Digital terrain modeling with the Chebyshev polynomials

Mathematical problems of digital terrain analysis include interpolation of digital elevation models (DEMs), DEM generalization and denoising, and computation of morphometric variables by calculation of partial derivatives of elevation. Traditionally, these procedures are based on numerical treatments of two-variable discrete functions of elevation. We developed a spectral analytical method and algorithm based on high-order orthogonal expansions using the Chebyshev polynomials of the first kind with the subsequent Fejér summation. The method and algorithm are intended for DEM analytical treatment, such as, DEM global approximation, denoising, and generalization as well as computation of morphometric variables by analytical calculation of partial derivatives. To test the method and algorithm, we used a DEM of the Northern Andes including 230,880 points (the elevation matrix 480 × 481). DEMs were reconstructed with 480, 240, 120, 60, and 30 expansion coefficients. The first and second partial derivatives of elevation were analytically calculated from the reconstructed DEMs. Models of horizontal curvature (kh) were then computed with the derivatives. A set of elevation and kh maps related to different number of expansion coefficients well illustrates data generalization effects, denoising, and removal of artifacts contained in the original DEM. The test results demonstrated a good performance of the developed method and algorithm. They can be utilized as a universal tool for analytical treatment in digital terrain modeling.