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PSU DEP Topographic Wetness Index (TWI)

2020 - The Pennsylvania State University


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API
REST: https://imagery.pasda.psu.edu/arcgis/rest/services/pasda/PSU_DEP_TWI/MapServer
WMS: https://imagery.pasda.psu.edu/arcgis/services/pasda/PSU_DEP_TWI/MapServer/WMSServer?SERVICE=WMS&request=getcapabilities
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
n/a
ABSTRACT
GIS raster datasets displaying Topographic Wetness Index (TWI) for Pennsylvania by County. TWI raster datasets were derived from 2006-2008 LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) elevation points produced by the PAMAP Program. The coordinate system for blocks in the northern half of the state is Pennsylvania State Plane North (datum: NAD83, units: feet); blocks in the southern half are in Pennsylvania State Plane South. Raster spatial resolution is 9.6 ft (approximately 3 m). The TWI, also called Compound Topographic Index (CTI) or Topographic Convergence Index (TCI), is a hydrological-based topographic index that describes the tendency of a cell or area to accumulate and retain water under steady-state conditions. TWI is defined as Ln(Contributing Area/Slope angle). It balances contributing areas capturing the tendency to receive water versus slope angles capturing the tendency to evacuate water. An automated procedure was developed in ArcMap® for the TWI computation. Contributing areas (i.e. cumulative contributing area per unit contour length) were determined based on the D-Infinity model proposed by Tarboton, D. (1997). Lengths were measured considering cell size and whether the direction is adjacent or diagonal. Land surface slope was computed using the Horn’s method. The project was funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) through its Water Program. August 2020.