ANALYSIS OF THE HEADWATER BASINS ’ MORPHOLOGY BY HIGH- RESOLUTION LIDAR-DERIVED DTM

High resolution topographic data have the potential to differentiate the main morphological features of a landscape. For the purpose of this study the Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) ranging between 1m and 20m (cell size) were derived from the last pulse LiDAR data by filtering the vegetation points. We tested the effects of different resolutions in the analysis of river morphology, and potential slope stability. The study was conducted in two headwater catchments located in the eastern Italian Alps where a high-quality set of LiDAR data was available. The results indicated for higher DTM resolutions an improved effectiveness in the recognition of river morphology. Otherwise the progressive finer DTM resolution does not necessarily improve the interpretation of slope stability processes especially if landslides occur at a spatial scale significantly greater than cell size