LiDAR Mod5 GeneratingContours

How to Generate Contours in ArcGIS for Desktop
This tutorial will show you how to generate contour lines from the LiDAR
Image Services located at: http://lidar.geodata.md.gov/imap/rest/services,
using ArcGIS for Desktop (requires Spatial Analyst extension). After the
contour lines are generated, you will learn how to build an index and symbolize the lines
appropriately.
What are contour lines?
Contour lines are vector features used to represent the landscape in a relatively familiar way.
A contour is a line through all contiguous points of equal value.
When are contour lines appropriate?
Contour lines are used as a familiar media for representing the elevations of a land surface
above sea level. These lines are typically used for basemaps and general topographic
representation; contour lines do this appropriately.
Contours should not, on the other hand, be used for analyzing the surface elevations above
and beyond for aesthetic purposes. Users who require the raw data, countywide DEMs are
available for download from the MD iMAP LiDAR Download page.
First we will need to connect to the MD iMAP Maryland LiDAR Topography Server, for more
information please follow this link to learn How to Access Maryland LiDAR Image Services.
Comparing Raw vs Smooth Contour Lines
Generating Contour Lines in ArcGIS for Desktop
Building Contour Index Lines
How to Generate Contours in ArcGIS for Desktop | MD DoIT GIO Page 1 of 13

Comparing Raw vs Smooth Contour Lines
1. Typically when someone mentions

contours lines, the first thing they think of is
a topographic map with smooth, rounded
curves. See example >>>
2. The problem with the sample show above

resides with the fact that it inaccurately
represents the land surface.
If we were to generate contour lines from a
raw DEM, we would expect something like:
See example >>>
3. If smooth contour lines are the desired final product, we must generate contours that are
data-driven. This is critical to preserving the data’s accuracy and minimizing the level of
error. DO NOT generate contours and smooth the vector lines after they are built; this
method does not determine the direction and level of smoothing based on the DEM. This
incorrect method of smoothing is not data-driven and therefore nullifies the accuracy of our
data.
The appropriate method for generating smooth data-driven contour lines is by smoothing
the input DEM using the focal statistics tool in ArcGIS. This output will be data-driven and
will allow us to build contours at different levels of smoothness; leaving the control at the
user’s hand.

Generating Contour Lines in ArcGIS for Desktop
1. Open ArcMap.
2. Check out Spatial Analyst Extension:
3. Add the desired Image Service to your map.

For more information on accessing Maryland LiDAR image services,
please read How to Access Maryland LiDAR Image Services.
4. Extract the area of interest for local processing.

For more information on the image service extraction process, please read
How to Extract from Image Services in ArcGIS for Desktop.
5. This step assumes you are working with the DEM_m product and need to convert it to feet
elevation units first. If you already have your DEM in the appropriate elevation units, click
here to skip ahead.
Using the [Search] tool [ ], locate and open the Raster Calculator tool.
You can also locate the “Raster Calculator” tool in the “Spatial Analyst Tools” toolbox

6. Using the “Layers and Variables” section of the tool, double click your variable (input raster
dataset). Using the calculator in the tool, multiply the raster by 3.28084.
Make sure to follow proper syntax. Select your output workspace and output raster name.
Click [OK] to run calculation.
Note: The LiDAR data in Maryland needs Quality Level 2 (QL2) specifications, with NVA
(NonVegetated Vertical Accuracy) at 95% Confidence Interval, of less than or equal to
19.6cm. Our conversion to the 5th decimal place is well within the accepted level of
accuracy for the QL2 data we are working with.
7. In order to create smooth contour lines, we first need to smooth our DEM to ensure the
vector output is data-driven. The most efficient way of doing this in ArcGIS is by using the
Focal Statistics tool in the Spatial Analyst toolbox.

8. Using the [Search] tool [ ], locate and open the Focal Statistics tool.
You can also locate the “Focal Statistics” tool in the “Spatial Analyst Tools” toolbox.
9. Set your “Input Raster”: DEM_ft

Set your “Output Raster”: DEM_ft_FOCAL
Note: (Name this output appropriately – You will not want to use this output raster for
anything other than generating your smooth contours… Make sure this layer is not used for
any other processing that requires the original DEM for input)
Set your “Neighborhood Settings”: In this example we are using 7x7 for the smoothing.
Leave the rest default and click [OK]

10. You may not notice any visible difference between your DEM_ft raster and the
DEM_ft_FOCAL raster.
The output raster is created by calculating for each input cell, the average of the values
within the specified neighborhood. For a 7x7 neighborhood, each cell has been calculated
to equal the average of the 49 cells surrounding it.
11. With this new raster, “DEM_ft_FOCAL” we can now generate smooth contour lines.
Using the [Search] tool [ ], locate and open the Contour tool.
You can also locate the “Contour” tool in the “Spatial Analyst Tools” toolbox.
12. Set your “Input Raster”: DEM_ft_FOCAL

Set your “Output polyline features”: CT_7x7
Note: Contour lines can be very large depending on your AOI (area of interest). Therefore
it is recommended to work within a File GDB in ArcGIS. Countywide contour lines at 1ft
intervals can easily exceed the 2GB limitation set on shapefiles.
Set your “Contour Interval”: 1
leave the rest as default and click [OK]

13. Now run the same tool, but this time we will change the “Input Raster” to produce the raw
contours (use the DEM_ft without the applied focal statisitc)
Set your “Input Raster”: DEM_ft

Set your “Output polyline features”: CT_raw
Note: Contour lines can be very large depending on your AOI (area of interest). Therefore
it is recommended to work within a File GDB in ArcGIS. Countywide contour lines at 1ft
intervals can easily exceed the 2GB limitation set on shapefiles.
Set your “Contour Interval”: 1
leave the rest as default and click [OK].
Compare the results below:
CT_7x7
CT_raw

Building Contour Index Lines
1. Indexing your contours after they have been generated is an efficient way to setup labels
and symbology across different intervals.
2. Open the attribute table for your contour line feature class; click “Options” [ ] > “Add
Field…”
Name the new field, “Index”
click [OK]
3. Right click the new field in the attribute table, scroll down and select “Field Calculator”

4. If you are outside of an editing session, click [Yes] when prompted or begin an editing
session prior to calculating the new field.
5. For this example, we will calculate the 10ft index:

Double click “Contour” under the Fields section to add it to the expression with proper
syntax.
Type in a space, and type “mod” (without quotations).
After “mod”, type another space, then “(10)” (without quotations).
[Contour] mod (10)
Click [OK]

6. In computing, the modulo operation returns the remainder of a number after dividing it by
another. In our expression we set a modulo of 10, returning a value of 0 for any number
that is divisible by 10. Querying the “Index” field for all values of 0 will give us the 10ft
index, or intervals, of our contour lines.
Open the attribute table for your contour line feature

class; click “Options” [ ] > “Select by
Attributes…”
Type the expression:

Index = 0
Click [Apply]
With our 10ft index lines selected, we can create a

new layer from the selected features, symbolize and
label the index contours.
7. Open the layer properties for the contour feature class > Navigate to the Symbology tab.

8. Select “Unique Values” under “Categories” in the Symbology tab of the layer properties:
9. Select “Index” from the “Value Field” dropdown menu:
Click “Add Values” [ ] and select the Index (0) features.
10. Double click the symbol for your added value “Index(0)”
Set line color and width for index lines.
11. Navigate to the “Labels” tab of the properties window:
12. Check the box for “Label features in this layer”

Select the method “Define classes of features and label each class differently”.
13. Click “SQL Query” [ ] to write the expression for labelling our index

14. Using our same expression “Index = 0”, set the labelling definition for the contour index:
Click [OK]
15. Close layer properties > Inspect map for labels and symbology:

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
For more information about Maryland LiDAR, please visit the Maryland LiDAR Overview page
For more information about additional training opportunities, please visit the MD iMAP Training
Overview page, or contact Lisa Lowe, Senior GIS Analyst with the Maryland Department of
Information Technology, Geographic Information Office at [email protected].
For additional MD iMAP datasets, please visit the GIS Data Catalog
For all other inquiries related to Maryland LiDAR, please contact the GIO Office at
[email protected].

LiDAR Mod5 GeneratingContours

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

LiDAR Mod5 GeneratingContours

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

LiDAR Mod5 GeneratingContours

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

How to Generate Contours in ArcGIS for Desktop

What are contour lines?

When are contour lines appropriate?

Comparing Raw vs Smooth Contour Lines

Generating Contour Lines in ArcGIS for Desktop

Building Contour Index Lines

How to Generate Contours in ArcGIS for Desktop | MD DoIT GIO Page 1 of 13

1. Typically when someone mentions

2. The problem with the sample show above

How to Generate Contours in ArcGIS for Desktop | MD DoIT GIO Page 2 of 13

2. Check out Spatial Analyst Extension:

3. Add the desired Image Service to your map.

4. Extract the area of interest for local processing.

How to Generate Contours in ArcGIS for Desktop | MD DoIT GIO Page 3 of 13

How to Generate Contours in ArcGIS for Desktop | MD DoIT GIO Page 4 of 13

9. Set your “Input Raster”: DEM_ft

How to Generate Contours in ArcGIS for Desktop | MD DoIT GIO Page 5 of 13

12. Set your “Input Raster”: DEM_ft_FOCAL

How to Generate Contours in ArcGIS for Desktop | MD DoIT GIO Page 6 of 13

Set your “Input Raster”: DEM_ft

Compare the results below:

How to Generate Contours in ArcGIS for Desktop | MD DoIT GIO Page 7 of 13

How to Generate Contours in ArcGIS for Desktop | MD DoIT GIO Page 8 of 13

5. For this example, we will calculate the 10ft index:

[Contour] mod (10)

How to Generate Contours in ArcGIS for Desktop | MD DoIT GIO Page 9 of 13

Open the attribute table for your contour line feature

Type the expression:

With our 10ft index lines selected, we can create a

How to Generate Contours in ArcGIS for Desktop | MD DoIT GIO Page 10 of 13

9. Select “Index” from the “Value Field” dropdown menu:

Click “Add Values” [ ] and select the Index (0) features.

11. Navigate to the “Labels” tab of the properties window:

12. Check the box for “Label features in this layer”

How to Generate Contours in ArcGIS for Desktop | MD DoIT GIO Page 11 of 13

How to Generate Contours in ArcGIS for Desktop | MD DoIT GIO Page 12 of 13

How to Generate Contours in ArcGIS for Desktop | MD DoIT GIO Page 13 of 13

You might also like