The very low topography of southern Florida is evident in this color-coded
shaded relief map generated with data from the Shuttle Radar Topography
Mission. The image on the left is a standard view, with the green colors
indicating low elevations, rising through yellow and tan, to white at the
highest elevations. In this exaggerated view even those highest elevations
are only about 60 meters (197 feet) above sea level.
For the view on the right, elevations below 5 meters (16 feet) above sea
level have been colored dark blue, and lighter blue indicates elevations
below 10 meters (33 feet). This is a dramatic demonstration of how
Florida's low topography, especially along the coastline, make it
especially vulnerable to flooding associated with storm surges. Planners
can use data like these to predict which areas are in the most danger and
help develop mitigation plans in the event of particular flood events.
Elevation data used in this image were acquired by the Shuttle Radar
Topography Mission aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour, launched on Feb.
11, 2000. SRTM used the same radar instrument that comprised the
Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR)
that flew twice on the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1994. SRTM was designed
to collect 3-D measurements of the Earth's surface. To collect the 3-D
data, engineers added a 60-meter (approximately 200-foot) mast, installed
additional C-band and X-band antennas, and improved tracking and
navigation devices. The mission is a cooperative project between NASA,
the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) of the U.S. Department
of Defense and the German and Italian space agencies. It is managed by
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., for NASA's Science
Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C.
Location: 27 degrees north latitude, 81 degrees west longitude
Orientation: North toward the top, Mercator projection
Size: 397 by 445 kilometers (246 by 276 miles)
Image Data: shaded and colored SRTM elevation model
Date Acquired: February 2000
