Elevation Histograms

There are several ways to get histograms:

  1. From Histogram choice on Raster GIS submenu on the program menu.  Settings (options form, Analysis tab for using sea level for statistics and clipping the tails) will be used for this histogram.  Elevation will be on the horizontal scale.
  2. From Analyze submenu,  Elevation histogram choice on the program menu.  Elevation will be on the vertical scale.
  3. From Moment statistics on Geomorphometry analysis from option of Analyze submenu of the program menu.  Elevation will be on the vertical scale.

For slope histograms, Create derivative grid for slope, and then treat that like elevation and use these options.

Elevation-slope plot: calculates statistics and displays a number of different graphs.


Single DEM, or all those open

Pick the graphs desired, and whether you want summary text statistics.
  • Regular Histogram:
  • Cumulative:
  • Normal probability:
  • Strahler:
  • Text

Entire DEMs, or just the current map area

Scaling for horizontal axis.

Bin size:

Histogram options

Regular histogram: plots elevation against percentage of area.
Cumulative elevation distribution: plots elevation against percentage of area at that elevation or lower. This uses an arithmetic vertical axis.
Cumulative elevation distribution: plots elevation against percentage of area at that elevation or lower, on a probability axis. This spreads out the tails of the distribution.
Cumulative Strahler curve: hypsometric integral or hypsometric curve(Strahler, 1952). Graphs proportion of total height on the y-axis, and proportion of total area on the x-axis, with both ranging from 0.0 to 1.0.

These all show the same DEM.

Last revision 4/3/2016