Many friends often leave messages on the MalaGIS website asking if there are free DEM data download resources. While other users have shared numerous posts on this topic—covering data sources like SRTM, ASTER GDEM, ALOS, and Copernicus DEM—these are relatively professional datasets typically manageable only by GIS practitioners. So, are there tools suitable for beginners or the general public? For instance, a tool that allows online viewing of a region's terrain with 3D rendering effects without the need to download professional GIS or 3D software? Recently, I discovered a small tool called WorldViewR and would like to share it with you.

Website Overview

WorldViewR is a web-based open-source application developed by Jonathan Callura, focusing on digital terrain modeling and export.

Official Website:

Official Website: https://www.worldviewr.com/
Author's Homepage: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcallura/

Main Features:

  1. Create Realistic 3D Terrain: WorldViewR quickly converts terrain data into 3D visual models, suitable for scenarios requiring high-quality presentation, interactive terrain experiences, or post-processing.
  2. Freely Adjust Height and Contour Lines: Users can customize the vertical exaggeration of terrain and add contour information to enhance realism and depth.
  3. Support for Multiple Export Formats: In addition to visualization, it supports exports in formats like .STL for further applications such as importing into CAD software or 3D printing.

Testing and Usage

After landing on the website, select a region of interest.

Click the "Load Elevation Data" button, and a 3D rendered model of the DEM will automatically load.

As shown in the image above, the main interface consists of three primary sections:

  1. Marker 1: Configure contour lines and their intervals.
  2. Marker 2: Set the level of terrain exaggeration.
  3. Marker 3: Export the data.

The following image shows the data exported from WorldViewR and opened in QGIS:

Data Sources

You might wonder about the data sources used by this website. Based on currently available information:

  • Elevation data is sourced from Terrain Tiles.
  • Administrative boundary data is generated using the ggplot2::map_data() function in R. Note: The boundaries for China generated by this method are incorrect.
  • Street map tiles are from OpenStreetMap.
  • Hydrological boundaries are extracted from the USGS Watershed Boundary Dataset.

Technology Stack

The website is not open-source, so detailed technical specifics are scarce. From available information, the tech stack is relatively niche, being an open-source web project primarily developed using R. The specific open-source libraries used remain unclear. As I am not very familiar with this language, interested friends are encouraged to explore further on their own.

Final Thoughts

It often occurs to me that many tools in our industry are overly professional, imposing a significant learning burden on ordinary users. I've frequently encountered situations where someone asks me how to accomplish something, and my first response is to have them install a suite of professional software. Now, it seems that user needs in some scenarios can be quite simple. Compact and user-friendly tools like WorldViewR effectively address such specific problems, and I hope to see more GIS tools in the future that lower the barrier to entry for users.

If you know of or have developed any GIS tools yourself, please feel free to share them in the comments. Thank you!