canopy.
  Flagship products: USGS 3DEP (US, lidar-derived), UK EA LiDAR,
  Iceland IslandsDEM, EU-DEM v1.1. Used by hydrology and engineering
  ops where the ground surface (not the canopy top) is what matters.
theme: terrain
consumed_by: []
produced_by: []
demos: []
status: documented
sources:
  - https://www.usgs.gov/3d-elevation-program
  - https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/data/copernicus-land-monitoring-service-eu-dem