Height Above the Nearest

Drainage (HAND)

ICIMOD

Mr. Kiran Shakya, Kiran.shakya@gmail.com

20 September 2016

International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development

Kathmandu, Nepal
HAND
Height Above the Nearest Drainage

The HAND model normalizes the DEM according to the local

relative heights found along the drainage network, and in this
way, presents the topology of the relative local draining
potentials.

location and spatial extent of potential inundation area during

Flood.
HAND
Height Above the Nearest Drainage

Digital Elevation Models (DEM): DEMs allow us to make

calculations to describe, understand and predict water
storage and movements.
DEM derived numerical descriptors:
Work area
Flow path
Accumulated contributing area
Drainage networks
HAND (Height Above the Nearest Drainage): Hydrologically
relevant new terrain model.
HAND
Height Above the Nearest Drainage
 Digital Elevation Models
(DEM)
SINK in DEM

A sink is a cell or set of spatially connected cells

whose flow direction cannot be assigned one of
the eight valid values in a flow direction raster.
Fill SINK in DEM

Continuity in drainage network

Flow Direction

Creates a raster of
flow direction from
each cell to its
steepest downslope
neighbor.
Flow Direction
Flow Accumulation

Creates a raster of
flow direction from
each cell to its
steepest downslope
neighbor.
Drainage Network
HAND
HAND