GDAL-RASTER-CONTOUR(1) GDAL GDAL-RASTER-CONTOUR(1)
gdal-raster-contour - Creates a vector contour from a raster
elevation model (DEM)
Added in version 3.11.
Usage: gdal raster contour [OPTIONS] <INPUT> <OUTPUT>
Creates a vector contour from a raster elevation model (DEM).
Positional arguments:
-i, --input <INPUT> Input raster datasets [required]
-o, --output <OUTPUT> Output vector dataset [required]
Common Options:
-h, --help Display help message and exit
--json-usage Display usage as JSON document and exit
--config <KEY>=<VALUE> Configuration option [may be repeated]
-q, --quiet Quiet mode (no progress bar)
Options:
-f, --of, --format, --output-format <OUTPUT-FORMAT> Output format ("GDALG" allowed)
--co, --creation-option <KEY>=<VALUE> Creation option [may be repeated]
--lco, --layer-creation-option <KEY>=<VALUE> Layer creation option [may be repeated]
--overwrite Whether overwriting existing output is allowed
--output-layer <OUTPUT-LAYER> Output layer name
-b, --band <BAND> Input band (1-based index) (default: 1)
--elevation-name <ELEVATION-NAME> Name of the elevation field
--min-name <MIN-NAME> Name of the minimum elevation field
--max-name <MAX-NAME> Name of the maximum elevation field
--3d Force production of 3D vectors instead of 2D
--src-nodata <SRC-NODATA> Input pixel value to treat as 'nodata'
--interval <INTERVAL> Elevation interval between contours
Mutually exclusive with --levels, --exp-base
--levels <LEVELS> List of contour levels [may be repeated]
Mutually exclusive with --interval, --exp-base
-e, --exp-base <EXP-BASE> Base for exponential contour level generation
Mutually exclusive with --interval, --levels
--off, --offset <OFFSET> Offset to apply to contour levels
-p, --polygonize Create polygons instead of lines
--group-transactions <GROUP-TRANSACTIONS> Group n features per transaction (default 100 000)
Advanced Options:
--if, --input-format <INPUT-FORMAT> Input formats [may be repeated]
--oo, --open-option <KEY>=<VALUE> Open options [may be repeated]
--output-oo, --output-open-option <KEY>=<VALUE> Output open options [may be repeated]
gdal raster contour creates a vector contour from a raster elevation
model (DEM).
Since GDAL 3.12, this algorithm can be part of a gdal pipeline.
The following options are available:
-f, --of, --format, --output-format <OUTPUT-FORMAT>
Which output vector format to use. Allowed values may be given
by gdal --formats | grep vector | grep rw | sort
--co, --creation-option <NAME>=<VALUE>
Many formats have one or more optional creation options that
can be used to control particulars about the file created. For
instance, the GeoTIFF driver supports creation options to
control compression, and whether the file should be tiled.
May be repeated.
The creation options available vary by format driver, and some
simple formats have no creation options at all. A list of
options supported for a format can be listed with the
--formats command line option but the documentation for the
format is the definitive source of information on driver
creation options. See Raster drivers format specific
documentation for legal creation options for each format.
-lco <NAME>=<VALUE>
Layer creation option (format specific)
--overwrite
Allow program to overwrite existing target file or dataset.
Otherwise, by default, gdal errors out if the target file or
dataset already exists.
-b, --band <BAND>
Picks a particular band to get the DEM from. Defaults to band
1.
--nln, --output-layer <OUTPUT-LAYER>
Provides a name for the output vector layer. Defaults to
"contour".
--elevation-name <ELEVATION-NAME>
Provides a name for the attribute in which to put the
elevation. If not provided no elevation attribute is attached.
Ignored in polygonal contouring (-p) mode.
--min-name <MIN-NAME>
Provides a name for the attribute in which to put the minimum
elevation. If not provided no minimum elevation attribute is
attached. Ignored in polygonal contouring (-p) mode.
--max-name <MAX-NAME>
Provides a name for the attribute in which to put the maximum
elevation. If not provided no maximum elevation attribute is
attached. Ignored in polygonal contouring (-p) mode.
--3d Forces the production of 3D vectors instead of 2D. Includes
elevation at every vertex.
--src-nodata <SRCNODATA>
Input pixel value to treat as 'nodata'.
--interval <INTERVAL>
Elevation interval between contours. Mutually exclusive with
--levels, --exp-base. The first contour will be generated at
the first multiple of INTERVAL which is greater than the
raster minimum value.
--levels <LEVELS>
List of contour levels. MIN and MAX are special values that
represent the minimum and maximum values in the raster. When
--polygonize is used, the specified values are used as bounds
of the generated polygons. Mutually exclusive with
--interval, --exp-base.
-e, --exp-base <EXP-BASE>
Generate levels on an exponential scale: base ^ k, for k an
integer. Mutually exclusive with --interval, --levels.
--off, --offset <OFFSET>
Offset from zero relative to which to interpret intervals.
-p, --polygonize
Create polygons instead of lines.
--group-transactions <GROUP-TRANSACTIONS>
Group n features per transaction (default 100 000).
--oo, --open-option <NAME>=<VALUE>
Dataset open option (format specific).
May be repeated.
--if, --input-format <format>
Format/driver name to be attempted to open the input file(s).
It is generally not necessary to specify it, but it can be
used to skip automatic driver detection, when it fails to
select the appropriate driver. This option can be repeated
several times to specify several candidate drivers. Note that
it does not force those drivers to open the dataset. In
particular, some drivers have requirements on file extensions.
May be repeated.
Added in version 3.12.
GDALG OUTPUT (ON-THE-FLY / STREAMED DATASET)
This program supports serializing the command line as a JSON file
using the GDALG output format. The resulting file can then be opened
as a vector dataset using the GDALG: GDAL Streamed Algorithm driver,
and apply the specified pipeline in a on-the-fly / streamed way.
NOTE:
However this algorithm is not natively streaming compatible.
Consequently a in-memory temporary dataset will be generated,
which may cause significant processing time at opening.
Example 1: Create contour lines from a raster elevation model
The following example creates contour lines from a raster
elevation model:
gdal raster contour --interval 100 elevation.tif contour.shp
This will create a shapefile named contour.shp with contour lines
at 100 meter intervals.
Example 2: Create contour polygons from a raster elevation model with
custom attributes and fixed levels
The following example creates contour polygons from a raster
elevation model with custom attributes and fixed levels:
gdal raster contour --levels MIN,100,200,MAX --polygonize --min-name MIN --max-name MAX elevation.tif contour.shp
This will create a shapefile named contour.shp with contour
polygons from the minimum raster value to 100, and from 100 to 200
and from 200 to the maximum value, and with attributes MIN, and
MAX.
Alessandro Pasotti <elpaso@itopen.it>
1998-2026
March 20, 2026 GDAL-RASTER-CONTOUR(1)
NAME
gdal-raster-contour - Creates a vector contour from a raster
elevation model (DEM)
Added in version 3.11.
SYNOPSIS
Usage: gdal raster contour [OPTIONS] <INPUT> <OUTPUT>
Creates a vector contour from a raster elevation model (DEM).
Positional arguments:
-i, --input <INPUT> Input raster datasets [required]
-o, --output <OUTPUT> Output vector dataset [required]
Common Options:
-h, --help Display help message and exit
--json-usage Display usage as JSON document and exit
--config <KEY>=<VALUE> Configuration option [may be repeated]
-q, --quiet Quiet mode (no progress bar)
Options:
-f, --of, --format, --output-format <OUTPUT-FORMAT> Output format ("GDALG" allowed)
--co, --creation-option <KEY>=<VALUE> Creation option [may be repeated]
--lco, --layer-creation-option <KEY>=<VALUE> Layer creation option [may be repeated]
--overwrite Whether overwriting existing output is allowed
--output-layer <OUTPUT-LAYER> Output layer name
-b, --band <BAND> Input band (1-based index) (default: 1)
--elevation-name <ELEVATION-NAME> Name of the elevation field
--min-name <MIN-NAME> Name of the minimum elevation field
--max-name <MAX-NAME> Name of the maximum elevation field
--3d Force production of 3D vectors instead of 2D
--src-nodata <SRC-NODATA> Input pixel value to treat as 'nodata'
--interval <INTERVAL> Elevation interval between contours
Mutually exclusive with --levels, --exp-base
--levels <LEVELS> List of contour levels [may be repeated]
Mutually exclusive with --interval, --exp-base
-e, --exp-base <EXP-BASE> Base for exponential contour level generation
Mutually exclusive with --interval, --levels
--off, --offset <OFFSET> Offset to apply to contour levels
-p, --polygonize Create polygons instead of lines
--group-transactions <GROUP-TRANSACTIONS> Group n features per transaction (default 100 000)
Advanced Options:
--if, --input-format <INPUT-FORMAT> Input formats [may be repeated]
--oo, --open-option <KEY>=<VALUE> Open options [may be repeated]
--output-oo, --output-open-option <KEY>=<VALUE> Output open options [may be repeated]
DESCRIPTION
gdal raster contour creates a vector contour from a raster elevation
model (DEM).
Since GDAL 3.12, this algorithm can be part of a gdal pipeline.
The following options are available:
Standard options
-f, --of, --format, --output-format <OUTPUT-FORMAT>
Which output vector format to use. Allowed values may be given
by gdal --formats | grep vector | grep rw | sort
--co, --creation-option <NAME>=<VALUE>
Many formats have one or more optional creation options that
can be used to control particulars about the file created. For
instance, the GeoTIFF driver supports creation options to
control compression, and whether the file should be tiled.
May be repeated.
The creation options available vary by format driver, and some
simple formats have no creation options at all. A list of
options supported for a format can be listed with the
--formats command line option but the documentation for the
format is the definitive source of information on driver
creation options. See Raster drivers format specific
documentation for legal creation options for each format.
-lco <NAME>=<VALUE>
Layer creation option (format specific)
--overwrite
Allow program to overwrite existing target file or dataset.
Otherwise, by default, gdal errors out if the target file or
dataset already exists.
-b, --band <BAND>
Picks a particular band to get the DEM from. Defaults to band
1.
--nln, --output-layer <OUTPUT-LAYER>
Provides a name for the output vector layer. Defaults to
"contour".
--elevation-name <ELEVATION-NAME>
Provides a name for the attribute in which to put the
elevation. If not provided no elevation attribute is attached.
Ignored in polygonal contouring (-p) mode.
--min-name <MIN-NAME>
Provides a name for the attribute in which to put the minimum
elevation. If not provided no minimum elevation attribute is
attached. Ignored in polygonal contouring (-p) mode.
--max-name <MAX-NAME>
Provides a name for the attribute in which to put the maximum
elevation. If not provided no maximum elevation attribute is
attached. Ignored in polygonal contouring (-p) mode.
--3d Forces the production of 3D vectors instead of 2D. Includes
elevation at every vertex.
--src-nodata <SRCNODATA>
Input pixel value to treat as 'nodata'.
--interval <INTERVAL>
Elevation interval between contours. Mutually exclusive with
--levels, --exp-base. The first contour will be generated at
the first multiple of INTERVAL which is greater than the
raster minimum value.
--levels <LEVELS>
List of contour levels. MIN and MAX are special values that
represent the minimum and maximum values in the raster. When
--polygonize is used, the specified values are used as bounds
of the generated polygons. Mutually exclusive with
--interval, --exp-base.
-e, --exp-base <EXP-BASE>
Generate levels on an exponential scale: base ^ k, for k an
integer. Mutually exclusive with --interval, --levels.
--off, --offset <OFFSET>
Offset from zero relative to which to interpret intervals.
-p, --polygonize
Create polygons instead of lines.
--group-transactions <GROUP-TRANSACTIONS>
Group n features per transaction (default 100 000).
Advanced options
--oo, --open-option <NAME>=<VALUE>
Dataset open option (format specific).
May be repeated.
--if, --input-format <format>
Format/driver name to be attempted to open the input file(s).
It is generally not necessary to specify it, but it can be
used to skip automatic driver detection, when it fails to
select the appropriate driver. This option can be repeated
several times to specify several candidate drivers. Note that
it does not force those drivers to open the dataset. In
particular, some drivers have requirements on file extensions.
May be repeated.
Added in version 3.12.
GDALG OUTPUT (ON-THE-FLY / STREAMED DATASET)
This program supports serializing the command line as a JSON file
using the GDALG output format. The resulting file can then be opened
as a vector dataset using the GDALG: GDAL Streamed Algorithm driver,
and apply the specified pipeline in a on-the-fly / streamed way.
NOTE:
However this algorithm is not natively streaming compatible.
Consequently a in-memory temporary dataset will be generated,
which may cause significant processing time at opening.
EXAMPLES
Example 1: Create contour lines from a raster elevation model
The following example creates contour lines from a raster
elevation model:
gdal raster contour --interval 100 elevation.tif contour.shp
This will create a shapefile named contour.shp with contour lines
at 100 meter intervals.
Example 2: Create contour polygons from a raster elevation model with
custom attributes and fixed levels
The following example creates contour polygons from a raster
elevation model with custom attributes and fixed levels:
gdal raster contour --levels MIN,100,200,MAX --polygonize --min-name MIN --max-name MAX elevation.tif contour.shp
This will create a shapefile named contour.shp with contour
polygons from the minimum raster value to 100, and from 100 to 200
and from 200 to the maximum value, and with attributes MIN, and
MAX.
AUTHOR
Alessandro Pasotti <elpaso@itopen.it>
COPYRIGHT
1998-2026
March 20, 2026 GDAL-RASTER-CONTOUR(1)