A Digital Elevation Model of Riding Mountain National Park

RMNP_DEM

(Click on the image for a full-sized version, or on the link above for a more detailed pdf.)

Riding Mountain National Park is situated about 100 km north of Brandon, Manitoba and is a favorite weekend destination spot in the area. It forms part of the Manitoba Escarpment, a ridge of uncharacteristically high ground on the southwestern corner of the province (the area coloured red in the diagram below):

The DEM (found on the Manitoba Land Initiatives website) was created with a large set of elevation points, each point representing a 100 meter square area. So we know what the elevation is at any one of these distinct points, but how do we know what the whole surface of the park looks like? By making a set of informed estimates known as an “interpolation”. Using ESRI’s ArcGIS software, all the unknown elevations between the known points are guessed at, using statistical formulas, until a seamless surface is created. Then contour lines can be drawn and a 2D map made, complete with legend, but also a 3D map is possible that one can “fly through”, as in the example below. It’s a slightly bumpy ride – it takes time to learn to fly – but you get the idea.