Hillshade
Hillshade simulates the illumination of a terrain surface by a hypothetical light source, creating a shaded relief image that enhances the visual perception of topographic form. It is the most widely used technique for making elevation data visually intuitive on maps.
Hillshade (also called shaded relief or analytical hillshading) is a visualization technique that calculates the illumination value for each cell in a digital elevation model based on a specified light source position, producing a grayscale raster that simulates the play of light and shadow across terrain. The result dramatically enhances the three-dimensional appearance of topographic maps, making landforms immediately recognizable.
Calculation
Hillshade is computed from the slope and aspect of each DEM cell combined with the azimuthAzimuthAzimuth is the angular measurement of direction from north, measured clockwise in degrees from 0° to 360°. It is a fu... (compass direction) and altitude (angle above the horizon) of the illumination source. The illumination value at each cell is calculated using the cosine of the incidence angle between the light source direction and the surface normal. The conventional light source position is azimuth 315 degrees (northwest) and altitude 45 degrees, which produces shadows that the human visual system interprets as terrain relief due to the assumption of overhead illumination.
Applications
Cartographers use hillshade as a basemapBasemapA basemap is the background reference layer in a web or GIS map that provides geographic context such as roads, terra... layer beneath thematic data to provide topographic context without cluttering the map with contour lines. Geologists overlay hillshade with geological maps to correlate surface features with subsurface structure. Archaeologists use hillshade from high-resolution LiDARLiDARLight Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) is a remote sensing technology that measures distances using laser pulses to crea... DEMs to reveal subtle landscape features such as ancient earthworks, foundations, and field systems hidden beneath vegetation. Multidirectional hillshade combines multiple light source directions to eliminate the directional bias of single-source illumination.
Enhancements
Advanced techniques include multidirectional hillshade, which blends illumination from several azimuths to reveal features oriented in all directions. Swiss-style relief shading adds color tinting based on elevation. Terrain visualization tools like sky-view factor and openness provide alternative representations that complement standard hillshade.
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