Having downloaded and compiled the ASTER GDEM data-set for the entire African continent (~ 3,300 tiles), we present a short summary of our initial analysis of the data here.

The quality of the DEM derived from ASTER images is strongly affected by cloud anomalies and overall quality of the individual scenes. There are therefore some notable problems with the ASTER GDEM, including many pits, spikes and mole-runs.