Application of the topographic position index to heterogeneous landscapes

Abstract Topographic position index ( TPI ) is an algorithm increasingly used to measure topographic slope positions and to automate landform classifications. We applied TPI to a geoarchaeological research project in northwestern Belgium but its use led to erroneous landform classifications in this heterogeneous landscape. We asked whether deviation from mean elevation ( DEV ) was a better method for landform classification than TPI. We found that it enabled more accurate geomorphological assessment when using northwestern Belgium as a case study.