Historical digital terrain model data of the Weser Estuary (HIWEST)

The Weser estuary at the German North Sea coast serves as a fairway to the harbours of Bremerhaven and Bremen. To ensure safe shipping and navigation, the navigation channel depths are nowadays intensively monitored, and have been so in the past. These are valuable data for consulting and research purposes, and enables investigations leading to a better understanding of hydrodynamics, salt intrusion and morphological processes in the estuary, in the present as well as the past.

For recent years, thanks to modern monitoring techniques and digitalization, measuring data has been compiled to consistent digital terrain models of high quality and accuracy. For time periods before the 1990ies however, measurements were scarcer and the data are available only in form of printed bathymetrical and nautical charts.

The objective of the project “Historical system states of the Weser estuary (HIWEST)” was to:

• digitalize depths measurements starting from 1960,

• georeference the data points and

• process and compile them to digital terrain models that can be used for research and consulting.

The project was led and financed by the Federal Waterways Engineering and Research Institute (BAW). It was supported by the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) and by the German Water and Shipping Administration (WSV) who provided printed charts and scanned data sets. The smile consulting GmbH was contracted to process the data and compile digital terrain models.

One of the main challenges of the project was georeferencing. While georeferencing and projecting in the horizontal domain was comparatively straightforward, the transformation of depths below different chart datums to the Germans mean height reference system represented a challenge. This was accomplished by an algorithm considering spatial polygons provided by BSH and further meta information on the different levelling systems.

The accuracy of the data sets differs depending on the quality of the original data. Since the 1990ies, powerful measurement methods such as airborne laser scanning (ALS) and multibeam echo-sounding has led to high resolutions and high data accuracy. In past surveys, the depths were measured in single-beam echo-soundings, often along individual cross sections, and there is no information between these soundings. As a result, the older terrain models are much smoother then the newer ones and contain less detailed information. More technical details can be found in the appendix of the technical report.

The following digital terrain models (DTM, in the following the German abbreviation DGM is used) of the Lower and Outer Weser estuary were made available:

• DGM 1966, marking the situation before deepening the Outer Weser to SKN-12 m</li>

• DGM 1972, marking the situation before deepening the Lower Weser to SKN-9 m</li>

• DGM 1981, marking the situation before extensive river works in the Lower Weser</li>

• DGM 1996, marking the situation before deepening the Outer Weser to SKN-14 m</li>

• DGM 2002, marking the situation after deepening the Outer Weser to SKN-14 m, reference digital terrain model.

The years were chosen so they would represent consistent periods not affected by constructive engineering measures such as channel deepenings, and secondly based on optimal data availability. Each data set however consists not only of data from the respective year, but data had to be added from adjacent years. To close gaps, data from recent surveys were used. The data sets span the whole estuary from the North Sea to the tidal weir in the city of Bremen and are available as 1x1 m raster data sets.

How to cite the HIWEST data:

<strong style="color: red;"> The data set is only to be quoted together with the Technical Report.</strong>

Report:

Bundesanstalt für Wasserbau (2020): Historical digital terrain models of the Weser Estuary (HIWEST). Technical Report B3955.02.04.70168-6. Bundesanstalt für Wasserbau. https://henry.baw.de/handle/20.500.11970/107521

Data set:

Bundesanstalt für Wasserbau (2020): Historical digital terrain model data of the Weser Estuary (HIWEST) [Data set]. Bundesanstalt für Wasserbau. https://doi.org/10.48437/02.2020.K2.5200.0001

 
Citation proposal
Bundesanstalt für Wasserbau (2020) . Historical digital terrain model data of the Weser Estuary (HIWEST). Bundesanstalt für Wasserbau https://gdk.gdi-de.org/geonetwork/srv/api/records/b5197961-56e8-4e7f-bc35-6596341f088e
 

Simple

Alternate title
Historical digital terrain model data of the Weser Estuary (HIWEST) / Historische Daten für Systemzustände des Weser-Ästuars (HIWEST)
Date ( Publication )
2020-10-09T00:00:00.000+02:00
Date ( Creation )
2020-10-09T00:00:00.000+02:00
Identifier
https://registry.gdi-de.org/id/de.bund.baw/b5197961-56e8-4e7f-bc35-6596341f088e
Identifier
https://doi.org/10.48437/02.2020.K2.5200.0001

 

Date
Identifier
Dataset

Purpose
These is data for consulting and research purposes, and enables investigations leading to a better understanding of hydrodynamics, salt intrusion and morphological processes in the estuary, in the present as well as the past.
Status
Completed

  Publisher

Website
https://www.baw.de  

  Point of contact

Website
https://www.baw.de  

  Originator

Website
https://www.baw.de  

  Author

Website
https://www.baw.de  
Maintenance and update frequency
As needed
Update scope
Dataset
Maintenance note
The years covered by the data are 1966, 1972, 1981, 1996 and 2002. The metadata gets updated only if required.
GEMET - INSPIRE themes, version 1.0 ( Theme )
  • Höhe
UMTHES Thesaurus ( Theme )
  • Gewässervermessung
  • Topographie
  • Geomorphologie
  • Geländerelief
Keywords
  • Sea
  • Weser Estuary
  • Digital terrain model (DTM)
  • Waterways and water bodies
  • Bundeswasserstraßen-ID: 5200
  • Weser Ästuar
  • Digitales Geländemodell (DGM)
  • historisch
  • Tiefenmessung
  • Geografie
  • opendata
Keywords
  • opendata
Keywords ( Theme )
  • ENVI
Use limitation
To be used for teaching and research, not suitable for navigation.
Use constraints
Other restrictions
Other constraints
Creative Commons Namensnennung 4.0 International
Other constraints
Quellenvermerk: Bundesanstalt für Wasserbau <Jahr des Datenbezugs>
Other constraints
{"id":"CC BY 4.0","name":"Creative Commons Namensnennung 4.0 International","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.de","quelle":"Bundesanstalt für Wasserbau <Jahr des Datenbezugs>"}
Aggregate Datasetname
Association Type
crossReference Cross reference
Date
Identifier
B3955.02.04.70168
Association Type
Larger work citation
Spatial representation type
Grid
Distance
1.0  meter
Metadata language
English
Character set
UTF8
Topic category
  • Elevation
Description
The maximum and minimum heights were not determined for the metadata set. The heights change with different data sets.
Extent type code
true
Geographic identifier
Weser
N
S
E
W


Vertical extent

Minimum value
0.0
Maximum value
0.0

Vertical CS

Vertical datum

Extent type code
true
Extent type code
true
Geographic identifier
Weser, Hauptstrecke - [5201]

 

Date ( Publication )
2019-05-29

Number of dimensions
0
Cell geometry
Point
Transformation parameter availability
false
Distribution format
  • Digital terrain model (1.0 )

    Specification
    DTM
    File decompression technique
    xyz

Distributor

  Distributor

Ordering instructions
Fees: No conditions apply
OnLine resource
DGM-W_UnterAussenWeser_HiWest_1960er.zip  
OnLine resource
DGM-W_UnterAussenWeser_HiWest_1970er.zip  
OnLine resource
DGM-W_UnterAussenWeser_HiWest_1980er.zip  
OnLine resource
DGM-W_UnterAussenWeser_HiWest_1990er.zip  
OnLine resource
DGM-W_UnterAussenWeser_HiWest_2002.zip  
OnLine resource
SHA256 Prüfsummen  
Hierarchy level
Dataset

Conformance result

Date ( Publication )
2010-12-08
Explanation
Historical digital terrain models of the Weser Estuary (HIWEST). Technical Report B3955.02.04.70168-6.
Pass
true
Statement

Processing the historical bathymetries of the Weser estuary to produce consistent topographies. Derivation of digital terrain models by spatial and temporal interpolation for the years 1966, 1972, 1981, 1996 and completing the base digital terrain model 2002.

<p>List of data appendices:</p>

Technical Report, BAW (2021): Historical digital terrain models of the Weser Estuary (HIWEST).

<ul>

<li>DTM data sheet HIWEST</li>

<li>Technical Report smile consulting GmbH (2018): Aufbereitung historischer Bathymetrien der Weser zu konsistenten

DGMs (HiWest) Leistungsphasen 1-3. Hg: smile consulting GmbH, Hannover.</li>

</ul>

Description
Digital terrain model (DTM) Model A: Bathymetric data of one decade, considering only data not influenced by construction measures. Digital terrain model (DTM) corresponds to Model A from Technical Report is available. It includes bathymetric data of one decade, considering only data not influenced by construction measures. The data gaps in which no suitable data from the respective period was found, were not closed.

gmd:MD_Metadata

File identifier
b5197961-56e8-4e7f-bc35-6596341f088e   XML
Metadata language
English
Character set
UTF8
Parent identifier
914CF237-0C6B-4080-A70E-3704B230A9F0
Hierarchy level
dataset Dataset
Hierarchy level name
Sonstiges
Date stamp
2025-04-28T15:37:14.859+02:00
Metadata standard name
ISO 19115; GDI-BAW
Metadata standard version
2003(E)/Cor.1:2006(E); 1.3:2019

  Point of contact

 
 

  Overviews

Example figure of a historical digital terrain model of the Weser Estuary

  Provided by

  Views

Read here the full details and access to the data.

  Associated resources

Not available