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Description

The Terra Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) Global Digital Elevation Model (GDEM) Version 3 (ASTGTM) provides a global digital elevation model (DEM) of land areas on Earth at a spatial resolution of 1 arc second (approximately 30 meter horizontal posting at the equator).

The development of the ASTER GDEM data products is a collaborative effort between National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI). The ASTER GDEM data products are created by the Sensor Information Laboratory Corporation (SILC) in Tokyo.

The ASTER GDEM Version 3 data product was created from the automated processing of the entire ASTER Level 1A archive of scenes acquired between March 1, 2000, and November 30, 2013. Stereo correlation was used to produce over one million individual scene based ASTER DEMs, to which cloud masking was applied. All cloud screened DEMs and non-cloud screened DEMs were stacked. Residual bad values and outliers were removed. In areas with limited data stacking, several existing reference DEMs were used to supplement ASTER data to correct for residual anomalies. Selected data were averaged to create final pixel values before partitioning the data into 1 degree latitude by 1 degree longitude tiles with a one pixel overlap. To correct elevation values of water body surfaces, the ASTER Global Water Bodies Database (ASTWBD) Version 1 data product was also generated.

The geographic coverage of the ASTER GDEM extends from 83° North to 83° South. Each tile is distributed in both a Cloud Optimized GeoTIFF (COG) and NetCDF4 format through NASA Earthdata Search. Data are projected on the 1984 World Geodetic System (WGS84)/1996 Earth Gravitational Model (EGM96) geoid. Each of the 22,912 tiles in the collection contain at least 0.01% land area.

Provided in the ASTER GDEM product are layers for DEM and number of scenes (NUM). The NUM layer indicates the number of scenes that were processed for each pixel and the source of the data.

While the ASTER GDEM Version 3 data products offer substantial improvements over Version 2, users are advised that the products still may contain anomalies and artifacts that will reduce its usability for certain applications.

Known Issues

  • ASTER GDEM Version 3 tiles overlap by one pixel to the north, south, east, and west of the tile perimeter. In most cases the overlapping edge pixels have identical pixel values, but it is possible that in some instances values will differ.
  • ASTER GDEM Version 3 is considered to be void free except for Greenland and Antarctica.
  • Users are reminded that because there are known inaccuracies and artifacts in the dataset, to use the product with awareness of these limitations. The data are provided "as is" and neither NASA nor METI/Earth Resources Satellite Data Analysis Center (ERSDAC) will be responsible for any damages resulting from use of the data.

Version Description

The following changes and improvements were implemented for the ASTER GDEM Version 3 data product: (1) Expansion of temporal coverage to increase cloud free input scenes from 1.5 million to 1.88 million scenes, (2) Separation of rivers from lakes in the water body processing, and (3) Decrease in minimum water body detection size from 1 square kilometer to 0.2 square kilometers.

Product Summary

Platforms
Terra
Instruments
ASTER
Projects
TERRA
Spatial Extent

N: 82 S: -83 E: 180 W: -180

Spatial Resolution
30 Meters x 30 Meters
Location
GLOBAL LAND
Coordinate System
CARTESIAN
Granule Spatial Representation
GEODETIC
Temporal Extent
2000-03-01 to 2013-11-30
Temporal Resolution
14 Year
Data Partner
Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (LP DAAC) ,
ASTER, JET PROPULSION LABORATORY, NASA (NASA/JPL/ASTER)
Concept ID
C1711961296-LPCLOUD
Data State
COMPLETE
Number of Files/Granules
22912
Processing Level
3
Published
Updated
Science Keywords
Terrain Elevation ,
Digital Elevation/Terrain Model (DEM) ,
Topographical Relief Maps

Citation

Citation is critically important for dataset documentation and discovery. This dataset is openly shared, without restriction, in accordance with the EOSDIS Data Use and Citation Guidance.

Copy Citation

NASA/METI/AIST/Japan Spacesystems and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. (2019). ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model V003 [Dataset]. NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center. https://doi.org/10.5067/ASTER/ASTGTM.003 Date Accessed: 2026-08-24

File Naming Convention

ASTGTMV003_N10W001_dem.tif

The file name begins with the Product Short Name and Version (ASTGTMV003), followed by the latitude and longitude of the lower-left corner pixel (N10W001), Variable (dem) and Data Format (tif).

Documents

Publications Citing This Dataset

Filters
Title Year Author Topic
Mapping potential human-elephant conflict hotspots with UAV monitoring Yang, Nan, Dai, Xiaohua, Wang, Bin, Wen, Mangcai, Gan, Zhongli, Li, Zelin, Duffy, Kevin J. Terrain Elevation, Digital Elevation/Terrain Model (DEM), Topographical Relief Maps
Mass Movement Hazard and Exposure in the Himalaya Dubey, Saket, Sattar, Ashim, Goyal, Manish Kumar, Allen, Simon, Frey, Holger, Haritashya, Umesh K., Huggel, Christian Population Estimates, Socioeconomics, Terrain Elevation, Digital Elevation/Terrain Model (DEM), Topographical Relief Maps
Late glacial climate evolution in the Patagonian Andes (4447 S) from alpine glacier modelling Muir, Ruby, Eaves, Shaun, Vargo, Lauren, Anderson, Brian, Mackintosh, Andrew, Sagredo, Esteban, Soteres, Rodrigo Terrain Elevation, Digital Elevation/Terrain Model (DEM), Topographical Relief Maps
Late Holocene glacier and climate fluctuations in the Mackenzie and Selwyn mountain ranges, northwestern Canada Hawkins, Adam C., Menounos, Brian, Goehring, Brent M., Osborn, Gerald, Pelto, Ben M., Darvill, Christopher M., Schaefer, Joerg M. Terrain Elevation, Digital Elevation/Terrain Model (DEM), Topographical Relief Maps
Machine learning evaluation of storm-related transmission outage factors and risk Taylor, William O., Nyame, Sita, Hughes, William, Koukoula, Marika, Yang, Feifei, Cerrai, Diego, Anagnostou, Emmanouil N. Terrain Elevation, Digital Elevation/Terrain Model (DEM), Topographical Relief Maps
Investigating flood exposure induced socioeconomic risk and mitigation strategy under climate change and urbanization at a city scale Yang, Wenyu, Zhang, Jin, Krebs, Peter Terrain Elevation, Digital Elevation/Terrain Model (DEM), Topographical Relief Maps
Investigating non-point pollution mitigation strategies in response to changing environments: A cross-regional study in China and Germany Yang, Wenyu, Zhang, Jin, Hua, Pei, Krebs, Peter Terrain Elevation, Digital Elevation/Terrain Model (DEM), Topographical Relief Maps
Integration of Sentinel-1/2 and topographic attributes to predict the spatial distribution of soil texture fractions in some agricultural soils of western Iran Azizi, Kamran, Garosi, Younes, Ayoubi, Shamsollah, Tajik, Samaneh Terrain Elevation, Digital Elevation/Terrain Model (DEM), Topographical Relief Maps
Knowledge coproduction to improve assessments of nature's contributions Vallet, Ameline, Locatelli, Bruno, ValdiviaDiaz, Merelyn, Quispe Conde, Yesica, Matencio Garcia, Gerardina, Ramos Criales, Alejandrina, Valverde Huamannahui, Francisca, Ramos Criales, Santusa, Makowski, David, Lavorel, Sandra Terrain Elevation, Digital Elevation/Terrain Model (DEM), Topographical Relief Maps
Magma accumulation underneath Laacher See volcano from detrital zircon in modern streams Schmitt, Fabian H., Schmitt, Axel K., Gerdes, Axel, Harvey, Janet C. Terrain Elevation, Digital Elevation/Terrain Model (DEM), Topographical Relief Maps
Magnitude and timing of transient incision resulting from largescale drainage capture, Sutlej River, Northwest Himalaya Penserini, Brian D., Morell, Kristin D., Codilean, Alexandru T., Fulop, RekaH., Wilcken, Klaus M., Yanites, Brian J., Kumar, Anil, Fan, Suoya, Mearce, Trevor Terrain Elevation, Digital Elevation/Terrain Model (DEM), Topographical Relief Maps
Monitoring hydrological changes with satellite data: Spring thaw's effect on soil moisture and groundwater in seasonal Freezing-Thawing zones Wang, Jiamei, Ouyang, Wei, Liu, Xinyi, Wang, Lei Surface Pressure, Heat Flux, Longwave Radiation, Shortwave Radiation, Surface Temperature, Humidity, Evapotranspiration, Surface Winds, Rain, Precipitation Rate, Snow, Soil Moisture/Water Content, Soil Temperature, Land Surface Temperature, Snow Water Equivalent, Runoff, Terrain Elevation, Digital Elevation/Terrain Model (DEM), Topographical Relief Maps, Snow Water Equivalent
Paddy rice mapping in Red River Delta, Vietnam, using Sentinel 1/2 data Ngo, Truong Xuan, Bui, Nam Ba, Phan, Hieu Dang Trung, Ha, Hoang Minh, Nguyen, Thanh Thi Nhat Terrain Elevation, Digital Elevation/Terrain Model (DEM), Topographical Relief Maps
Rare and declining bird species benefit most from designating protected areas for conservation in the UK Barnes, A. E., Davies, J. G., Martay, B., Boersch-Supan, P. H., Harris, S. J., Noble, D. G., Pearce-Higgins, J. W., Robinson, R. A. Terrain Elevation, Digital Elevation/Terrain Model (DEM), Topographical Relief Maps
Recent basement fault reactivation and fluvial drainage modification in an intraplate setting, eastern Bundelkhand Craton, Madhya Pradesh, India Godin, Laurent, Crilly, Brendan, Schoenbohm, Lindsay M., Wolpert, Joshua Terrain Elevation, Digital Elevation/Terrain Model (DEM), Topographical Relief Maps
LandInG 1.0: a toolbox to derive input datasets for terrestrial ecosystem modelling at variable resolutions from heterogeneous sources Ostberg, Sebastian, Muller, Christoph, Heinke, Jens, Schaphoff, Sibyll Terrain Elevation, Digital Elevation/Terrain Model (DEM), Topographical Relief Maps
Landslide Susceptibility Prediction from Satellite Data through an Giuseppi, Alessandro, Porto, Leonardo Pio Lo, Wrona, Andrea, Menegatti, Danilo Terrain Elevation, Digital Elevation/Terrain Model (DEM), Topographical Relief Maps
Introducing CRYOWRF v1. 0: multiscale atmospheric flow simulations with advanced snow cover modelling Sharma, Varun, Gerber, Franziska, Lehning, Michael Terrain Elevation, Digital Elevation/Terrain Model (DEM), Topographical Relief Maps
Predicting and Mapping Dominant Height of Oriental Beech Stands Using Yener, Ismet, Guvendi, Engin Terrain Elevation, Digital Elevation/Terrain Model (DEM), Topographical Relief Maps
Planting trees in livestock landscapes to protect soil and water also Inamagua-Uyaguari, Juan Pablo, Fitton, Nuala, Smith, Pete Terrain Elevation, Digital Elevation/Terrain Model (DEM), Topographical Relief Maps
Plastic debris in lakes and reservoirs Nava, Veronica, Chandra, Sudeep, Aherne, Julian, Alfonso, Maria B., Antao-Geraldes, Ana M., Attermeyer, Katrin, Bao, Roberto, Bartrons, Mireia, Berger, Stella A., Biernaczyk, Marcin, Bissen, Raphael, Brookes, Justin D., Brown, David, Canedo-Arguelles, Miguel, Canle, Moises, Capelli, Camilla, Carballeira, Rafael, Cereijo, Jose Luis, Chawchai, Sakonvan, Christensen, Sren T., Christoffersen, Kirsten S., de Eyto, Elvira, Delgado, Jorge, Dornan, Tyler N., Doubek, Jonathan P., Dusaucy, Julia, Erina, Oxana, Ersoy, Zeynep, Feuchtmayr, Heidrun, Frezzotti, Maria Luce, Galafassi, Silvia, Gateuille, David, Goncalves, Vitor, Grossart, Hans-Peter, Hamilton, David P., Harris, Ted D., Kangur, Kulli, Kanklc, Gokben Basaran, Kessler, Rebecca, Kiel, Christine, Krynak, Edward M., Leiva-Presa, Angels, Lepori, Fabio, Matias, Miguel G., Matsuzaki, Shin-ichiro S., McElarney, Yvonne, Messyasz, Beata, Mitchell, Mark, Mlambo, Musa C., Motitsoe, Samuel N., Nandini, Sarma, Orlandi, Valentina, Owens, Caroline, Ozkundakci, Deniz, Pinnow, Solvig, Pociecha, Agnieszka, Raposeiro, Pedro Miguel, Room, Eva-Ingrid, Rotta, Federica, Salmaso, Nico, Sarma, S. S. S., Sartirana, Davide, Scordo, Facundo, Sibomana, Claver, Siewert, Daniel, Stepanowska, Katarzyna, Tavsanoglu, Ulku Nihan, Tereshina, Maria, Thompson, James, Tolotti, Monica, Valois, Amanda, Verburg, Piet, Welsh, Brittany, Wesolek, Brian, Weyhenmeyer, Gesa A., Wu, Naicheng, Zawisza, Edyta, Zink, Lauren, Leoni, Barbara Land Use/Land Cover, Anthropogenic/Human Influenced Ecosystems, Sustainability, Population Estimates, Boundaries, Terrain Elevation, Digital Elevation/Terrain Model (DEM), Topographical Relief Maps
A Comparative Evaluation of Lumped and Semi-Distributed Conceptual Hydrological Models: Does Model Complexity Enhance Hydrograph Prediction? Okiria, Emmanuel, Okazawa, Hiromu, Noda, Keigo, Kobayashi, Yukimitsu, Suzuki, Shinji, Yamazaki, Yuri Terrain Elevation, Digital Elevation/Terrain Model (DEM), Topographical Relief Maps
Satellite based integrated approaches to modelling spatial carbon stock and carbon sequestration potential of different land uses of Northeast India Bordoloi, R., Das, B., Tripathi, O.P., Sahoo, U.K., Nath, A.J., Deb, S., Das, D.J., Gupta, A., Devi, N.B., Charturvedi, S.S., Tiwari, B.K., Paul, A., Tajo, L. Terrain Elevation, Digital Elevation/Terrain Model (DEM), Topographical Relief Maps
Satellite detection of surface water extentA review of methodology Li, Jiaxin, Ma, Ronghua, Cao, Zhigang, Xue, Kun, Xiong, Junfeng, Hu, Minqi, Feng, Xuejiao Terrain Elevation, Digital Elevation/Terrain Model (DEM), Topographical Relief Maps, Surface Water Features
The Accuracy and Consistency of 3D Elevation Program Data: A Systematic Analysis Stoker, Jason, Miller, Barry RADAR IMAGERY, Terrain Elevation, Topographical Relief Maps, Digital Elevation/Terrain Model (DEM)
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