#topographic map

Panoramic View of the Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado. U.S. Geological Survey. 1914.

𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗧𝗢 𝗠𝗔𝗞𝗘 𝗔𝗡 𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗩𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 + 𝗛𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗗𝗘 𝗠𝗔𝗣 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗙𝗜𝗟𝗘𝗦 𝗜𝗡 𝗤𝗚𝗜𝗦

𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗣 𝟭: 𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮

Go to 𝗨𝗦𝗚𝗦 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗿.

Search for your area of interest.

Download 𝗦𝗥𝗧𝗠 𝟭 𝗔𝗿𝗰-𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗘𝗠 tiles covering your region.

𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗣 𝟮: 𝗠𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝗗𝗘𝗠 𝗧𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘀 (𝗜𝗳 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹)

If you downloaded multiple tiles:

Open QGIS.

Go to 𝗥𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 → 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗼𝘂𝘀 → 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗩𝗶𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 (𝗩𝗥𝗧).

Select all DEM tiles.

Click 𝗥𝘂𝗻.

You now have a single seamless DEM.

𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗣 𝟯: 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗘𝗠 𝘁𝗼 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗕𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝘆

Open 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗯𝗼𝘅.

Search for 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗽 𝗥𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝗸 𝗟𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿.

Input layer → Your DEM (or VRT).

Mask layer → Your district/region boundary.

Click 𝗥𝘂𝗻.

Now you have a clean elevation map for your area.

𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗣 𝟰: 𝗦𝘁𝘆𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 (𝗛𝘆𝗽𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗧𝗶𝗻𝘁)

Right-click the clipped DEM → 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 → 𝗦𝘆𝗺𝗯𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆.

Choose 𝗦𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝘀𝗲𝘂𝗱𝗼𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗿.

Select a color ramp (e.g., green → yellow → brown).

Click 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗳𝘆 → Apply → OK.

This creates the elevation color variati

𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗣 𝟱: 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗛𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗱𝗲

Open 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗯𝗼𝘅.

Search for 𝗛𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗱𝗲.

Input layer → Your clipped DEM.

Click 𝗥𝘂𝗻.

𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗣 𝟲: 𝗕𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

Right-click the hillshade layer → 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀.

Under 𝗦𝘆𝗺𝗯𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆, change 𝗕𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲 to 𝗠𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗽𝗹𝘆.

Click 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 → OK.

Now you have realistic terrain relief.

𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗣 𝟳: 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀

Create a new 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲 layer.

Digitize straight lines across areas of interest.

Style them:

Red color

Dashed or dott

Slightly thicker width

These will be your cross-section lines.

𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗣 𝟴: 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘀

Go to 𝗩𝗶𝗲𝘄 → 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲.

In the Elevation Profile window:

Click 𝗔𝗱𝗱 𝗟𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀 → Add your DEM.

Click 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲 → Click along one of your profile lines.

Under 𝗦𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀, set 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘀 = 𝗞𝗶𝗹𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀.

Your elevation graph will appear.

𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗣 𝟵: 𝗔𝗱𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗟𝗮𝘆𝗼𝘂𝘁

Open 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 → 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗟𝗮𝘆𝗼𝘂𝘁.

Add your main map.

Click 𝗔𝗱𝗱 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲 (bottom-left tools).

Draw the profile frame.

In the right panel → Click 𝗖𝗼𝗽𝘆 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲.

Repeat for all cross-section lines.

𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗣 𝟭𝟬: 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗰 𝗧𝗼𝘂𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀

In the Layout, add:

Grid (with coordinates)

North arrow

Scale bar

Legend

Title

Data source

Credits