Calculate volumes from a DEM in QGIS

This video demonstrates how to calculate the volume below a specified elevation in a DEM in QGIS. The Raster surface volume tool from the Processing Toolbox was used. The results were verified using an approach with map algebra and zonal statistics.
This video is part of IHE Delft OpenCourseWare. For more free GIS materials check: www.gisopencour...

[@abhimanyukumarbarnwal4616]

Please help in drawing area capacity curve using QGIS for dam reservoir.

[@chinmay3665]

How can we impliment cut and fill analysis and get the highlighted areas that are needed to be cut out and the one needed to be filled?? Thank you.

[@LauraKing-v6p]

Hello, and thank you! This is a great video. I am trying to work out volumes for water behind a dam in a wetland at 5cm elevation increases, and the volumes generated are much higher than expected - and bigger than my back of the envelope checks. The LiDAR data is at 1m resolution. Any thoughts on why this might be? Thank you :)

[@suneelkumarahirwar5189]

Finally our request is accepted, I am very happy...This video is very helpful for me...thank u very much sir..Please keep Up...

[@romarssieverything9667]

I was doing this for a reservoir, and I chose the option above base level and got 43 which is i guess in cubic meter. This feels way too low. Do you know why I got that low of a value?

[@georges2796]

Bedankt hans, ik ben een pix4d maar zeker ook een qgis fan. ik gebruikte meer qgis om multispectrale beelden te bewerken maar dit extra is super!

[@miraliabbas9267]

My volume and area units are degree square and cube.. how can i change it into meters

[@HansvanderKwast]

You can only do DEM analysis when you reproject to a projected coordinate system in meters prior to the analysis. You can't use a Geographic Coordinate System like EPSG:4326 with lat/lon coordinates in degrees

[@lucabellani3442]

Very Very Great! Grazie!

[@ingthoringason6900]

i was going to like but you have 69 likes and i dont want to ruin that

[@Duenenfelder]

Nowadays, there is also the "Volume Calculation Tool" plugin, which performs this and similar tasks really nicely!

[@HansvanderKwast]

I see it's a plugin. I'll check it out. Thanks.

[@songhyunchoi2516]

This is very useful. Thank you so much.

[@faridboussaa3010]

Excellent ! Thank you so much

[@sunilkumarpanday969]

In my analysis volume is zero

[@park_cupd4621]

Same here! Did u get the answer how to fix it?

[@sunilkumarpanday969]

@@park_cupd4621 not yet

[@marichrisebrada8130]

Hi! Can we also use this in calculating the volume and area of a lava flow using a DEM?

[@HansvanderKwast]

Yes, you can use it in a similar way if you have a DEM of the lava flow.

[@mluy1815]

Very nice Hans, thank you very much. I have been looking for a way to do this for quite a while. How would you go about looking for a volume change between two DEM models? So say the mine has operated for a couple of years and you have the survey data for both.

[@HansvanderKwast]

If you want to know the volume difference between 2 DEM's, I would run the tool for both DEM's for the same absolute elevation to calculate the volume below that level and then subtract the values.

[@periruke]

I think the easiest way would be to create difference of DEMs using raster calculator (t2-t1), and then apply raster surface volume to that difference. You can then iterate volume calculation 2 times to get cut and fill volumes (choose above 0 for fill and below for cut). You can inspect volume difference visually using qgis2threejs plugin.

[@Raghavk9]

How do I do it for a small crater on a volcano? its giving me zero

[@HansvanderKwast]

It should be the same method.

[@Raghavk9]

@@HansvanderKwast 'm getting a zero, Do you think there might be a problem with the base level? Do I have to somehow specify the heights of the edges and the depth of the base of the crater?

[@DeepakSharma-ib4bp]

Very impressive and use full trick but can you upload another video for same process in erdas imagine ?

[@HansvanderKwast]

Sorry. I only do open source software. It can do the job perfectly. I can't afford an expensive Erdas Imagine license like you apparently have.

[@DeepakSharma-ib4bp]

@@HansvanderKwast thanks for your reply and really appreciate your ethics, even i also dont have the personal licence it of my employer 😉 however can you make another video on same subject because in the video process and steps are not clear my bad.

[@HansvanderKwast]

@@DeepakSharma-ib4bp Have you checked Tutorial 7 of the Advanced Tutorials at GIS OpenCourseWare: courses.gisopencourseware.org/course/view.php?id=10 It's only applicable to QGIS with PyQGIS. Code available there too. For other software check with others.

[@DeepakSharma-ib4bp]

@@HansvanderKwast not yet but thanks for sharing the link thank you once again

[@pitruchhaya]

Hi Hans. Is it possible if you could post videos with HD 720p as I was unable to look at it even with 480p on my mobile? Anyways, nice video as always. Thanks

[@HansvanderKwast]

Why would you think I would upload at a low resolution? It's your connection, because I always upload at min. HD720.

[@pitruchhaya]

@@HansvanderKwast Is it?? I only had 3 options till 480p and it was slightly blur. Thanks.

[@igotyoubeat]

very good video, i am using QGIS to calculate volumes with drones. What an amazing tool. I have a question. my base layer of the stockpile is at 224ft elevation, I clipped a mask around just the pile. Im guessing the base layer should be set to 224 when calculating the "count only above above base level" method

[@HansvanderKwast]

I think that's correct.