Geographia Technica, No. 1/2006, pp. 37 - 42

CHENDES V., I. NICHERSU, AL. PREDA, I. TROCEA 

The using of the ArcGIS Geostatistical Analyst extention for the achievement of the Digital Terrain Model along the Danube River

ABSTRACT. – The using of the ArcGIS Geostatistical Analyst extention for the achievement of the Digital Terrain Model along the Danube River. Taking into account the implication the GIS has in the evolution of the directions and tendencies in the field of hydrological modeling, the achievement of a unitary digital terrain model for the bed and flood plain of main rivers, as in the case of the Danube River, became very important. Its achievement is marked by a series of aspects that make getting good results difficult: minor elevation differences, the presence of the dike that has to be modeled, numerous changes in the river bed direction, the bank line which marks a sudden fall in elevation, etc. In these conditions, the ArcGIS Geostatistical Analyst extention was used to create a continuous surface (the MDT) by interpolating the points from the bathymetric profiles or within the flood plain situated in areas with different aspects. Finally a digital terrain model was obtained, having the resolution of 5 meters (randomly chosen value, existing the possibility to be even smaller), which “imitates” the reality pretty good.

Keywords: digital terrain model, ArcGIS, Danube,  hydrological modeling, bathymetric profile