Topography techniques

thumb|upright=1.7| thumb|right|Animation reveals oceanic floors and seabeds. Continental shelves appear mostly by a depth of 140 meters, [[mid-ocean ridges by 3000 meters, and oceanic trenches at depths beyond 6000 meters.]] thumb|right|A seafloor map captured by NASA

research effort to generate a digital topographic database of Earth

Chorography (from χῶρος khōros, "place" and γράφειν graphein, "to write") is the art of describing or mapping a region or district, and by extension such a description or map. This term derives from the writings of the ancient geographer Pomponius Mela and Ptolemy, where it meant the geographical description of regions. However, its resonances of meaning have varied at different times. Richard Helgerson states that "chorography defines itself by opposition to chronicle. It is the genre devoted to place, and chronicle is the genre devoted to time". Darrell Rohl prefers a broad definition of "th

Geomorphometry, or geomorphometrics ( + + ), is the science and practice of measuring the characteristics of terrain, the shape of the surface of the Earth, and the effects of this surface form on human and natural geography. It gathers various mathematical, statistical and image processing techniques that can be used to quantify morphological, hydrological, ecological and other aspects of a land surface. Common synonyms for geomorphometry are geomorphological analysis (after geomorphology), terrain morphometry, terrain analysis, and land surface analysis. Geomorphometrics is the discipline ba

thumb|330px|Example of instruments used for conducting forest inventories (rugged laptop, GPS and [[laser rangefinder).]]