HOW TO

Convert contours to a DEM in ArcGIS Pro

Last Published: August 28, 2024

Summary

Contours are lines that connect locations of equal value in a raster dataset, representing continuous phenomena such as elevation and temperature. Contours also function as a useful surface representation to visualize the distance between contours. The Digital Elevation Model (DEM) is a raster representation of a continuous surface, usually referencing the Earth's surface. The accuracy of this data is determined primarily by the resolution and the distance between sample points. The DEM can be used to study surface properties like visibility and water flow using 3D Analyst tools. This article explains how to convert contours to a DEM in ArcGIS Pro.

Procedure

Note:
The Create TIN and TIN To Raster tools require the 3D Analyst license.
  1. Open the ArcGIS Pro project.
  2. Create a TIN dataset from the contours using the Create TIN tool.
    1. On the Analysis ribbon tab, in the Geoprocessing group, click Tools.
    2. In the Geoprocessing pane, search for and click Create TIN (3D Analyst Tools).
    3. In the Create TIN pane, for Output TIN, click Browse and specify a name and location.
    4. For Coordinate System, select the contour feature layer from the drop-down list.
    5. Under Input Feature Class, for Input Features, select the contour feature layer from the drop-down list.
    6. In Input Feature Class, for Type, select Soft_Line from the drop-down list.
    7. Click Run.
The Create Tin pane.

The map below displays the TIN dataset created from the contours.

The TIN feature on a map.
  1. Convert the TIN dataset to a raster dataset using the TIN To Raster tool.
    1. On the Analysis ribbon tab, in the Geoprocessing group, click Tools.
    2. In the Geoprocessing pane, search for and click TIN To Raster (3D Analyst Tools).
    3. In the TIN To Raster pane, for Input Tin, select the TIN feature layer from the drop-down list.
    4. For Output Raster, specify a name and location for the output raster dataset.
    5. Click Run.
The TIN To Raster pane.

The image below shows the DEM raster dataset created from contours.

Raster feature created from the contour lines on a map.

Article ID: 000033330

Software:
  • ArcGIS Pro 3 1
  • ArcGIS Pro 3 3
  • ArcGIS Pro 3 2

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