Extract Elevation of Points from DEM using Python QGIS or GRASS

Question

I am utterly new to GIS, so please bear with me if I am providing incomplete information here.

I have a DEM file (.dt2). What I am looking to do is as follows:

take a series of points specified as lat, long
calculate their elevations using the DEM data
Output these points in as a list of ECEF coords

I need to do this in either GRASS or QGIS (using Python scripting, not the GUI).

I don't need a complete working code. I am only looking to be pointed in the right direction.

look at Python Script for getting elevation difference between two points: how to extract the elevation values of a DEM and treat these values in Python — gene, Apr 01 '15 at 06:13
I was hoping for a much more high level way of doing this. Please post your response as an answer. I'll hold out for a bit longer for an answer that uses QGIS API or GRASS. If nothing of that nature materializes I will accept your answer. — balajeerc, Apr 01 '15 at 11:34
Perhaps gdallocationinfo http://www.gdal.org/gdallocationinfo.html executed with Python could be useful for you. — user30184, Apr 01 '15 at 12:53

score 5 · Accepted Answer · edited Apr 13 '17 at 12:34

If you want to do that with PyQGIS, the def Val_raster(x,y,layer,bands,gt) of Python Script for getting elevation difference between two points becomes:

def Val_raster(point,raster):
  return raster.dataProvider().identify(point,QgsRaster.IdentifyFormatValue).results().values()

for point in points.getFeatures():
       geompt = point.geometry().asPoint()
       print print Val_raster(geompt,DEM)
[169.21]
[268.65]
[200.43]

with a multiband raster (R,G,B values) the results are, for example

[203.0, 177.0, 202.0]
[194.0, 181.0, 199.0]
[109.0, 85.0, 101.0]

Or you can use GRASS command v.drape :

In the QGIS console (processing):

processing.alghelp("grass:v.drape")

In GRASS GIS with grass.script (GRASS 6.4.x, GRASS 7.x ) or Pygrass (GRASS 7.x)

That QGIS snippet was exactly what I was looking for. Thanks! — balajeerc, Apr 02 '15 at 07:22

score 1 · Answer 2 · answered Apr 03 '15 at 10:19

I would point out, in addition, that the GRASS model, v.what.rast takes a point layer and raster layer as input and uploads the raster values to a given attrib column for all points. To run this in the python console (within a GRASS session) you would do something like:

import os
import grass.script as grass

input_points = "<your point list>"
input_dem = "<your elevation raster>"
# Prepare names for the GRASS vector and raster
pts, ext = os.path.splitext(input_points)
dem, ext = os.path.splitext(input_dem)

# Set the x,y values and separator as appropriate in the input list of locations
grass.run_command('v.in.ascii', input=input_points, output=pts, x=1,y=2, separator=comma)
grass.run_command('r.in.gdal' input=input_dem, output=dem)
grass.run_command('v.db.addtable', map=pts, columns="elev double precision")
grass.run_command('v.what.rast', map=pts, raster=dem, column='elev')

Extract Elevation of Points from DEM using Python QGIS or GRASS

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