TopoToolbox - a set of Matlab functions for topographic analysis

TopoToolbox provides a set of Matlab functions that support the analysis of relief and flow pathways in digital elevation models. The major aim of TopoToolbox is to offer helpful analytical GIS utilities in a non-GIS environment in order to support the simultaneous application of GIS-specific and other quantitative methods.

If you have any questions or remarks, please contact the authors:

Wolfgang Schwanghart w.schwanghart[at]geo.uni-potsdam.de

Dirk Scherler scherler[at]gfz-potsdam.de

Requirements

TopoToolbox is plat-form independent and requires Matlab 2016b or higher and the Image Processing Toolbox. The Mapping Toolbox is not mandatory, but good to have to facilitate easy data exchange with GIS software. Some functions support parallelisation using the Parallel Toolbox. Few functions require the Optimization or Statistics and Machine Learning Toolbox.

References

When you use TopoToolbox in your work, please reference following publication:

Schwanghart, W., Scherler, D. (2014): TopoToolbox 2 – MATLAB-based software for topographic analysis and modeling in Earth surface sciences. Earth Surface Dynamics, 2, 1-7. DOI: 10.5194/esurf-2-1-2014

If you are using version 1, then please refer to this publication:

Schwanghart, W., Kuhn, N.J. (2010): TopoToolbox: a set of MATLAB functions for topographic analysis. Environmental Modelling & Software, 25, 770-781. DOI: 10.1016/j.envsoft.2009.12.002

In addition, various models and algorithms used in TopoToolbox have been published in the following articles.

DEM preprocessing and carving

Schwanghart, W., Groom, G.B., Kuhn, N.J., Heckrath, G., 2013: Flow network derivation from a high resolution DEM in a low relief, agrarian landscape. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 38, 1576-1586. DOI: 10.1002/esp.3452
Schwanghart, W., Scherler, D., 2017. Bumps in river profiles: uncertainty assessment and smoothing using quantile regression techniques. Earth Surface Dynamics, 5, 821-839. DOI: 10.5194/esurf-5-821-2017

TopoToolbox Landscape Evolution Modelling (TTLEM) and HyLands

Campforts, B., Schwanghart, W., Govers, G. (2017): Accurate simulation of transient landscape evolution by eliminating numerical diffusion: the TTLEM 1.0 model. Earth Surface Dynamics, 5, 47-66. DOI: 10.5194/esurf-5-47-2017
HyLands: Campforts B., Shobe M.C., et al. (2020): HyLands 1.0: a Hybrid Landscape evolution model to simulate the impact of landslides and landslide-derived sediment on landscape evolution. Geosci. Model Dev., 13, 3863–3886. DOI: 10.5194/gmd-13-3863-2020

Excess topography

Blöthe, J.H., Korup, O., Schwanghart, W., 2015: Large landslides lie low: Excess topography in the Himalaya-Karakorum ranges. Geology, 43, 523-526. DOI: 10.1130/G36527.1

Knickpointfinder

Stolle, A., Schwanghart, W., Andermann, C., Bernhardt, A., Fort, M., Jansen, J.D., Wittmann, H., Merchel, S., Rugel, G., Adhikari, B.R., Korup, O., 2019. Protracted river response to medieval earthquakes. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 44, 331-341. DOI: 10.1002/esp.4517 (The description here is very terse, yet)

Divide functions

Scherler, D., Schwanghart, W., 2020. Drainage divide networks – Part 1: Identification and ordering in digital elevation models. Earth Surface Dynamics, 8, 245–259. DOI: 10.5194/esurf-8-245-2020
Scherler, D., Schwanghart, W., 2020. Drainage divide networks – Part 2: Response to perturbations. Earth Surface Dynamics, 8, 261-274. DOI: 10.5194/esurf-8-261-2020

Point patterns on stream networks

Schwanghart, W., Molkenthin, C., & Scherler, D. (2020). A systematic approach and software for the analysis of point patterns on river networks. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, accepted. DOI: 10.1002/esp.5127

Getting started

Before working with TopoToolbox the directories and functions must be on the search path of Matlab. Enter following code into the command line:

    addpath(genpath('C:\path\to\wherever\you\installed\this\TopoToolbox-2'))

To remove .git-folders from the path, run

    rmpath(genpath('C:\path\to\wherever\you\installed\this\TopoToolbox-2\.git'));

To make these paths permanent, use the command

	savepath

Type doc in the command line to open the main documentation page. You'll find the TopoToolbox documentation in the section Supplemental Software.
The documentation contains several user's guides that will help you getting started. In addition, TopoToolbox functions have extensive help sections (e.g. help gradient8 or help STREAMobj/modify. An additional resource for code and examples is the TopoToolbox blog.

Version History

2.4

HyLands 1.0 added: see paper: Campforts, B. et al. (2020): HyLands 1.0: a Hybrid Landscape evolution model to simulate the impact of landslides and landslide-derived sediment on landscape evolution
Geoscientific Model Development. DOI:10.5194/gmd-13-3863-2020
new class: DIVIDEobj Paper 1 DOI: 10.5194/esurf-8-245-2020 Paper 2 DOI: 10.5194/esurf-8-261-2020
new class: PPS DOI: 10.1002/esp.5127
modification: update to ttscm to Scientific Colormaps 7.0 see Fabio Crameri's website
new function: FLOWobj/plotdbfringe
new function: FLOWobj/tfactor
new function: private in FLOWobj graydistparallel
new function: GRIDobj/diffusion
new function: GRIDobj/histogram
new function: GRIDobj/rand
new function: PPS/extractvaluesaroundpoints
new function: STREAMobj/extend2divide
new function: STREAMobj/binarize
modification: STREAMobj/modify
modification: STREAMobj/wmplot
new function: STREAMobj/loessksn
new function: STREAMobj/STREAMobj2shape
new function: STREAMobj/isequal
new function: STREAMobj/isempty
new function: STREAMobj/STREAMobj2kml
new function: STREAMobj/getlocation
new function: STREAMobj/fastscape
modification: STREAMobj/smooth
new function: STREAMobj/mnoptimvar
modification: STREAMobj/STREAMobj2cell
modification: STREAMobj/netdist and PPS/netdist
new function: STREAMobj/istrunk
modification: STREAMobj/trunk - added second output argument
modification: GRIDobj/demprofile
new function: ScaleBar
new function: xlinerel and ylinerel
new function: gif by Chad Greene see here
topoapp was removed from this version
updates to readopentopo
updates to utilities: setextent and getextent
new function: padextent
new function: ukrainecolor

2.3

Documentation in the documentation browser
new function: ttcmap for creating nice colormaps for DEMs, particularly if DEMs include topography and bathymetry
FLOWobj2gradient renamed to gradient
new function: ttscm for access to scientific colormaps; see Fabio Crameri's website
new function: mappingapp (lightweighed GUI for mapping points simultaneously in planform and profile view) still beta!
new function: FLOWobj/mapfromnal
enhancement: FLOWobj/multi2single allows area thresholding
new function: STREAMobj/getvalue
new function: STREAMobj/hillslopearea
new function: STREAMobj/zerobaselevel
new function: STREAMobj/knickpointfinder
new function: STREAMobj/stackedplotdz
new function: STREAMobj/sinuosity
new function: STREAMobj/clean
new function: STREAMobj/nal2nal
new function: STREAMobj/netdist
new function: STREAMobj/tribdir
new function: GRIDobj/clip
new function: GRIDobj/GRIDobj2im
new function: GRIDobj/getextent
new function: IOtools/readexample
renamed GRIDobj/project2GRIDobj to GRIDobj/project. In addition, the function has a number of new functionalities.
modification: STREAMobj/modify has new options for interactively modifying stream networks and to extract streams that confluence from a specified direction.
changes to readopentopo, getcoordinates, getoutline, polygon2GRIDobj, line2GRIDobj
new function: hydrosheds2FLOWobj (see in IOtools)
new function: egm96heights including the grid ww15mgh.grd that contains global geoid undulations based on the EGM96 geoid.

2.2

TTLEM is part of TopoToolbox; see our paper: Campforts, B., Schwanghart, W., Govers, G. (2017): Accurate simulation of transient landscape evolution by eliminating numerical diffusion: the TTLEM 1.0 model. Earth Surface Dynamics, 5, 47-66. DOI: 10.5194/esurf-5-47-2017
new functions for smoothing and hydrological correction: STRE

Topotoolbox

Install / Use

README