Altitude Models: Derivative Variables

This lecture introduces the analysis of geographical information, focusing on discrete and continuous variables, geometric properties, spatial arrangement, and spatial dependence. It covers global relief indicators, altitude models, derived products like slope, orientation, and curvature, as well as sampling, interpolation, and data layer interaction. The lecture also explores local indicators through sliding windows, filtering procedures, and the effects of window size and shape on calculations. Various algorithms for calculating slope and orientation based on different neighborhood considerations are discussed, along with the concept of curvature and its implications on erosion. The lecture concludes by summarizing different morphological indices for terrain description, including global and local indicators and the impact of window size on results.