# STREAM

> STREAM is a family of two Windows programs for survey data, two ends of one workflow: STREAM Terrain analyses and designs on terrain data (DEMs, orthophotos, LAS/LAZ point clouds) and STREAM Capture turns drone photos into that data (photogrammetry; in development, not released yet).

## STREAM Terrain — released, free public beta

Windows software for mining and terrain engineering: huge DEMs, orthophotos, LAS/LAZ; cut/fill, cross-sections, stockpile volumes; bench and haul road design.

STREAM Terrain is native Windows software for mining and terrain engineering. It streams gigabyte-scale DEMs, orthophotos and LAS/LAZ point clouds and computes cut/fill, cross-sections, stockpile volume and tonnage, and bench, haul road and blast pattern designs, with all processing offline.
A free account and one online sign-in activate it; survey data never leaves the computer. It also covers
contours, slope/aspect, viewshed, hydrology, sun & shadow and change detection, and exports DXF, CSV,
GeoTIFF, LandXML, KMZ and PDF.

Current status: free public beta (v0.6.2, released 2026-11-03) for Windows 10/11 x64, all features unlocked, no time limit.
Download: https://www.streamterrain.com/download
The interface and this website are available in English, Turkish, Spanish, French, Chinese and Russian.

## STREAM Capture — in development, not released yet

STREAM Capture is drone photogrammetry software for Windows. It turns overlapping drone photos into dense classified point clouds, DSM and DTM, true orthomosaics and textured 3D models on the user's own GPU, offline, with RTK/PPK and ground control support and an accuracy report measured at independent check points.
Status: STREAM Capture is a separate STREAM product (drone photogrammetry) and is not released yet. It is free during its public beta, then a 14-day free period, then a paid licence
(no price is published yet). At launch it will come in the same download as STREAM Terrain. It is not a free program.
Product page: https://www.streamterrain.com/stream-capture

## How the two products fit together

STREAM Terrain is not photogrammetry software: it consumes the OUTPUTS of photogrammetry and LiDAR processing
software (DEM/DSM/DTM, orthophoto, LAS/LAZ) and turns them into engineering deliverables. Photogrammetry is the job of its
sister product STREAM Capture, whose outputs are exactly the files STREAM Terrain opens. The two are independent: STREAM Terrain
also opens the outputs of any other photogrammetry or LiDAR software, and STREAM Capture works without STREAM Terrain.

Full text of every capability and guide page, for answering detailed questions without fetching each
page one by one: [llms-full.txt](https://www.streamterrain.com/llms-full.txt)

The same full text split by topic, for assistants with a smaller context window:
- [Terrain data and viewing](https://www.streamterrain.com/llms/data.txt) · [guides](https://www.streamterrain.com/llms/guides-data.txt)
- [Measurement and volumes](https://www.streamterrain.com/llms/volumes.txt) · [guides](https://www.streamterrain.com/llms/guides-volumes.txt)
- [Terrain analysis](https://www.streamterrain.com/llms/analysis.txt) · [guides](https://www.streamterrain.com/llms/guides-analysis.txt)
- [Design on real ground](https://www.streamterrain.com/llms/design.txt) · [guides](https://www.streamterrain.com/llms/guides-design.txt)
- [Mining modules](https://www.streamterrain.com/llms/mining.txt) · [guides](https://www.streamterrain.com/llms/guides-mining.txt)
- [Coordinates and data exchange](https://www.streamterrain.com/llms/exchange.txt) · [guides](https://www.streamterrain.com/llms/guides-exchange.txt)
- [STREAM Capture — drone photogrammetry](https://www.streamterrain.com/llms/capture.txt) · [guides](https://www.streamterrain.com/llms/guides-capture.txt)
- [User manual, step by step](https://www.streamterrain.com/llms/manual.txt): every task with its screenshots' captions (319 steps in 19 chapters)

## Product
- [Home](https://www.streamterrain.com/): overview, editions and download
- [Download](https://www.streamterrain.com/download): current version 0.6.2 (2026-11-03), 56 MB installer, SHA-256 checksum, system requirements and install steps
- [All features](https://www.streamterrain.com/features): every capability grouped by task
- [Mining Software](https://www.streamterrain.com/mining): Offline mining and quarrying software for Windows: open drone DEMs and LAS/LAZ point clouds, design benches, haul roads and blast patterns, report volumes.
- [Terrain Modeling Software](https://www.streamterrain.com/terrain-modeling): STREAM is offline terrain modeling software for Windows: open gigabyte DEM, DSM, DTM and LAS/LAZ surfaces, measure and edit them, export contours and DXF.
- [Data Security](https://www.streamterrain.com/data-security): STREAM processes survey data locally on Windows. This page lists what is sent over the network, what never is, where crash dumps go and how licensing works.
- [Pricing](https://www.streamterrain.com/pricing): STREAM is a free public beta for Windows: all features, no time limit, no watermark on exports. Paid editions are planned. Academic use is always free.
- [For Mine Surveyors](https://www.streamterrain.com/for-mine-surveyors): The month-end survey, the reconciliation that never quite agrees, the stockpile figure someone will question. What STREAM does for the surveyor who defends it.
- [For Mine Planning](https://www.streamterrain.com/for-mine-planning): Bench geometry, ramp grades and phase volumes checked against the ground as it is, not as the last plan assumed. What STREAM does for mine planning engineers.
- [Quarry Software](https://www.streamterrain.com/for-quarry-operations): In most quarries the same person flies the drone, measures the stock, plans the next face and writes the report. What STREAM does with no survey department.
- [For Civil & Survey Engineers](https://www.streamterrain.com/for-civil-engineers): Site grading, corridor design, drainage and cross-section quantities computed on the terrain you surveyed, then handed over as DXF. STREAM for civil work.
- [Documentation](https://www.streamterrain.com/docs): How to install STREAM, what to export from your photogrammetry software, how projects and the cache work, and what to check when a file or a volume looks wrong.
- [Open Pit Mining Software](https://www.streamterrain.com/open-pit-mining): Open pit mining software for the monthly cycle: drone surveys into pit surfaces, advance and stockpile volumes, bench and haul road design, blast patterns.
- [Land Surveying Software](https://www.streamterrain.com/land-surveying): Land survey software for the office: turn drone, LiDAR and total station data into 3D surfaces, contours, volumes, sections and CAD files. Free public beta.
- [STREAM Capture](https://www.streamterrain.com/stream-capture): IN DEVELOPMENT — STREAM Capture is a separate STREAM product (drone photogrammetry) and is not released yet. STREAM Capture is drone photogrammetry software for Windows: point clouds, DSM/DTM, true orthomosaics and 3D models from your photos, RTK/PPK and GCP ready.
- [Photogrammetry Software](https://www.streamterrain.com/photogrammetry-software): IN DEVELOPMENT — STREAM Capture is a separate STREAM product (drone photogrammetry) and is not released yet. Windows photogrammetry software for drone surveys: photos to orthomosaic, DSM, DTM, point cloud and 3D model, with a measured accuracy report. GPU, offline.
- [Technical specifications](https://www.streamterrain.com/specs): system requirements (Windows 10/11 x64, Vulkan 1.3 GPU), supported formats and computation capabilities
- [User manual](https://www.streamterrain.com/manual): Learn STREAM step by step with 319 real screenshots: add data, draw and measure, analyse terrain, cut and fill, design roads and slopes, export.
  - [Getting started with STREAM](https://www.streamterrain.com/manual/getting-started): Learn the STREAM window and Home screen, how to open and save projects, and how to add a DEM, orthophoto, point cloud or CAD file — with screenshots.
  - [Navigate the terrain: 3D, 2D and the View tab](https://www.streamterrain.com/manual/navigation-and-view): Pan, zoom and orbit the terrain in 3D, lock the camera in 2D, and use the View tab, scale bar, dark theme, basemap and DEM download and saved views.
  - [Terrain scenarios, layers and Compare Mode](https://www.streamterrain.com/manual/scenarios-and-layers): Keep several surveys of one site in a project, switch between them, manage layers and compare two scenarios side by side with the curtain.
  - [Points: add, number, import and triangulate](https://www.streamterrain.com/manual/points): Place points on the terrain, number them, enter exact coordinates, import a CSV survey file, build a TIN surface from the points and check the model.
  - [Lines: draw, drape, offset and edit](https://www.streamterrain.com/manual/lines): Draw a polyline on the terrain, drape it onto the surface, edit vertices, densify or simplify, offset, split, merge, fillet and extract points — step by step.
  - [Areas: draw, hatch, offset and fill with points](https://www.streamterrain.com/manual/areas): Draw a closed area on the terrain, edit its corners, hatch it, offset the boundary, place a point grid, triangulate it and raise or lower the ground inside.
  - [Text, selection and transform](https://www.streamterrain.com/manual/text-and-selection): Annotate the plan with text, select points, lines and areas, then rotate, mirror, scale, array, copy, delete and step back through the undo history.
  - [Measure distance, height, area and angle](https://www.streamterrain.com/manual/measure): Measure live on the terrain: 2D and 3D length, elevation difference and slope, area and perimeter, and the angle between three points — with screenshots.
  - [Terrain analysis: slope, aspect, contours, viewshed, hydrology and sun](https://www.streamterrain.com/manual/terrain-analysis): Run slope, aspect, contour, hillshade, viewshed, line of sight, profile, hydrology and sun and shadow analyses inside a drawn area, with screenshots.
  - [Volumes and change detection](https://www.streamterrain.com/manual/volumes): Calculate cut and fill between two drone surveys, split volumes by elevation band, measure a stockpile and detect real change with a stated uncertainty.
  - [Engineering tools: crest and toe, accuracy, coordinates, point clouds](https://www.streamterrain.com/manual/engineering-tools): Extract crest and toe lines, check elevation accuracy against control points, transform coordinates, edit the terrain and import LAS/LAZ point clouds.
  - [Road and corridor design](https://www.streamterrain.com/manual/road-corridor-design): Design a road or haul-road corridor: pick the alignment, set the profile and typical section, review cross-sections and mass haul, then apply it to the terrain.
  - [Platform and benched slope design](https://www.streamterrain.com/manual/slope-platform-design): Sit a flat platform on the terrain, tie its edges back with benched slopes, find the balance elevation, read quantities and checks, and apply the design.
  - [Channel and diversion design](https://www.streamterrain.com/manual/channel-diversion-design): Draw a drainage channel or diversion, sample the invert from the terrain, set the section, check hydraulics and freeboard, read quantities and apply it.
  - [Block model import and blast pattern design](https://www.streamterrain.com/manual/block-model-blast-pattern): Import an ore block model CSV against the terrain, read its bench plan, filters and checks, and lay out a blast hole pattern on a bench, step by step.
  - [Export and reports](https://www.streamterrain.com/manual/export-and-reports): Export orthophoto, height map, vectors and tables, print a scaled PDF map sheet, build a stockpile report and record a camera flythrough video, step by step.
  - [Permit audit (experimental)](https://www.streamterrain.com/manual/permit-audit): Load licence, EIA and cadastral boundaries, audit survey-to-survey activity against them and review violations, balance and a compliance report — step by step.
  - [Production and progress (experimental)](https://www.streamterrain.com/manual/production-progress): Define a production project, date your surveys and classify ground movement against the boundary and design level: periods, benches, balance, findings, report.
  - [Settings, shortcuts and help](https://www.streamterrain.com/manual/settings-and-help): Set theme, units and navigation, learn the keyboard and mouse shortcuts, use the built-in help (F1) and fix a slow terrain view with the graphics card tips.
- [Blog](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog): explainers on DEM/DSM/DTM, volumes, orthophotos and coordinate systems
- [Glossary](https://www.streamterrain.com/glossary): Plain definitions of the terms used in terrain modeling and mine engineering: DEM, DSM, DTM, TIN, bench, toe, crest, burden, spacing, cut and fill and CRS.
- [Privacy policy](https://www.streamterrain.com/privacy): what the website and the software collect (no cookies, no survey data)
- [Terms of use / EULA](https://www.streamterrain.com/terms): licence agreement, output ownership, engineering-output notice
- [Contact](https://www.streamterrain.com/contact): support, licences, academic use — info@streamterrain.com

## Capabilities (in the current release)
- [DEM Viewer](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/dem): Native Windows DEM viewer and software: stream very large digital elevation models (GeoTIFF), then view, measure and analyze the terrain without waiting.
- [Point Cloud Viewer](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/point-cloud): LAZ viewer and LAS viewer for Windows: STREAM opens large point clouds offline, streams them in chunks and turns them into a DEM or orthophoto you can measure.
- [Cut and Fill Software](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/cut-fill): STREAM cut and fill software calculates earthwork volumes against real terrain, a flat level or a reference surface, with a heat map and volume report.
- [Cross Section Software](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/cross-section): STREAM is cross section software: draw an axis, set the interval, and it cuts sections from your DEM — cut/fill area, a cubature table, and DXF export.
- [Stockpile Measurement Software](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/stockpile): Stockpile measurement and inventory software for mines and quarries: turn a drone or LiDAR survey into volume, tonnage and a print-ready PDF report — offline.
- [Contour Line Generation Software](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/contours): Contour line generation software: create contours at any interval from a DEM or drone survey, plot a contour map to PDF and export editable DXF vectors.
- [Slope Analysis Software](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/slope-analysis): STREAM's slope analysis software turns your DEM into color-coded steepness and direction maps — live overlay or exported as raster/vector, fully offline.
- [Terrain Analysis Software](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/terrain-analysis): Desktop terrain analysis software: slope, aspect, viewshed, hydrology, contours, sun & shadow and change detection, computed on your DEM as raster or vector.
- [Drone Mapping Software](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/drone-mapping): Drone surveying software for the analysis side: turn UAV DEMs, orthophotos and LAS/LAZ point clouds into topographic surveys, contours, volumes and CAD files.
- [Orthophoto Software](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/orthophoto): Orthophoto software for large GeoTIFF files: open gigabyte-scale orthophotos, overlay them on your DEM, and measure or digitize vectors on the imagery.
- [DSM Software](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/dsm): DSM software in STREAM: open and analyze Digital Surface Models — buildings and vegetation included — with volumes, cross-sections and terrain analysis.
- [DTM Software](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/dtm): STREAM is DTM software that builds a bare-earth Digital Terrain Model from ground-classified LAS/LAZ or GeoTIFF, then computes volumes, sections and contours.
- [Viewshed Analysis Software](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/viewshed): Viewshed analysis software for Windows: compute visibility from any DEM point, check line-of-sight, and export as raster or vector — fully offline.
- [Hydrology Software](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/hydrology): Hydrology software in STREAM: flow direction, accumulation, stream extraction and watershed delineation — native Windows desktop, fully offline.
- [Sun and Shadow Analysis Software](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/sun-shadow): STREAM is sun and shadow analysis software for DEM terrain: sunlight-hours maps by instant, day, month or year, with real topographic shadow, offline.
- [Change Detection Software](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/change-detection): STREAM's terrain change detection software compares two surveys and reports deposition, erosion and net volume ± uncertainty — fully offline, no cloud upload.
- [Mine Surveying Software](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/mining): STREAM is mine survey software for stockpile and cut/fill volumes, cross-sections and pit change detection on large drone or LiDAR surveys — fully offline.
- [GeoTIFF Viewer](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/geotiff): GeoTIFF viewer for Windows: open, stream and export large GeoTIFF DEMs and orthophotos, read the embedded CRS and measure on them — fully offline.
- [Coordinate System Software](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/coordinate-system): Coordinate system software that reads the CRS of your DEMs, orthophotos and vectors by EPSG code — UTM, Lambert or Albers projections, WGS84 — so layers align.
- [Georeferencing Software](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/georeferencing): STREAM georeferencing software aligns DEMs, orthophotos, point clouds and CAD drawings on the same ground, from each file's embedded coordinate system.
- [Measurement Software](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/measurements): STREAM is terrain measurement software for distance, area, elevation and volume — computed on your DEM with instant results, native Windows, fully offline.
- [Vector Drawing Tools](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/vector-tools): STREAM's vector tools draw points, lines and areas that sit on the terrain, organize them in layers, snap to features and export to DXF — fully offline.
- [Export (DXF, GeoTIFF, CSV, KMZ)](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/export): Export from STREAM to DXF for CAD, GeoTIFF for GIS, CSV for tables, KMZ for Google Earth, and LandXML surfaces that carry their own CRS — plus PDF reports.
- [3D Terrain Viewer](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/3d-view): STREAM is a 3D terrain viewer for DEMs and orthophotos: GPU-driven 3D, instant 2D/3D switch, draped imagery — native Windows, fully offline.
- [Hillshade Software](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/hillshade): STREAM is hillshade software that generates shaded relief from your DEM to reveal terrain shape, with adjustable sun position — native Windows, fully offline.
- [GIS Software](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/gis-software): Offline desktop GIS and mapping software for terrain: georeferenced DEMs, orthophotos and vectors, slope/hydrology/viewshed analysis, GeoTIFF, DXF and SHP.
- [CAD Software for Terrain](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/cad-software): Open and view DXF drawings on real terrain: import and export DXF, draw vectors that drape on the DEM, and produce cross-section drawings and contours.
- [Road Design Software](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/road-design): Road design software that works on your own DEM: horizontal and vertical alignment, typical sections, superelevation, cross-sections, mass haul and DXF.
- [Grading Software](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/grading): Grading software for pits, pads and spoil dumps: find the balance elevation where cut equals fill, design benched slopes, and get quantities and drawings.
- [Blast Pattern Design Software](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/blast-pattern): Blast pattern design software: lay out a drill pattern on a bench, take hole depths from the terrain, check burden relief in 3D, and export holes and drawings.
- [Terrain Editing Software](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/terrain-editing): Terrain editing software for DEM cleanup: flatten to a designed surface, remove trees, buildings and stockpiles, and shift levels — source file untouched.
- [Mining Block Model Software](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/block-model): Import a block model, intersect it with your surveyed terrain and pit design, and read ore/waste split, bench tonnage and grade — classification kept separate.
- [Channel Design Software](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/channel-design): Design a drainage or diversion channel on surveyed terrain: profile, typical section, Manning hydraulics, freeboard and velocity checks, and setting-out.
- [Automatic Breakline Extraction](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/breakline-extraction): Extract crest and toe breaklines from surveyed terrain automatically: every slope face found, lines placed on the real break, ramps separated, exported to DXF.
- [Terrain Streaming](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/terrain-streaming): Terrain streaming software: STREAM loads only the tiles you look at, so gigabyte DEMs, orthophotos and LAS/LAZ clouds open and stay responsive — fully offline.
- [TIN Surface Software](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/tin-surface): TIN surface software: triangulate points and lines, edit node elevations, flip triangles, clip, check for overlaps and holes, export DXF 3DFACE or LandXML.
- [Terrain Flythrough Video](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/flythrough-video): Terrain flythrough video from your DEM and orthophoto: capture views, smooth the camera, add scenario transitions, export 1080p or 4K MP4 — offline.
- [Survey Report Software](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/reports): Survey report software: signable PDF reports for volumes, stockpiles, change detection, slope, pit and hydrology, plus scaled map sheets — offline.
- [Coordinate Transformation Software](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/coordinate-transformation): Coordinate transformation software: move a whole project from a local grid or old datum to a national system with common points, residuals and a PDF report.
- [DEM Accuracy Assessment](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/elevation-accuracy): DEM accuracy assessment: compare check points and GCPs with your surface, get RMSE, mean shift, NMAD and 95% accuracy, and export a PDF or Excel report.
- [Mining Permit Compliance Software](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/permit-audit): EXPERIMENTAL module in the current release. Mining permit compliance software: audit excavation, dumping, stockpiles and roads against licence, EIA and cadastral boundaries; PDF, Excel and DXF reports.
- [Mine Production Progress Tracking](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/production-progress): EXPERIMENTAL module in the current release. Mine production progress tracking: classify ground movement between dated surveys against project boundaries and design, with balance, findings, PDF and CSV.
- [Solar PV Site Suitability Software](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/solar-pv-site-suitability): Solar PV site suitability and grading on your own terrain: slope by direction, horizon shading, MWp/ha, rows and piles, cut/fill volumes and a pile table.
- [DEM Download Software](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/basemap-dem-download): Download a DEM or topographic basemap for your site inside STREAM: Copernicus GLO-30/90, Terrarium, OpenTopography or OpenTopoMap, clipped to your area.

## Planned modules (NOT in the current release)
- [Open Pit Design Software](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/pit-planning): PLANNED, not included in v0.6.2. Open pit design software: bench template, geotechnical sectors, haul ramps with cycle time, bench volumes and tonnage, push-backs and production schedule.
- [Orthomosaic Software](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/orthomosaic-software): IN DEVELOPMENT — STREAM Capture is a separate STREAM product (drone photogrammetry) and is not released yet. Make an orthomosaic from drone photos on your own PC: true-ortho mosaic, ghost-free blending, GeoTIFF, PNG, KMZ and MBTiles output. Offline, no upload.
- [Drone Image Processing Software](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/drone-image-processing-software): IN DEVELOPMENT — STREAM Capture is a separate STREAM product (drone photogrammetry) and is not released yet. Process drone images on your own Windows PC: health check, alignment, dense cloud, DSM, DTM, orthophoto and a quality report — queued, resumable, offline.
- [DEM from Drone Images](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/dsm-dtm-from-drone-images): IN DEVELOPMENT — STREAM Capture is a separate STREAM product (drone photogrammetry) and is not released yet. Create a DSM and DTM from drone images: GeoTIFF elevation models with honesty masks, confidence maps, GCP height checks and LandXML export. Fully offline.
- [Point Cloud from Photos](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/point-cloud-from-photos): IN DEVELOPMENT — STREAM Capture is a separate STREAM product (drone photogrammetry) and is not released yet. Create a dense, classified point cloud from drone photos: GPU depth sweep, LAS 1.4 / LAZ, COPC, CSV and 3D Tiles output, georeferenced and offline.
- [3D Model from Drone Photos](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/3d-model-from-drone-photos): IN DEVELOPMENT — STREAM Capture is a separate STREAM product (drone photogrammetry) and is not released yet. Build a textured 3D model from drone photos: best-view texture atlas, OBJ and GLB output, georeferenced, produced offline on your own GPU.
- [Ground Control Points for Drone Mapping](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/ground-control-points-processing): IN DEVELOPMENT — STREAM Capture is a separate STREAM product (drone photogrammetry) and is not released yet. Process ground control points for drone mapping: auto-marking of painted targets, a GCP editor, independent check points, CRS diagnosis and geoid heights.
- [RTK Drone Mapping](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/rtk-ppk-drone-processing): IN DEVELOPMENT — STREAM Capture is a separate STREAM product (drone photogrammetry) and is not released yet. Process RTK and PPK-tagged drone photos: centimetre-level camera positions from photo metadata, and honest accuracy with and without ground control points.
- [Photogrammetry Accuracy](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/photogrammetry-accuracy): IN DEVELOPMENT — STREAM Capture is a separate STREAM product (drone photogrammetry) and is not released yet. How accurate is photogrammetry? STREAM Capture reports the error at independent check points and states an ASPRS accuracy class from those points only.
- [GPU Photogrammetry Software](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/gpu-photogrammetry-software): IN DEVELOPMENT — STREAM Capture is a separate STREAM product (drone photogrammetry) and is not released yet. Photogrammetry that runs on NVIDIA and AMD GPUs through Vulkan, with a same-method CPU fallback: no CUDA lock-in, no cloud, reproducible output.
- [Photogrammetry with a Small Drone](https://www.streamterrain.com/features/photogrammetry-with-consumer-drones): IN DEVELOPMENT — STREAM Capture is a separate STREAM product (drone photogrammetry) and is not released yet. Map with a small consumer drone: camera data read from the photos, soft GPS priors, optional rolling-shutter correction, and ground control for accuracy.

## Guides
- [What is a DEM (Digital Elevation Model)?](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/what-is-a-dem): What is a DEM? A Digital Elevation Model is a raster grid of ground elevations. Learn how a DEM is made and used, and how it differs from a DSM and DTM.
- [DEM vs DSM vs DTM: What's the Difference?](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/dem-vs-dsm-vs-dtm): DEM vs DSM vs DTM: what's the difference? Compare a Digital Elevation Model, Digital Surface Model and Digital Terrain Model, and see when to use each.
- [What is an Orthophoto (Orthomosaic)?](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/what-is-an-orthophoto): What is an orthophoto? A geometrically corrected aerial image with uniform scale you can measure on. Learn how orthophotos and orthomosaics are used.
- [What is a Point Cloud?](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/what-is-a-point-cloud): What is a point cloud? A dense set of 3D points from LiDAR or photogrammetry. Learn the LAS and LAZ formats and how it becomes a usable surface.
- [Cut and Fill Explained, with a Calculator](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/cut-and-fill-explained): Cut and fill is earth removed or added to reach a target surface. Calculate a sloped excavation or fill pad, then see why the reference surface matters.
- [Stockpile Volume Calculator: The Formula and Its Limits](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/stockpile-volume-calculation): A stockpile volume calculator uses the cone formula: fair on a clean pile, wrong on flat-topped, wall-backed or uneven ones. Where it breaks, and what to use.
- [Bulk Density and Swell Factors of Common Earthwork Materials](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/material-density-swell-factors): Loose and bank density, load factor and swell for 20 common earthwork materials, with the formulas to turn a surveyed volume into tonnes and truckloads.
- [Out-of-Core Terrain Streaming: How a Gigabyte DEM Opens on a Laptop](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/terrain-streaming-out-of-core): How out-of-core terrain streaming opens a DEM far larger than graphics memory: tiles, overview levels, request sets, priorities, fallback and eviction.
- [Deterministic Volume Calculation: Why the Same Survey Must Give the Same Number](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/deterministic-volume-calculation): Why a cut and fill or stockpile volume should come out identical every time you run it, and the rules a calculation needs to make that true.
- [Cross-Section Cubature: A Practical Guide](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/cross-section-cubature): Cross-section cubature computes earthwork volume from sections along an alignment. Learn how stationing, end-area volumes and section drawings work in practice.
- [GeoTIFF Explained](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/geotiff-explained): GeoTIFF is a TIFF image with embedded georeferencing, used for DEMs and orthophotos. Learn what makes it 'geo', why it is standard and how to handle big ones.
- [Contour Lines Explained](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/contour-lines-explained): Contour lines connect points of equal elevation. Learn how to read contours, what the interval and index lines mean, and how they are generated from a DEM.
- [Slope and Aspect Explained](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/slope-and-aspect-explained): Slope is steepness, aspect the direction a slope faces. Degrees, percent and ratio with conversions, how both come from a DEM, and what they do not tell you.
- [What is Hillshade (Shaded Relief)?](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/what-is-hillshade): Hillshade, or shaded relief, simulates sunlight on terrain to make its shape pop. Learn how sun azimuth and altitude create the effect and why it aids reading.
- [Coordinate Reference Systems (CRS) Explained](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/coordinate-systems-and-crs): A coordinate reference system (CRS) defines how coordinates map to the earth. Learn geographic vs projected systems, datums, and why matching the CRS matters.
- [Earthwork Volume Calculation Methods, Compared](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/volume-calculation-methods): Compare the three earthwork volume calculation methods — surface-to-surface, cross-section and base-plane — and learn which one your job actually needs.
- [Earthwork Volume in Excel](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/earthwork-volume-in-excel): A spreadsheet computing earthwork volume by average end area is real engineering. Here is where the station table stops being accurate, and where it can't help.
- [Reading a Cut and Fill Grid Plan](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/cut-fill-grid-plan): A cut and fill grid plan turns a volume into a map: where material comes off, where it goes on, and how much at each square. Here is how to compute and read it.
- [The Mass Haul Diagram](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/mass-haul-diagram): A mass haul diagram turns station quantities into one curve showing where material comes from, where it goes and how far it travels. Here is how to read it.
- [Ellipsoidal vs Orthometric Height](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/ellipsoidal-vs-orthometric-height): Ellipsoidal vs orthometric height: GNSS returns one, maps use the other, and the gap can exceed 30 metres. Learn the difference and stay consistent.
- [What is Ground Sample Distance (GSD)?](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/what-is-gsd): Ground Sample Distance (GSD) is the real-world size of one pixel. Learn how flight height sets it, how it limits DEM detail, and how much resolution you need.
- [Watershed Analysis Explained](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/watershed-analysis-explained): Watershed analysis explained: how flow direction, flow accumulation and stream order combine to delineate a watershed from a DEM — and where each step fails.
- [Change Detection Between Two Surveys](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/change-detection-explained): Comparing two surveys gives a difference map, but not every difference is real. Learn how change detection works and how to tell movement from survey noise.
- [What is a DXF File?](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/what-is-dxf): What is a DXF file? The file type survey and CAD software exchange drawings in — what is inside, why georeferencing is not, and how to fix one that opens wrong.
- [Viewshed Analysis: Understanding Line of Sight](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/viewshed-and-line-of-sight): Viewshed analysis explained: how GIS software calculates line-of-sight visibility from a DEM, and why input data quality — not geometry — decides the answer.
- [Sun and Shadow Analysis on Terrain](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/sun-shadow-analysis-explained): Sun and Shadow Analysis on terrain: how solar position and shadow casting produce sunlight hours and insolation, plus the inputs that change the answer.
- [In-Situ vs Loose Volume (and Compacted)](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/in-situ-vs-loose-volume): In-Situ vs Loose Volume: the survey says 10,000 m³, the trucks say 12,500 — both are right. Learn the three volume states, bulking and shrinkage.
- [How to Design a Mine Haul Road](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/haul-road-design): How a haul road is designed: the alignment on the surveyed ground, the ruling grade, the typical section and the earthwork that comes out of the three.
- [How to Design a Benched Slope](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/bench-and-berm-design): Bench height, berm width and batter angle decide the overall slope angle — and the overall angle decides the stripping. How the three fit together in practice.
- [Burden and Spacing: Laying Out a Blast Pattern](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/burden-and-spacing): Burden is the rock in front of a hole, spacing the gap between holes in a row. What each does, what goes wrong at the extremes, and why plan distance misleads.
- [What is a TIN (Triangulated Irregular Network)?](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/what-is-a-tin): A TIN builds a surface from triangles connecting measured points instead of a regular grid. Learn how a TIN differs from a raster DEM and when each is right.
- [What is Open Pit Mine Surveying?](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/open-pit-mine-surveying): What open pit mine surveying involves: the survey cycle, what gets measured, how volumes are reconciled and why survey figures and truck counts rarely agree.
- [Crest and Toe: The Two Edges That Define a Slope](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/crest-and-toe): Diagram: where the toe of a slope and the crest sit decides burden, berm width and set-out. Why plan distance misleads, and how the daylight line finds both.
- [How to Calculate Bench Volumes](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/bench-volume-calculation): How bench volumes are calculated between two survey surfaces or against a design: what the reference is, why bench boundaries matter and where errors come from.
- [How Drone Surveying Is Used in Mining](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/drone-surveying-in-mining): How mine sites use drone surveys: flight planning and GSD, why ground control decides accuracy, what the deliverables are and which questions each one answers.
- [What is a Mining Block Model?](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/what-is-a-mining-block-model): A block model divides a deposit into a 3D array of blocks, each carrying estimated grade and density. Learn how one is built and how it is used.
- [How DEM Data Is Used Across the Life of a Mine](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/dem-data-in-mining): A DEM is not used once. Follow it through exploration, design, operations and closure — what changes at each stage and why one surface is never enough.
- [The Surfaces an Open Pit Actually Has](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/terrain-surfaces-in-open-pit): A pit is never one surface. As-surveyed, as-designed, as-built and the ultimate shell all coexist — what each is for and what happens when they get confused.
- [How to Analyze Mine Slopes](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/slope-analysis-in-mining): The three slope angles an open pit is measured by, how each is taken off a survey, and why a face that passes can still sit in an overall slope that does not.
- [How to Create Mine Cross Sections](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/cross-sections-in-mining): Where to cut a section in an open pit, how to space and orient them so the results are comparable, and what a section shows that a plan view cannot.
- [What Photogrammetry Produces — and What You Do With It](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/photogrammetry-outputs): What a photogrammetry run actually gives you — point cloud, DSM, DTM, orthomosaic and mesh — how LiDAR differs, and what happens to those outputs afterwards.
- [Pit Slope Angles: Bench Face, Inter-Ramp and Overall](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/pit-slope-angles): Pit slope angles: bench face, inter-ramp and overall slope angle — what each measures, how berms and ramps flatten the wall, and how to check a design.
- [Haul Truck Cycle Time and What It Costs per Tonne](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/haul-truck-cycle-time): How haul truck cycle time is built from loading, hauling, dumping and queuing, why ramp grade and length dominate it, and how it becomes a cost per tonne.
- [Map Projections Explained: Transverse Mercator, Lambert Conformal Conic and Albers Equal Area](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/map-projections-explained): How Transverse Mercator (UTM), Lambert Conformal Conic and Albers Equal Area projections work, what each one distorts, and which to use for survey data.
- [How to Convert a DXF to a Shapefile (CAD to GIS)](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/dxf-to-shapefile): Convert DXF drawings to Shapefiles offline: what carries over (3D geometry, layer, name, CRS), what does not (text, blocks, hatches), and the steps.
- [From Drone Topographic Survey to CAD: Contours, Breaklines and a TIN Surface](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/drone-survey-to-cad): Turn a drone topographic survey into a lightweight CAD model: contours, crest and toe breaklines, a light TIN surface and LandXML — step by step, with checks.
- [How to Choose Drone Survey Software: What Actually Matters](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/choosing-drone-survey-software): What to check before choosing drone survey software: processing vs analysis, cloud vs desktop, accuracy, volume bases, CAD exports, data size and cost.
- [How to Choose GIS Software for Surveying, Engineering and Mining](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/choosing-gis-software-for-surveying): How to choose GIS software for surveying, engineering and mining: terrain analysis, large rasters, point clouds, coordinate systems, CAD exchange, cost.
- [Free DEM Data: Where to Download Elevation Models and What to Check](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/free-dem-data-sources): Where to download free DEM data — Copernicus DEM, SRTM, NASADEM, AW3D30, ASTER GDEM, USGS 3DEP, England LIDAR — and what to check before using it.
- [LiDAR vs Photogrammetry: Which to Use for Surveying and Mining](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/lidar-vs-photogrammetry): LiDAR vs photogrammetry for drone surveys: how each one measures, which sees the ground under vegetation, where each fails, and which to use in mining.
- [Contours vs Breaklines: What Each One Does and When You Need Both](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/contours-vs-breaklines): Contours vs breaklines: contours are drawn from a surface, breaklines shape it. How each is made, why a surface needs breaklines, and what to deliver.
- [Landfill Airspace, Fill Rate and Compaction from Drone Surveys](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/landfill-airspace-drone-survey): How to measure landfill airspace used and remaining, fill rate and compaction from drone surveys against the permitted design surface, step by step.
- [How to Calculate Pond and Basin Volume: Calculator and DEM Method](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/pond-volume-from-dem): Pond volume calculator for sloped banks, then the DEM method: capacity to the spill level, volume at a chosen water level and a design storm.
- [Stripping Ratio: Formula, Units and How to Calculate It](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/stripping-ratio): Stripping ratio is waste moved per unit of ore. The formula, t/t versus m³/t, overall, incremental and break-even ratios, with a calculator.
- [Elevation Profile: How to Create and Read a Terrain Profile from a DEM](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/elevation-profile-from-dem): An elevation profile is the ground's height plotted against distance along a line. How to create one from a DEM, what to read off it, and what distorts it.
- [Point Cloud to DEM: How a LAS/LAZ File Becomes a Surface](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/lidar-point-cloud-to-dem): How a LAS or LAZ point cloud becomes a DEM: ground classification, cell size from point density, DTM versus DSM, gaps, and the checks to run afterwards.
- [Construction Site Drone Surveys: Tracking Earthworks Progress](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/construction-site-drone-survey): How repeat drone surveys track construction earthworks: cut and fill against design, change between surveys, cut/fill maps and what the numbers need.
- [Manning Equation for Open Channel Flow](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/manning-equation): The Manning equation gives discharge and velocity in an open channel from section, slope and roughness. Formula, n values, normal depth and a calculator.
- [Waste Dump Design: Geometry, Capacity and Checks](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/waste-dump-design): Waste dump design for open pit mines: lift height, angle of repose, berms, overall slope angle, foundation and capacity, with a geometry calculator.
- [What is Photogrammetry? How Photos Become Maps and 3D Models](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/what-is-photogrammetry): What is photogrammetry? How overlapping photos become a point cloud, a surface model, an orthomosaic and a 3D model, step by step, and what it cannot do.
- [Drone Photogrammetry Workflow: From Flight Plan to Deliverable](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/drone-photogrammetry-workflow): How to do photogrammetry with a drone: plan the GSD and overlap, place control, fly, process, check the result and deliver. A practical workflow with checks.
- [Ground Control Points (GCPs) Explained for Drone Mapping](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/ground-control-points-explained): What ground control points are, why RTK drones still benefit, how GCPs differ from check points, how big targets should be and common coordinate mistakes.
- [RTK vs PPK for Drone Mapping: What Each Does and What It Does Not Fix](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/rtk-vs-ppk-drone-mapping): RTK vs PPK for drone mapping: how each corrects the drone's position, when to use which, what neither fixes, and what ground control adds to the accuracy.
- [Best Photogrammetry Software: How to Choose and Test It on Your Own Flight](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/best-photogrammetry-software): How to choose the best photogrammetry software for mapping and survey: eight criteria and a test you can run on your own flight, judged by check-point error.
- [What is Drone Mapping and How Does It Work?](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/what-is-drone-mapping): What is drone mapping? How a drone flight becomes an orthomosaic and an elevation model, what it is used for, how it differs from surveying, and its limits.
- [Point Cloud vs Mesh: What's the Difference and Which Do You Need?](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/point-cloud-vs-mesh): Point cloud vs mesh: what each one stores, how a mesh is built from a cloud, which to use for volumes, inspection or the web, and the usual file formats.
- [True Orthophoto vs Orthophoto: Why Buildings Lean and How to Stop It](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/true-orthophoto-vs-orthophoto): True orthophoto vs orthophoto: why buildings and trees lean in an ordinary orthophoto, what a true ortho needs, and why moving cars leave ghosts in a mosaic.
- [What Is Reprojection Error in Photogrammetry?](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/reprojection-error-explained): What is reprojection error in photogrammetry? How it is measured in pixels, what a healthy value looks like, why it rises, and why it is not map accuracy.
- [Rolling Shutter in Drone Mapping: What It Does and How to Handle It](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/rolling-shutter-drone-mapping): What rolling shutter does to drone mapping: why a moving camera bends the image, how it shows in alignment, and how flying and processing can deal with it.
- [Structure from Motion (SfM): How Overlapping Photos Become 3D](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/structure-from-motion-explained): Structure from motion (SfM): how overlapping photos give camera positions and a sparse 3D point set, where bundle adjustment fits in, and what SfM cannot do.
- [GSD Calculator: Ground Sampling Distance for Drone Mapping](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/gsd-calculator): Online GSD calculator for drone mapping: ground sampling distance from altitude, or the altitude for a target GSD, plus photo footprint and flight line spacing.
- [Earthwork Quantities for Progress Payments, Survey to Survey](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/earthwork-progress-payment-quantities): How to measure earthwork quantities for a progress payment: baseline survey, volume between two surveys, in-place volume, over-excavation and attachments.
- [LAS vs LAZ: What Is the Difference?](https://www.streamterrain.com/blog/las-vs-laz): LAS vs LAZ: what each point cloud format stores, how LASzip compresses losslessly to 7–20% of the size, what COPC adds, and which one to keep.

## Other languages
- [tr_TR](https://www.streamterrain.com/tr): STREAM Terrain — Madencilik ve Arazi Yazılımı: DEM, Kübaj
- [es_ES](https://www.streamterrain.com/es): STREAM Terrain — Software de Minería y Terreno: MDE
- [fr_FR](https://www.streamterrain.com/fr): STREAM Terrain — Logiciel Minier et de Terrain : MNT
- [zh_CN](https://www.streamterrain.com/zh): STREAM Terrain — 矿业与地形软件：DEM、土方量、设计
- [ru_RU](https://www.streamterrain.com/ru): STREAM Terrain — ПО для горного дела и рельефа: DEM и объёмы