Geomorphometric Analysis using Whitebox Tool

Purpose

The purpose of this tutorial is to provide a clear and practical introduction to conducting a full geomorphometric analysis using WhiteboxTools within QGIS. This guide is designed for students, researchers, geoscientists, environmental analysts, and anyone working with terrain data. By following the step-by-step workflow, users will learn how to preprocess a DEM, extract primary and secondary terrain attributes, and visualize landforms using free, open-source tools. The resulting geomorphometric products can enhance understanding of the topography, structure, and processes shaping a study area, and are suitable for use in academic reports, research publications, and applied geospatial projects

Introduction

What is the geomorphometric

Geomorphometry is the science of quantitatively measuring and analyzing the physical features of the Earth’s surface. It focuses on extracting numerical parameters—such as slope, aspect, curvature, roughness, and landform indices—from Digital Elevation Models (DEMs). The goal is to describe terrain in a mathematically precise way, allowing researchers to model processes, compare landscapes objectively, and automate landform classification. In geomorphometry, every element of the terrain is expressed using measurable values, for example the slope expressed in degrees or percent rise, curvature expressed as concave or convex values, or drainage indices extracted using computational algorithms.

Advantages of Geomorphometric Analysis

Conducting a geomorphometric analysis offers major advantages for geomatics and environmental research. It transforms raw elevation data into quantifiable, reproducible metrics, enabling precise terrain interpretation that is impossible through visual observation alone. These quantitative outputs support a wide range of applications, including hydrological modeling, erosion assessment, landform classification, hazard mapping, suitability analysis, and machine-learning workflows. Because geomorphometric variables are standardized and scalable, they allow researchers and students to analyze landscapes efficiently, compare regions objectively, and produce high-quality results suitable for scientific publications or decision-making.

Advantage of Whitebox Tool for geomorphometric analysis

WhiteBox tool offers several significant advantages for performing geomorphometric analysis, particularly in an academic or research environment. As a free and open-source GIS processing library, it provides access to a wide range of terrain-analysis algorithms without the cost barriers associated with commercial software. WhiteboxTools is optimized for raster processing and uses efficient parallel computation, allowing users to work with large DEMs and complex workflows quickly and reliably. Its seamless integration with QGIS makes it easy for students and researchers to incorporate advanced geomorphometric tools into everyday GIS projects.

Another major advantage is the availability of specialized geomorphometry functions—such as curvature, ruggedness, topographic position, downslope indices, and feature-preserving smoothing—that are not always included in standard GIS packages. These tools help users extract meaningful quantitative metrics describing the shape and structure of the landscape. Because WhiteboxTools is actively maintained and scientifically oriented, it is ideal for teaching, research, hydrology, geomorphology, environmental modeling, and preparing high-quality outputs suitable for academic reports and publications.

Plugin installation

To install the WhiteboxTools plugin in QGIS, the process begins by opening the Plugins menu and selecting Manage and Install Plugins. In the search bar, typing “Whitebox” displays the list of available Whitebox-related extensions. The correct plugin to install is WhiteboxTools for QGIS. If the plugin does not appear automatically, the standalone WhiteboxTools package must be downloaded from the official website: https://www.whiteboxgeo.com/download-whiteboxtools . After downloading, the folder containing the executable file ( whitebox_tools.exe ) should be extracted. Once installed, the path to the executable must be configured in QGIS: this is done by navigating to Settings → Options → Processing → Providers → WhiteboxTools, and selecting the extracted whitebox_tools.exe file as the executable. After this configuration is completed, the full suite of geomorphometric tools becomes available in the QGIS Processing Toolbox under WhiteboxTools