Soil and Landscape Grid
of Australia
Landscape Attribute Details
Detailed descriptions of all the products available in the Australian Soil and Landscape Grid can be viewed in the CSIRO Data Access portal metadata records
The landscape attribute products available from the Soil and Landscape Grid of Australia were derived from DEM-S, the smoothed version of the national 1 second resolution Digital Elevation Model, which was derived from the 1 second resolution Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) data acquired by NASA in February 2000.
Available Landscape Attributes
| Attribute | Description |
| Slope (%) | Slope measures the inclination of the land surface from the horizontal. |
| Slope (%) Median 300m Radius | The median slope within a 300 m radius representing the typical slope in the local landscape. |
| Slope Relief Classification | Slope relief landform pattern classification based on Speight (2009). |
| Aspect | Aspect measures the direction in which a land surface slope faces. The direction is expressed in degrees from north. |
| Relief 1000m Radius | The elevation range measures the full range of elevations within a 1000m circular radius and can be used as a representation of local relief. |
| Relief 300m Radius | The elevation range measures the full range of elevations within a 300m circular radius and can be used as a representation of local relief. |
| Topographic Wetness Index | TWI estimates the relative wetness within moist catchments, but is more commonly used as a measure of position on the slope with larger values indicating a lower slope position. |
| Topographic Position Index | Topographic Position Index (TPI) is a topographic position classification identifying upper, middle and lower parts of the landscape. |
| Partial Contributing Area | Contributing area in m2 computed using multiple flow directions on hillslopes and ANUDEM-derived flow directions in channels. |
| MrVBF | MrVBF is a topographic index designed to identify areas of deposited material at a range of scales based on the observations that valley bottoms are low and flat relative to their surroundings and that large valley bottoms are flatter than smaller ones. |
| Plan Curvature | Plan (or contour) curvature is the rate of change of aspect (across the slope) and represents topographic convergence or divergence. |
| Profile Curvature | Profile curvature is the rate of change of potential gradient down a flow line and represents the changes in flow velocity down a slope. |
| Prescott Index | The Prescott Index is a measure of water balance that is sensitive to regional climate and local topography and has proven to be a useful in soil mapping both to stratify study areas for sampling and as a quantitative predictor of soil properties. |
| SRAD Net Radiation January | Mean monthly solar radiation was modelled across Australia using topography from the 1 second resolution SRTM-derived DEM-S and climatic and land surface data. |
| SRAD Net Radiation July | Mean monthly solar radiation was modelled across Australia using topography from the 1 second resolution SRTM-derived DEM-S and climatic and land surface data. |
| SRAD Total Shortwave Sloping Surface January | Mean monthly solar radiation was modelled across Australia using topography from the 1 second resolution SRTM-derived DEM-S and climatic and land surface data. |
| SRAD Total Shortwave Sloping Surf July | Mean monthly solar radiation was modelled across Australia using topography from the 1 second resolution SRTM-derived DEM-S and climatic and land surface data. |
Spatial Characteristics
All of the products in the Australian Soil and Landscape Grid conform to the spatial structure specified in the GlobalSoilMap Specifications. Below is a summary of the spatial characteristics of the Landscape Attribute prodcuts.
