The 15m DEM product is able to be generated from a standard ASTER Level-1B image.
Validation testing has shown that DEM's produced by Global Ore Discovery frequently are more accurate than 25 meters (RMS error in either x,y,z).
Aster 14 DMO (AST_14DMO) is a new product in the Digital Elevation Model(DEM) range.
This product is better known as the ASTER On-Demand L3 DEM and produces Orthorectified Images form this multi-file product that contains both the Digital Elevation Model (DEM), and the Orthorectified Image products. Each product delivery includes one DEM data file, and fifteen orthorectified data files in GeoTIFF format.
The ASTER Digital Elevation Model (DEM) product is generated using bands 3N (nadir-viewing) and 3B (backward-viewing) of an ASTER Level-1A image acquired by the Visible Near Infrared (VNIR) sensor. The VNIR subsystem includes two independent telescopes. Together, they produce stereoscopic data. The spectral range of the Band 3 stereo pair is between 0.78 and 0.86 µm with a base-to-height ratio of 0.6, and an intersection angle of about 27.7. There is a time lag of approximately one minute between the acquisition of the nadir and backward-viewing images.
Starting in early summer of 2006, new production software was implemented for efficiently creating quality DEMs. Based on an automated stereo-correlation method, the new software generates a relative DEM without any ground control points (GCPs), based on the ephemeris and attitude data for the ASTER instrument and the Terra spacecraft platform. The new ASTER DEM is a single-band product with 30 meter horizontal postings that is geodetically referenced to the UTM coordinate system, and referenced to the Earth's geoid using the EGM96 geopotential model. Compared to ASTER DEMs previously available, users likely will note some differences in ASTER DEMs produced by the new system, because they are now produced automatically, with no manual editing. Larger water bodies are detected and typically have a single value, but they no longer are manually edited. Any failed areas, while infrequent, remain as they occur in the data. Cloudy areas typically appear as bright regions, rather than as manually edited dark areas.
The precision of the new DEMs meets or exceeds accuracy specifications set for the ASTER relative DEMs by the Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document (ATBD). Users likely will find that these DEMs have accuracies approaching those specified in the ATBD for absolute DEMs. Validation testing has shown that the accuracy of the new DEMs is frequently better than 25 meters RMSExyz
ASTER DEM Product Output Information
| Data Fields | Units | Data Type | Valid Range |
| Single band | Meters | 16-bit signed integer | -32768 to +3276 |