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MapKmlTools

Extract Terrain & DEM Data for Any Area

Extract and download Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data for any area of interest. Export terrain data as GeoTIFF or KML. Free browser-based elevation tool.

Terrain Extractor Tool

Extract highly detailed contours, rivers, slope, and elevation data from your Area of Interest (AOI).

Click to upload KML/KMZ

Defines your Area of Interest

Upload an AOI to begin

What is Terrain Extractor Tool?

The Terrain Extractor Tool is a powerful, browser-based utility that connects to cloud-based GIS processing to extract specialized terrain features from global elevation datasets.

Instead of manually downloading heavy DEM files and processing them in desktop software like QGIS or ArcGIS, you simply upload your boundary, and our servers do the heavy lifting—returning ready-to-use vector KMLs and raster GeoTIFFs.

When Should You Use This Tool?

  • You need to quickly generate contour lines for a site plan without complex software.
  • You want to map the hydrological river network and stream flow of a specific watershed.
  • You need a color-coded slope map to analyze terrain steepness for construction or agriculture.
  • You require a fast, reliable source of SRTM 30m elevation data clipped perfectly to your project boundary.

How to Use Terrain Extractor Tool

  1. Upload your Area of Interest (AOI) boundary as a KML or KMZ file.
  2. Adjust the extraction parameters like Contour Interval, Slope Measurement, and River Extraction Level.
  3. The system automatically extracts the SRTM DEM data for your boundary.
  4. Once processing completes, your custom terrain data is ready to download.
  5. Click on the specific layer (Contours, Rivers, Slope, or Elevation) to download the file directly.

Real-World Use Cases

💧

Hydrology & Drainage Planning

Use the extracted river networks and Strahler orders to understand water flow paths, plan drainage systems, and analyze watershed topologies.

⛰️

Topographic Mapping

Download precise contour intervals to assist with 3D modeling, site surveying, and civil engineering project visualizations.

🚜

Agriculture & Land Management

Analyze the slope GeoTIFFs in degrees or percentage to determine land suitability for farming, planting, or machinery access.

Supported Formats & Limits

  • Input Formats: KML, KMZ (for Area of Interest Boundary)
  • Vector Outputs: KML (Contours, River Networks)
  • Raster Outputs: GeoTIFF (Slope, Elevation Heatmap)
  • Data Source: SRTM GL1 (30m global resolution)

Frequently Asked Questions

Q:Is the Terrain Extractor free?

Yes, extracting DEM and terrain data is 100% free with no account required.

Q:Does it upload my area selection to a server?

The tool queries public DEM APIs (SRTM/ASTER) but does not store your data.

Q:What DEM sources are available?

Accesses SRTM 30m, ASTER 30m, and Copernicus 30m global elevation datasets.

Q:What formats can I export?

Exports terrain data as GeoTIFF, CSV elevation grid, or KML contour lines.

Q:What is the resolution of the extracted terrain data?

The tool utilizes the OpenTopography SRTM GL1 dataset, which provides a global elevation resolution of approximately 30 meters per pixel.

Q:What does the River Extraction Level (Strahler Order) mean?

The Strahler stream order is a way to define the size of a stream based on a hierarchy of tributaries. Order 1 represents tiny headwater streams. As you increase the slider (e.g., to Order 3 or 4), the tool filters out the smaller streams, extracting only the larger, main river branches.

Q:Why do I need to log in to download the results?

Because terrain extraction requires significant server-side GPU processing, downloads are restricted to logged-in users to prevent abuse and ensure fast generation times for everyone.

Q:Are the Contour Lines continuous?

Yes. Our extraction pipeline uses advanced topological tracing to ensure contour lines and river networks are continuous vector features, perfect for importing directly into CAD or GIS.

Q:Can I extract data for very large areas?

Yes, though processing time may increase. If your KML boundary is excessively large, the tool will focus on the provided bounding box, up to the maximum permitted by the SRTM dataset.