DIGITAL ELEVATION MODEL

DEM Software for Large Digital Elevation Models

STREAM is a high-performance desktop DEM viewer and analysis tool. It streams gigabyte-scale digital elevation models straight from GeoTIFF, so you can pan, zoom and measure across a whole survey without waiting for the file to load — and turn the elevation surface into real engineering results.

What is a DEM (Digital Elevation Model)?

A Digital Elevation Model (DEM) is a raster grid where each cell stores a ground elevation. It is the base layer for almost every terrain workflow — volumes, cross-sections, slope, hydrology and contours are all derived from it.

A DEM (bare-earth) is often distinguished from a DSM (Digital Surface Model, which includes buildings and vegetation) and a DTM (Digital Terrain Model). STREAM opens all of them and computes on the elevation surface directly.

DEM Software in STREAM

Stream gigabyte DEMs

Out-of-core streaming loads only the area you are looking at in full detail, so hundreds of MB — even GB — of DEM open without lag.

GPU terrain rendering

A Vulkan compute raycaster renders the elevation surface in 2D and 3D at full resolution, with shaded relief and color ramps.

Measure & compute on the DEM

Distance, area, elevation, cut/fill volume, cross-sections and stockpiles are all measured directly from the DEM surface.

Analyze the terrain

Run slope, aspect, viewshed, hydrology, contour and sun & shadow analysis on the DEM and save the results as raster or vector.

Supported formats

GeoTIFF
Georeferenced elevation raster (primary DEM format)
ASC / DEM
ESRI ASCII grid and common DEM grids
LAS / LAZ
Point clouds rasterized to a DEM on import

Frequently asked questions

What DEM file formats does STREAM support?

STREAM opens GeoTIFF elevation rasters, ESRI ASCII grids (.asc) and common DEM grids, and can rasterize LAS/LAZ point clouds into a DEM on import.

How large a DEM can STREAM open?

STREAM is built for gigabyte-scale DEMs. It streams data out-of-core and converts it to a fast internal format on first load, so large models stay responsive and reopen in seconds.

Does STREAM work offline?

Yes. STREAM runs entirely on your computer; the DEM never leaves your machine and no internet connection is required.

Try DEM in STREAM

Free beta for Windows x64. Works fully offline with GeoTIFF, LAS/LAZ and DXF.

Download STREAM free