TerrainWorks (NetMap) Digital Landscapes and Tools Support Research
Research projects often require the capabilities of a Digital Hydroscape (described here). Although researchers (including graduate students) often are led to build there own with various algorithms and programs floating out on the web, it is significantly easier to simply access and use TerrainWorks Digital Hydroscape, inclusive of its synthetic stream layer.
Research projects that deal with the mass flux of materials through watersheds (water, sediment, organic material, nutrients, thermal energy) require that their digital representation of watersheds or landscapes contain routing capabilities. Our Digital Hydroscape supports routing and connectivity: 1) downstream, 2) upstream, 3) downslope - upslope, 4) riverine - floodplain or valley, and 5) land surface - atmosphere. Read more.
For habitat modeling, researchers require a set of attributes to characterize riverine and riparian habitats. NetMap tools are used to create numerous attributes in support of habitat modeling including the channel network itself (e.g., the synthetic stream layer), channel gradient, hydraulic geometry, floodplain dimensions, tributary confluence characteristics, sinuosity, substrate size, and thermal loading etc. See available attributes here.
Here are some examples where NetMap has been used for research:
-Wildfire Science (US)
-River Restoration (Spain)
-Fluvial Morphology (China)
-Fluvial Process Domains (Canada)
Generally we offer Digital Landscapes and NetMap tools for free to University related research projects in exchange for the potential of incorporating research results, if appropriate, into the NetMap community tool system (such as new habitat models, new routing models etc.). Contact us for additional details.