How to direct download / clip elevations and import them to Model Muse with Python - Tutorial

If you work often with numerical models this process will save you much time. The traditional method of downloading elevation models (Aster DEM) from websites, and reprojecting / clipping them with GIS software can be time consuming and pulls you out of other critical tasks on model conceptualization and calibrations. We have done a complete process in Python under WSL that runs Ubuntu in Windows, this platform was chosen due to the complexities of installing GDAL in Windows.

There are two scripts, one to download the images and the second to translate and clip the image. Finally the elevation are imported as a Surfer Grid File (*.grd) into a model in Model Muse.

Tutorial

Input data

You can download the input data from this link.