1. A method for compressing an elevation map by means of digital image processing, comprising: a. calculating local and global parameters of an elevation map for sorting said elevation map into a corresponding category; b. categorizing said elevation map according to the calculated local and global parameters; c. determining optimal parameters for compressing said elevation map according to the calculated local and global parameters and according to said corresponding category; and d. compressing said elevation map by applying on it digital image processing by using the determined optimal compression parameters.