Extract text from terrain elevation files (DT0)
To convert DT0 elevation files to another format, you need ArcGIS or other GIS software.
To convert other file formats to the "Digital Terrain Elevation Data" file type, you need software like ArcGIS or a similar tool.
A .dt0 file stores Digital Terrain Elevation Data (DTED) Level 0, a military-standard digital elevation model format originally developed by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) (formerly NIMA). These files contain a uniform matrix of terrain elevation values. The "Level 0" designation indicates a specific spatial resolution of 30 arc-seconds (approximately 900 meters), which is typically used for basic global terrain mapping, radar simulation, and line-of-sight analysis. To open and utilize .dt0 files, professionals rely on robust Geographic Information System (GIS) applications like QGIS or ArcGIS.
The main disadvantage of the .dt0 format is its rigid, specialized binary structure. It is an older, proprietary military standard that is completely unreadable to standard image viewers, 3D modeling software, or web browsers. If you do not have an expensive GIS suite or an open-source tool equipped with the GDAL (Geospatial Data Abstraction Library) framework installed, you cannot view the elevation data. Furthermore, some legacy systems embedded JFIF (JPEG) image data within these files using the Intel JPEG Library, further confusing standard file parsers.
To make this data usable in modern workflows, users typically need to convert .dt0 files to more widely supported formats. The best conversion targets are .GeoTIFF (for preserving spatial metadata and high dynamic range in a standard raster format), DEM (for standard terrain modeling), or XYZ (to extract the raw point cloud data for CAD software). Be aware that converting to generic image formats like PNG or JPG will destroy the georeferencing metadata and precision elevation values, resulting in a flat grayscale image.
This file format is exceptionally difficult to open or convert online because standard cloud converters lack the complex geospatial libraries required to parse DTED binary matrices. However, you can use convert.guru. Just drag and drop your file to identify the format, view it, and convert it when possible. convert.guru can inspect the file and show its internal content. If our analysis detects a supported underlying or embedded format - such as an embedded JFIF raster - viewing or conversion may still be possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your DT0 file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted LCP, FMF and TST files.
If you want to convert DT0 file to SHP, KML, KMZ, GPX, GEOJSON, TOPOJSON, TIF, TIFF, ECW, SID, IMG or DEM, you can use ArcGIS or similar software from the "Digital Elevation Model Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert LAZ, KMZ, DTM, CSV, DEM, PRJ, LAS, GPX, DSM, SHP, DBF or KML files to DT0, try ArcGIS or another comparable tool in the "Digital Elevation Model Storage" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our DT0 converter.