Digital elevation model accuracy requirements for catchment management

Abstract

[Abstract]: Across Australia, recent drought has severely limited water supplies and natural flows in catchments with impacts being felt across communities, business and government. Understanding the flow and accumulation of water across catchments is critical to achieving an improved balance in managing and sustaining catchment resources. Digital elevation models (DEM) are now recognized as a core spatial dataset required for catchment and water resource management. However the availability of comprehensive DEMs for catchments is limited. This paper discusses the importance of digital elevation models to catchment management activities and the technologies available to capture DEMs over large areas. These technologies are examined in the context of their suitability for various applications including natural resource management, flood assessment and management, asset protection and land planning. Strategies for capturing, managing and utilizing these DEMs for the benefit of catchment communities are discussed. A case study over the Condamine Catchment was conducted to assess the digital elevation requirements as a function of slope, landuse and floodplain extents. The role of various stakeholders across these catchments is explored and the collaborative efforts required in realizing the capture of these large spatial data sets is discussed.