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Terrain Analysis Helper

January 13, 2026

The Terrain Analysis Helper performs a suite of analyses on a series of digital elevation models (single-DEM analysis currently unavailable but planned). Most calculations from Fukunaga et al. (2019) are included, excluding d128-based fractals. From the MultiscaleDTM R package, the following metrics are included: vector ruggedness measure (VRM), topographic position index (TPI), profile curvature, planar curvature, twisting curvature, roughness index-elevation (RIE), standard deviation adjusted from slope (ASD), and bathymetric position index (BPI). Statistic output is saved as "habitat_complexity.csv" in the input folder (support for user-defined output name is planned). For each metric, a subfolder containing output rasters from MultiscaleDTM calculations is generated in the input folder, and named accordingly. Minimum, maximum, and mean are included in the output statistics for each metric. User-input parameters for MultiscaleDTM calculations can be included in future versions upon request. The interface has embedded navigation shortcuts; access them by pressing the ALT key plus the underlined letter in the intended widget.

Publication Year 2026
Title Terrain Analysis Helper
DOI 10.5066/P1YZSNXT
Authors Connor M Jenkins, Selena A. Johnson
Product Type Software Release
Record Source USGS Asset Identifier Service (AIS)
USGS Organization St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
Rights This work is marked with CC0 1.0 Universal
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