2.4 Extraction of Elevation Profile using SRTM or ASTER DEM

2.4.1    Stepwise Process Flow Details

-    Step 1: Install the SRTM Downloader Plugin
o    Open QGIS.
o    Go to the Plugins menu.
o    Select "Manage and Install Plugins."
o    In the Plugins dialog, search for "SRTM Downloader."
o    Click on the plugin and then click the "Install Plugin" button to install.

-    Step 2: Access the SRTM Downloader Plugin
o    Once the plugin is installed, you should see a new menu item called "SRTM Downloader" in the QGIS toolbar.
-    Step 3: Define Study Area
o    Zoom in to your study area in QGIS using the zoom and pan tools.
o    Use the rectangle or polygon selection tool to define the area you want to download the SRTM data for. You can find these selection tools in the QGIS toolbar.

-    Step 4: Run the SRTM Downloader Plugin
o    Click on the "SRTM Downloader" menu in the QGIS toolbar.
o    Login using the Earthdata user account.
o    In the SRTM Downloader dialog, choose the output folder where you want to save the downloaded data.

-    Step 5: Start the Download
o    Click the "OK" button to start the download process. The plugin will automatically download the SRTM data for the defined study area.

•    Step 6: Process the Downloaded Data
  o    Once the download is complete, the SRTM data will be available in the output folder you specified.
  o    You can now use the downloaded SRTM data for your analysis in QGIS.
  

2.4.2    Output Illustrations

Figure 6 Illustrations of extracted elevation profile, Ranchi (India)
Source – CWIS spatial analysis, Innpact Solutions and GWSC