Published on 8 January 2024

swissSURFACE3D Raster

swissSURFACE3D Raster is a digital surface model (DSM) which represents the earth’s surface including visible and permanent landscape elements such as soil, natural cover, and all sorts of constructive work with the exception of power lines and masts.

The digital surface model of Switzerland

swissSURFACE^3DRaster is derived from airborne LiDAR data of swissSURFACE^3D. To model the surface, the following elements (classified LiDAR points) are used:

soil (class 2)
vegetation (class 3)
buildings (class 6)
bridges / footbridges / viaducts (class 17)
water (class 9)

To improve the surface representation of large rivers and lakes, watercourse vectors of the topographic landscape model TLM are implemented.

Applications

Runoff and mass movement models under consideration of vegetation and buildings
Production of (True)-Orthophotos
Modelling of the solar energy potential for roofs
Rendering of 3D-visualisations
Line-of-sight calculations
Biomass modelling for forestry
Canopy height models with swissALTI3D as terrain model
Disaster analysis (e.g. rock fall or debris flow events)

Additional information

Structure: The data is structured as a grid with a mesh size of 0.5m and delivered in tiles (tile size = 1 km2).
Format and file sizes
- Cloud Optimized Geotiff (COG), LZW compression
  
  ~ 16 MB / tile, 335 GB / half of Switzerland
- ASCII X,Y,Z single spaced
  ~ 60 MB / tile, 2.6 TB / half of Switzerland
- ESRI ASCII GRID (on request)
Coordinate system: LV95 - LN02
Planimetric accuracy: +/- 20cm (1 Sigma)
Altimetric accuracy: +/- 10cm (1 Sigma)
Update: After completion of the acquisition, no update is planned.
Availability: swissSURFACE^3D Raster will be available for the whole of Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein as of 2025. It will replace the current DSM product. For regions not yet covered by swissSURFACE^3D Raster, the DSM can still be ordered. We gladly accept orders via geodata@swisstopo.ch.
Almost every publication concerning swissSURFACE^3D Raster is available only in German and French. Please select your preferred language in the navigation bar, to view the desired document
- swissSURFACE3D Raster LV95 / LN02
The sample data show their type and format. They are free of charge and may be used for test purposes only. It is not permitted to include them in a product.