{"id":2968405,"date":"2026-06-02T08:00:01","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T15:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/?post_type=blog&#038;p=2968405"},"modified":"2026-06-02T08:39:55","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T15:39:55","slug":"identify-ridges-valleys-and-hydrographic-features-from-elevation-surfaces-using-the-top-hat-transform-tool","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/spatial-analyst\/analytics\/identify-ridges-valleys-and-hydrographic-features-from-elevation-surfaces-using-the-top-hat-transform-tool","title":{"rendered":"Identify ridges, valleys, and hydrographic features from elevation surfaces using the Top Hat Transform tool"},"author":5751,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":""},"categories":[23341,37101,22851],"tags":[42181,24981,23391],"industry":[],"product":[421922,36561,37031],"class_list":["post-2968405","blog","type-blog","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-analytics","category-announcements","category-national-government","tag-arcgis-pro","tag-hydro","tag-spatial-analytics","product-arcgis","product-arcgis-pro","product-spatial-analyst"],"acf":{"authors":[{"ID":5751,"user_firstname":"Xuguang","user_lastname":"Wang","nickname":"Xuguang Wang","user_nicename":"waxg","display_name":"Xuguang Wang","user_email":"xuguang_wang@esri.com","user_url":"","user_registered":"2018-03-02 00:17:35","user_description":"Xuguang is a Product Engineer in the Spatial Analysis and Data Science team. He works with colleagues to design, develop and maintain geoprocessing tools with a focus in Raster Analysis.","user_avatar":"<img data-del=\"avatar\" src='https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2018\/07\/xgpic-1.jpg' class='avatar pp-user-avatar avatar-96 photo ' height='96' width='96'\/>"},{"ID":337362,"user_firstname":"Sydney","user_lastname":"Walker","nickname":"Sydney Walker","user_nicename":"swalker","display_name":"Sydney Walker","user_email":"swalker@esri.com","user_url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/?s=#&amp;author=swalker","user_registered":"2023-04-17 17:02:07","user_description":"Sydney is a Product Engineer on the Spatial Analyst team at Esri, working on tools for hydrologic, terrain, and distance analyses. Her primary interest is in the application of GIS for solving problems in sustainable development, water resource management, and climate change impacts.","user_avatar":"<img data-del=\"avatar\" src='https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/04\/NewHeadshot-465x465.jpg' class='avatar pp-user-avatar avatar-96 photo ' height='96' width='96'\/>"},{"ID":246232,"user_firstname":"Tania","user_lastname":"Lopez-Cantu","nickname":"Tania Lopez-Cantu","user_nicename":"tlopezcantu","display_name":"Tania Lopez-Cantu","user_email":"tlopezcantu@esri.com","user_url":"","user_registered":"2021-07-02 17:07:13","user_description":"Tania Lopez-Cantu is a Senior Product Engineer in the Raster Analysis team at Esri. She works with raster and scientific multidimensional data to solve problems in water resources management and climate change impacts. Her role at Esri includes conducting research, building and maintaining tools for hydrological and terrain analysis. She holds a Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University.","user_avatar":"<img data-del=\"avatar\" src='https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2022\/10\/tanialopez-cantu_tan11562-465x465.jpg' class='avatar pp-user-avatar avatar-96 photo ' height='96' width='96'\/>"}],"short_description":"This blog introduces the new Top Hat Transform tool in ArcGIS Pro 3.7. ","flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<p>When building elevation-derived hydrography workflows, knowing exactly where channels and dams sit on the landscape is critical\u2014ArcGIS Pro 3.7 now gives you a direct way to find them.<\/p>\n<p>The new Top Hat Transform tool, added to the Surface toolset in the Spatial Analyst toolbox, extracts these structures straight from an elevation raster. It applies top hat transformations (Rodriguez et al, 2002) on the input surface raster and creates an output raster that records the height or depth of the spatial structures at each cell location.<\/p>\n<h2><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Extract ridges and valleys<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Ridges and valleys are common landforms on elevation surfaces. On high-resolution (such as 1-meter cell size) digital elevation models (DEMs), various hydrographic features, such as dams, small streams, and water channels, are also captured in precise detail. The following is a 3D view of a 1-meter resolution DEM near the Congaree National Park in South Carolina, showing various landforms along with the hydrographic features:<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":2968406,"id":2968406,"title":"top_hat_transform_DEM_3d","filename":"top_hat_transform_DEM_3d.png","filesize":243028,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/05\/top_hat_transform_DEM_3d.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/spatial-analyst\/analytics\/identify-ridges-valleys-and-hydrographic-features-from-elevation-surfaces-using-the-top-hat-transform-tool\/top_hat_transform_dem_3d","alt":"","author":"5751","description":"","caption":"","name":"top_hat_transform_dem_3d","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":2968405,"date":"2026-05-30 23:15:30","modified":"2026-05-30 23:15:30","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":455,"height":395,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/05\/top_hat_transform_DEM_3d-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/05\/top_hat_transform_DEM_3d.png","medium-width":301,"medium-height":261,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/05\/top_hat_transform_DEM_3d.png","medium_large-width":455,"medium_large-height":395,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/05\/top_hat_transform_DEM_3d.png","large-width":455,"large-height":395,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/05\/top_hat_transform_DEM_3d.png","1536x1536-width":455,"1536x1536-height":395,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/05\/top_hat_transform_DEM_3d.png","2048x2048-width":455,"2048x2048-height":395,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/05\/top_hat_transform_DEM_3d.png","card_image-width":455,"card_image-height":395,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/05\/top_hat_transform_DEM_3d.png","wide_image-width":455,"wide_image-height":395}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<p>The Top Hat Transform tool supports extracting two types of structures, which correspond to the two options in the <strong>Analysis Type<\/strong> parameter\u2014<strong>Ridge<\/strong> and <strong>Valley<\/strong>. With the <strong>Ridge<\/strong> analysis type, the structures that are taller than their surroundings (such as mountain ridges, dams, and bridges) are extracted. With the <strong>Valley<\/strong> analysis type, the structures that are lower than their surroundings (such as narrow channels and valleys) are extracted.<\/p>\n<h2><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Control the size and width of the spatial structures<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">You can control the shape and size of the structures that the tool will detect by defining the input neighborhood. In general, the size or width of the objects detected by the tool is smaller than the size of the input neighborhood. By specifying a small input neighborhood (such as 3 by 3 or 9 by 9), the tool will not only run fast but also identify narrow structures (such as channels or dams) to represent the positions of the hydrographic features. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">An example\u00a0with\u00a0hydrographic features<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:278}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Using the 1-meter resolution DEM near the Congaree National Park as input, the results created by the Top Hat Transform tool highlight the hydrographic features, as shown in the following figure: (a) the input surface raster with 1-meter resolution. (b) the output raster created by the <strong>Ridge<\/strong> analysis type with an input rectangular neighborhood of 9 rows and 9 columns, where the dams and bridges are highlighted. (c) the output raster created by the <strong>Valley<\/strong> analysis type using the same input neighborhood, where the water channels are highlighted.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":2968407,"id":2968407,"title":"top_hat_transform_input_output","filename":"top_hat_transform_input_output.png","filesize":217235,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/05\/top_hat_transform_input_output.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/spatial-analyst\/analytics\/identify-ridges-valleys-and-hydrographic-features-from-elevation-surfaces-using-the-top-hat-transform-tool\/top_hat_transform_input_output","alt":"","author":"5751","description":"","caption":"","name":"top_hat_transform_input_output","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":2968405,"date":"2026-05-30 23:17:19","modified":"2026-05-30 23:17:19","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":900,"height":318,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/05\/top_hat_transform_input_output-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/05\/top_hat_transform_input_output.png","medium-width":464,"medium-height":164,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/05\/top_hat_transform_input_output.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":271,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/05\/top_hat_transform_input_output.png","large-width":900,"large-height":318,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/05\/top_hat_transform_input_output.png","1536x1536-width":900,"1536x1536-height":318,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/05\/top_hat_transform_input_output.png","2048x2048-width":900,"2048x2048-height":318,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/05\/top_hat_transform_input_output-826x292.png","card_image-width":826,"card_image-height":292,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/05\/top_hat_transform_input_output.png","wide_image-width":900,"wide_image-height":318}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<p>Since the output raster from the <strong>Valley<\/strong> analysis type contains the depth information, it can also be used in estimating the volume of incised materials in a channel (Rodriguez et al, 2002).<span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Learn more<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">For more\u00a0information\u00a0on how the Top Hat Transform tool works, visit\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/doc.esri.com\/en\/arcgis-pro\/latest\/tool-reference\/spatial-analyst\/how-top-hat-transform-works.html\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">How Top Hat Transform works<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Reference<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Rodriguez, F., E. Maire, P.<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u202f<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Courjault-Rade, and J.<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u202f<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Darrozes. 2002. The Black Top Hat function applied to a DEM: A tool to estimate recent incision in a mountainous watershed (Estibere<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u202f<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Watershed, Central Pyrenees).\u202f<\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Geophysical Research Letters<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u202f29(6): 9.1\u20139.4.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n"}],"related_articles":[{"ID":2742892,"post_author":"337362","post_date":"2025-05-13 09:00:26","post_date_gmt":"2025-05-13 16:00:26","post_content":"","post_title":"Analyze terrain with the new Multiscale Surface tools in ArcGIS","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"analyze-terrain-with-the-new-multiscale-surface-tools-in-arcgis","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-05-14 11:16:21","post_modified_gmt":"2025-05-14 18:16:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/?post_type=blog&#038;p=2742892","menu_order":0,"post_type":"blog","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":1881242,"post_author":"246232","post_date":"2023-03-22 09:00:42","post_date_gmt":"2023-03-22 16:00:42","post_content":"","post_title":"Classify terrain with the new Geomorphon Landforms tool","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"classify-terrain-with-the-new-geomorphon-landforms-tool","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-03-23 15:41:06","post_modified_gmt":"2023-03-23 22:41:06","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/?post_type=blog&#038;p=1881242","menu_order":0,"post_type":"blog","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":1143922,"post_author":"139981","post_date":"2021-02-18 17:00:42","post_date_gmt":"2021-02-19 01:00:42","post_content":"","post_title":"New Surface Analysis Capabilities in ArcGIS Pro 2.7","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"new-slope-aspect-curvature","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2021-03-22 16:01:41","post_modified_gmt":"2021-03-22 23:01:41","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/?post_type=blog&#038;p=1143922","menu_order":0,"post_type":"blog","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"show_article_image":true,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/06\/TopHatTransform_banner.png","wide_image":false},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.9 (Yoast SEO v25.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Identify ridges, valleys, and hydrographic features from elevation surfaces using the Top 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