Evaluating the TOPODATA digital elevation model as a source of information for cycling planning purposes: a case study for a small-sized Brazilian city

The present study aims to evaluate the TOPODATA Digital Elevation Model (DEM) as a source of relevant altimetric information for urban cycling planning. A case study was conducted in the city of Bariri-SP. The Cartographic Accuracy Standard of Digital Cartographic Products (PEC-PCD), assessed by comparing the TOPODATA altitudes with homologous altitudes surveyed by a precise satellite method (GNSS), suggests that the DEM may not be adequate for phases of cycling planning that require greater detailing of the elements to be designed. A moderate to strong positive spatial autocorrelation was observed between the DEM errors. Regarding its usability for estimating the average slopes of the road segments, however, the results suggest that TOPODATA average slopes do not differ statistically from those estimated with field-surveyed data and, for the two criteria adopted for acceptable gradient lengths for cycling, more than 82% of the road segments were classified similarly using both sources of information.