Terrain & Landform
Physical relief and landforms of the territory
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Incomplete
3 bundles · 7 layers · 0 findings · 0 questions
relief The continuous ground surface as measured, derived and changing over time
elevationSurface
gridded and point elevation coverages with their vertical reference
morphometry
quantities computed from the surface such as slope, aspect, curvature and roughness
surfaceChange
differences between surfaces of two epochs, uplift, subsidence, erosion and accumulation
landformInventory Discrete relief features as named, classified objects
landformTaxonomy
the classification scheme of landform kinds and their defining criteria
namedFeature
individual delineated landforms with names, extents and prominence
spatialFraming The geodetic and geometric frame in which relief is expressed
referenceSystem
horizontal and vertical coordinate reference systems, datums and epochs
regionGeometry
the footprints, tiles and region polygons that delimit described areas
Note: Legacy card: layers named, findings and questions never written.
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- World Models
- Category
- Physical world and living systems
- Entry kind
- standalone-mm
- Navigation path
- NAV.PHY.PLC.REL
- Domain
- PHY.PLC.REL
- Industry
- Cross-industry
- Tags
- terrainlandformphy.plc.rel
- Also called
- P1
What it is Derived, awaiting review
This meta-model describes the solid relief of a territory: the measured shape of the ground surface, the quantities derived from that shape (slope, aspect, curvature), and the landforms that people name, map and reason about.
Note: First sentence of the legacy card introduction.
Why it exists Filled
Physical relief and landforms of the territory
Distinguishing features Derived, awaiting review
- It is its own model because relief is a persistent physical substrate that many other models depend on but none of them owns: parcels, catchments, soils, settlements and hazards all sit on terrain and would otherwise each re-model elevation in an incompatible way.
What robots and AI may and may not do Missing, in the backlog
Not described yet. This gap is in the card backlog.
Moral aspects Missing, in the backlog
Not described yet. This gap is in the card backlog.
Owners Filled
Steward
A commons steward for territory holds the terrain register: it commissions or accepts surveys, publishes elevation surfaces and maintains the landform inventory, without claiming any right over the land itself.
Links to other meta-models Filled
references
- world.landParcelAndCadastre - parcels are located on relief, and boundary geometry is often surveyed against the same control network
- world.waterBodyAndHydrology - catchment delineation and flow direction are derived from the elevation surface published here
- world.soilAndAgriculturalLand - slope and aspect are inputs to soil capability and erosion assessment
- world.naturalPhenomenonAndHazard - slope, curvature and relative relief feed landslide and flood susceptibility characterization
- world.settlementAndUrbanForm - built form and network alignment are described against this relief frame
- world.physicalInfrastructureNetwork - built form and network alignment are described against this relief frame
aligned
- world.addressAndLocationReferencing - shared coordinate reference systems keep positions comparable across models
imports
- ogc-geosparql - ALIGN: geometry and topology vocabulary for features and regions
- inspire - ALIGN: elevation and geographical grid themes for cross-register comparability
- dem - COMPOSE: the digital elevation model product pattern for gridded height coverages
- iso-19111-crs - REFERENCE: coordinate and vertical reference system identifiers rather than local copies
requires
- vr.wm-ear-003
- vr.wm-ear-005
- vr.wm-plc-003
- vr.wm-plc-005
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Incomplete
Identity and identifiers required Derived, awaiting review
- spotHeight: a monumented or measured point of known height; key attributes: identifier, coordinates, height, datum reference, monument condition, last check date
- landformClass: a term in the landform taxonomy; key attributes: term identifier, definition, parent term, diagnostic criteria
- verticalDatum: the height reference a surface is expressed against; key attributes: identifier, realization epoch, type (geoid, ellipsoid, tidal), transformation notes
Direct properties not applicable Not applicable
Not applicable
Institutional or informational subject: no invented physical properties.
Recognition optional Missing, in the backlog
Not described yet. This gap is in the card backlog.
Capabilities and actions required Derived, awaiting review
- elevationSurveyCompleted: a measurement campaign finished and its raw observations became available
- elevationModelPublished: a new or revised height surface was issued for an area at a stated resolution and accuracy
- verticalDatumRealizationChanged: the height reference was re-realized, so previously published heights shifted
- spotHeightRemeasured: a control point was checked and its height or monument condition was updated
- landformDelineated: a relief feature was outlined and entered into the inventory
- landformReclassified: an existing feature moved to a different taxonomy term after review
- terrainChangeDetected: comparison of two epochs showed elevation gain or loss beyond the detection threshold
Legacy events listed as state transitions.
Hazards and failure modes optional Missing, in the backlog
Not described yet. This gap is in the card backlog.
Standards and interfaces required Derived, awaiting review
- elevationDataAccessContract: terms on which tiles or whole coverages are read, including resolution ceiling, redistribution rights and attribution
- derivedProductLicense: terms for publishing morphometric or visual products computed from a source surface, including required lineage statements
- surveyCommissionAgreement: terms under which a requester commissions a new survey of an area and how the resulting model enters the catalogue
- publicReliefView: hillshade, contours and coarse elevation for general use; omits raw point clouds, sensor diagnostics and per-tile accuracy internals
- engineeringTerrainExtract: full resolution clipped surface plus accuracy metadata for a defined works area; omits everything outside the requested footprint
- regionalReliefSummary: mean elevation, elevation range and slope bands per terrain region; omits geometry detail and individual features
Context of use required Filled
- Ownership records for that land live in P2 and S1, access to restricted resolutions or embargoed surveys is granted by the steward through S2 access contracts, and reads are logged in S4.
Sources Missing, in the backlog
Not described yet. This gap is in the card backlog.
Open questions
- Superseded by a researched world model? Map this legacy card to its successor or retire it.
Machine files
Provenance
legacy MMAS card (world-models v0.2) · legacy
Built from: models/world-p1-terrain-and-landform/spec.yaml, models/docs/planet-nature/P1-terrain-and-landform.md