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Full catalog/AST14DEM
AST14DEM·v004·dataset

Ground elevation map (ASTER)

ASTER Digital Elevation Model V004
land NASA LPCLOUD Level 3 active COG
In plain English

What it measures. A digital elevation model, basically a map of how high the ground is, derived from stereo satellite imagery.

How it's made. Built from ASTER on NASA's Terra satellite using two views of the same scene taken about a minute apart from slightly different angles, which together reveal terrain height much like human stereo vision.

How & where you'd use it. Used for terrain mapping, watershed and flood studies, geology, and any work needing ground elevation. Note ASTER had a data gap from late November 2024 through mid-January 2025.

What's measured

LAND SURFACE › TOPOGRAPHY › TERRAIN ELEVATION › TOPOGRAPHICAL RELIEF MAPSLAND SURFACE › TOPOGRAPHY › TERRAIN ELEVATIONLAND SURFACE › TOPOGRAPHY › TERRAIN ELEVATION › DIGITAL ELEVATION/TERRAIN MODEL (DEM)

Coverage & cadence

  • Time span2000-03-06 → ongoing
  • Measured byTerra (ASTER)
  • Processing levelLevel 3
  • Spatial extent-180, -83, 180, 83
  • FormatsCOG
  • StatusACTIVE

What you can do with it

  • Track deforestation, fire scars and land-cover change
  • Monitor crop and vegetation health (NDVI/EVI)
  • Map how built-up vs. green an area is over time
Official description

The Terra Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) Digital Elevation Model (AST14DEM) product is generated using bands 3N (nadir-viewing) and 3B (backward-viewing) of an ASTER [Level 1A](https://doi.org/10.5067/ASTER/AST_L1A.004) image acquired by the Visible and Near Infrared (VNIR) sensor. The VNIR subsystem includes two independent telescope assemblies that facilitate the generation of stereoscopic data. The band 3 stereo pair is acquired in the spectral range of 0.78 and 0.86 microns with a base-to-height ratio of 0.6 and an intersection angle of 27.7 degrees. There is a time lag of approximately one minute between the acquisition of the nadir and backward images. For a better understanding, refer to the [diagram](https://lpdaac.usgs.gov/documents/301/ASTER_Along_Track_Imaging_Geometry.png) depicting the along-track imaging geometry diagram of the ASTER VNIR nadir and backward-viewing sensors. Known Issues * Data acquisition gap: On November 28, 2024, one of Terra's power-transmitting shunt units failed. As a result, there was insufficient power to maintain functionality of the ASTER instrument. ASTER resumed acquisitions for the VNIR bands on January 18, 2025. Users should note the data gap in ASTER acquisitions from November 28, 2024, through January 16, 2025, for VNIR observations.

Get the data

ast14dem_access.py
import earthaccess
earthaccess.login(strategy="netrc")          # free Earthdata Login

results = earthaccess.search_data(
    short_name="AST14DEM",
    version="004",
    bounding_box=(-122.5, 37.2, -121.8, 37.9),  # your area (W,S,E,N)
    temporal=("2024-01-01", "2024-12-31"),       # your dates
)
files = earthaccess.open(results)   # stream straight from LPCLOUD
Browsing CMR needs no login. Downloading or streaming bytes needs a free Earthdata Login + the earthaccess package.