How do I use a DHM in tiff format for distance and slope measurements?

Question

I am a student and I have to work out a project about soil loss on a plot. I need basic measurements of this plot such as length, width, area and slope for my erosion calculations.

I have got my hands on a 4 GB large DHM measured by LIDAR in a TIFF file format.

My question is now, how do I preform these calculations on this file format? I guess I need to convert it so I can use it in IDRISI or ArcMap?

Answer 1

You can use the tiff file in ArcMap. You would then use the Slope Tool from 3D Analyst or from Spatial analyst.

If you have a high resolution Lidar DHM, i.e. with a resolution finer then 1m, you should consider to downscale the resolution. Especially if you only have handheld GPS coordinates for your soil plots. If you have DGPS, the high resolution LIDAR may make sense.