What is the primary purpose of Digital Elevation Models (DEMs)?

The primary purpose of Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) is to represent the Earth's surface elevation, providing a crucial framework for various applications in geography, environmental studies, and urban planning. DEMs are raster grids that consist of regularly spaced elevation points across a landscape, which allow for detailed analysis of terrain.

By visualizing elevation changes, DEMs enable users to understand landforms, hydrology, and topographic relief. They serve as foundational data for various analyses, such as watershed management, site selection for construction, natural resource assessments, and even in the modeling of natural disaster impacts. The accurate representation of terrain is essential for applications ranging from outdoor recreation mapping to infrastructure development and environmental monitoring, which showcases the versatility and importance of DEMs in geographic studies.