The global TanDEM-X High-Resolution Coastline Product was developed by the German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD) at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) as part of the TanDEM-X Mission and the HydroSHEDS v2.0 project. It is a global vector dataset that outlines the boundary between terrestrial and marine environments at a resolution of 10 meters.

Between 2010 and 2015, the TanDEM-X mission acquired a complete coverage of the Earth's landmass, resulting in a global digital elevation model (DEM). Since the TanDEM-X coastline is derived from the TanDEM-X dataset, it provides an optimal fit for improving the DEM. Additionally, the TanDEM-X coastline is a key component in the derivation of hydrographic data within the HydroSHEDS v2.0 project, where it defines the outer boundary of watersheds and river networks. To meet hydrological requirements and to ensure global consistency, the TanDEM-X coastline was extracted automatically in a first step and subsequently manually verified and refined. Since the coastline is a mapping feature located in the coastal zone, its position is a function of the source data, the method used to identify the coastline, the time of acquisition, and the purpose of mapping.