DIGITAL TERRAIN ANALYSIS: DATA SOURCE, RESOLUTION AND APPLICA- TIONS FOR MODELING PHYSICAL PROCESSES IN AGROECOSYSTEMS

Terrain analysis is the quantitative analysis of topographic surfaces. Most attempts at modeling landscapes have been unsuccessful because the landscape was either looked at in little details or the landscape was considered in two dimensions. The purpose of a digital terrain system is the digital representation of terrain so that environmental problem like soil erosion may be approached accurately and efficiently through automated means. This paper describes data requirements, methods for storing surface data, advantages, limitations and applications of digital terrain analysis for agriculture and environmental processes modeling. A practical application of the digital terrain model SALUS-TERRAE is presented as case study to simulate spatial variability of soil water content in an agricultural landscape.