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I'm struggling to get an equation working in QGIS that I've seen posted for ArcGIS. This article has a full description. Long story short, the author modifies the original Tobler's Hiking Function for use in ArcGIS, but it won't work in QGIS Raster Calculator. I've spent a few hours working on this with no luck.

The original formula is as follows:

(your_res /1000)/(6 * Exp(-3.5 * Abs(Tan(("your_slope" * 3.14159)/180) + .05)))

"your_res" = resolution/pixel size of DEM (in this case, ASTER) "your_slope" equals slope raster (calculated using Raster -> Analysis -> Slope).

Here's how I modified the equation for QGIS Raster Calculator:

(your_res / 1000) / (6 * 2.71828 ^ (-3.5 * abs ( Tan ( ( "your_slope" * 3.14159)/180) + .05)))

The resulting raster returns few values and basically flattens the image out. Only the most severe slope changes show any variation. I don't have ArcGIS at home to test, but that article is fairly well known to archaeologists and I suspect it works.

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  • Tobler function has maximum at about minus 3 degrees. Your slope raster doesn't have negative values, so it's wrong path. In arcgis it's doable using vertical factor which takes direction into account.
    – FelixIP
    Commented Feb 8, 2021 at 1:44
  • gis.stackexchange.com/questions/190144/…
    – FelixIP
    Commented Feb 8, 2021 at 1:56
  • Any ideas on creating a friction raster using this method - this equation - in QGIS?
    – user176999
    Commented Feb 8, 2021 at 2:27
  • It is not doable mate, no matter the syntax of your expression. Perhaps read my first comment again or documentation on path distance in ArcGis help
    – FelixIP
    Commented Feb 8, 2021 at 3:25
  • "Load the DEM into the application and make note of its spatial resolution (cell size) by right-clicking on it in the Layers list, selecting Properties, and left-clicking on the Source tab. If the values are significantly smaller than 1.0 (e.g., .00027), the DEM has a Geographic Latitude/Longitude projection. To estimate cell size in meters for this case, a general rule of thumb is to multiply the values by 100,000. "
    – Frodo
    Commented Feb 8, 2021 at 6:09

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