NASADEM
Use NASADEM when you need a 30m global DEM with fewer voids than SRTM, especially in tropical forest and high-latitude areas that SRTM originally missed.
Format
GeoTIFF / HGT
Geometry
Raster DEM
Coverage
Near-global land (56°S–60°N core, extended with fill sources)
Resolution
30 meters (1 arc-second)
About this dataset
NASA NASADEM improves on SRTM with ICESat altimetry, ASTER GDEM filling, and reprocessing for reduced voids and better vertical accuracy at 30-meter resolution.
NASADEM is a 30-meter global DEM that reprocesses the original SRTM radar returns with improved algorithms and fills remaining voids using ICESat GLAS altimetry and ASTER GDEM v2. It provides better vertical accuracy than SRTM in tropical and high-latitude regions and is distributed as 1° x 1° GeoTIFF tiles via NASA Earthdata.
How to download
- 1 Create or sign in to your NASA Earthdata account at urs.earthdata.nasa.gov.
- 2 Search for NASADEM on Earthdata Search or navigate to the LP DAAC product page.
- 3 Select the 1° x 1° tiles for your area of interest and add them to your download list.
- 4 Download the zipped HGT or GeoTIFF tiles and process them in QGIS, GDAL, or your preferred GIS tool.
FAQ
What is the main improvement of NASADEM over SRTM?
NASADEM reprocesses raw SRTM radar returns with updated algorithms and fills remaining voids using ICESat GLAS altimetry and ASTER GDEM v2, yielding fewer gaps and better vertical accuracy especially in tropical and high-latitude areas.
Is NASADEM a drop-in replacement for SRTM?
In most cases yes — NASADEM uses the same 1° x 1° tile naming convention and 30-meter resolution as SRTM 30m, making it straightforward to swap in existing SRTM workflows.