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Title: AN AUTOMATED DIGITAL LANDSCAPE ANALYSIS TOOL: TOPAZ OVERVIEW

Author
item GARBRECHT, JURGEN
item MARTZ, LAWRENCE - UNIV. OF SASKATCHEWAN

Submitted to: An Automated Digital Landscape Analysis Tool: Topaz Overview
Publication Type: Government Publication
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/1/1997
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Drainage properties of the land surface can be determined automatically by computer if the land surface has been digitized. A computer software package is needed to define topographic landscape properties which can be used by surface runoff and erosion models. This document describes the software package, called TOPAZ, the methods by which the software evaluates sthe digital topography, and the limitations and the required data to operate the software. The document is needed to inform the scientific and engineering community of the software and to provide an overview of the software, its capabilities, requirements and operation.

Technical Abstract: TOPAZ (Topographic ParameteriZation) is a computer software package for automated digital landscape analysis. It identifies and measures topographic features, defines surface drainage, subdivides watersheds along drainage divides, quantifies the drainage network, and parameterizes catchments directly from raster digital elevation models (DEM). TOPAZ is designed primarily to assist with topographic evaluation and watershed parameterization in support of hydrologic modeling and analysis, but can also be used to address a variety of geomorphological, environmental and remote sensing problems.