Elevation by Coordinates
Look up the elevation at any coordinate. USGS 3DEP for US points (sub-2 m accuracy); OpenTopoData SRTM30m elsewhere (~10–30 m). Every result shows the dataset and its accuracy band.
How to use this tool
Set a point
Click anywhere on the map, paste a coordinate pair, type an address (live autocomplete after two characters), or use "Use my location" to read your current coordinates from the browser.
Read the elevation
The hero card shows the elevation in metres and feet, plus a one-line "where on Earth" context (lowland, foothill, mountain, high alpine, etc.). The dataset name (USGS 3DEP or SRTM30m) and its accuracy band sit alongside the value.
Interpret in context
Below the hero, the elevation reference scale marks your value alongside the Dead Sea Depression, sea level, the Empire State observatory, Mt Whitney, Everest, and commercial-jet cruise altitude. The orthometric-vs-ellipsoidal diagram explains why GPS readings can differ by up to 100 metres from map elevations.
What “elevation” actually means
Elevation is a vertical distance — but vertical distance from what? There are three legitimate references in everyday use, and they disagree by up to ±100 m worldwide.
Orthometric height (H) — height above the geoid, the irregular surface that approximates mean sea level. This is what topographic maps report. It is the answer the tool returns.
Ellipsoidal height (h)— height above the WGS-84 ellipsoid, the smooth mathematical model of Earth's shape. GPS receivers report this.
Geoid undulation (N)— the difference between the two, varying from about −100 m near India to about +85 m near Iceland. The identity is h = H + N.
The diagram above shows all three surfaces in cross section. For most use cases — hiking, aviation, civil engineering — the orthometric height is what you want. When integrating with GPS-derived ellipsoidal heights, convert via the local geoid model (NGS GEOID18 for the US, NGA EGM2008 worldwide).
Elevation in context
Real-world elevations span a five-order-of-magnitude range from the Dead Sea Depression (−430 m) to commercial-jet cruise altitude (~11 km).
The scale above places a few familiar landmarks on a single vertical axis. When you submit a coordinate above, your queried elevation appears as a red marker on this scale with the dataset's accuracy band drawn as a translucent strip.
Two datasets — when each is used
Coordinately picks the elevation dataset based on the queried coordinate. The split is documented in /methodology§ 19.4.
| Dataset | Coverage | Resolution | Vertical accuracy | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USGS 3DEP | US (incl. Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, USVI) | 1 m / 1/3 arc-sec | ≈ 1 – 2 m RMSE | usgs.gov/3d-elevation-program |
| SRTM 30 m | Worldwide ±60° latitude | 30 m / 1 arc-sec | ≈ 10 – 16 m vertical absolute | opentopodata.org/datasets/srtm |
Why ocean and high-latitude points return “no data”
SRTM covers land surfaces between 60° S and 60° N. Points outside that band (the Arctic above 60° N or Antarctic) return null from the upstream service. So do queries over open water — SRTM measured land surface, not bathymetry.
USGS 3DEP returns null over ocean and outside US territory. Coordinately surfaces this as no data in the report, with the queried coordinate visible so you can verify against an external map.
Ten ways elevation lookup gets used in production
Elevation at a coordinate underpins workflows from trip planning to engineering. The ten cases below cover most of the real-world traffic.
1. Hiking and mountaineering trip planning
Trip planners check summit elevation, trailhead elevation, and net gain along the planned route. Acclimatisation guidelines (above 2,500 m, ascend no faster than ~500 m per day) come straight from the absolute elevation values.
Worked example: Mount Whitney summit at (36.5786, -118.2920) — USGS 3DEP returns 4,418 m above sea level. A hike from the Whitney Portal trailhead at 2,550 m means ~1,870 m net gain, requiring multi-day acclimatisation for most climbers.
2. Aviation: minimum safe altitude and terrain clearance
ICAO Annex 6 specifies the minimum off-route altitude (MORA) — the highest terrain within a corridor plus a clearance buffer. Modern flight-planning software queries elevation along the route at thousands of sample points to compute MORA dynamically.
Worked example: A general-aviation flight from Reno (39.5296, -119.8138, ≈ 1,400 m) to Denver (39.7392, -104.9903, ≈ 1,610 m). En-route elevation peaks at ~4,100 m over the Continental Divide; with a 2,000 ft (610 m) clearance buffer, the MORA on that corridor is ~14,800 ft.
3. Property and infrastructure flood-zone analysis
Insurance underwriters and civil engineers compare a property's elevation to local Base Flood Elevation (BFE) values from FEMA flood maps. A property even 0.5 m below BFE is in a 1-in-100 flood zone and pays significantly higher insurance premiums.
Worked example: A house at (29.7604, -95.3698) (downtown Houston) — USGS 3DEP gives ~14 m above sea level. FEMA BFE for the local zone is 13.7 m, so the structure sits just above flood elevation — but only by 30 cm, which is inside USGS 3DEP's vertical accuracy band. Underwriters typically require a survey.
4. Cellular and microwave tower line-of-sight planning
RF engineers sample elevation along the line between two candidate tower sites to verify clear line-of-sight (no terrain blocking the path) and to size the antennas correctly.
Worked example: A microwave link between a tower at (40.0150, -105.2705, Boulder, ~1,620 m) and a relay at (40.0903, -105.2870, ~2,150 m). The line-of- sight path crosses Flatiron #5 at ~2,310 m, which blocks the link — sampled at 20 elevation points along the path.
5. Photovoltaic system shadowing analysis
Solar installers compute sun angles at a candidate site throughout the year. The horizon — defined by the surrounding terrain's elevation profile — sets the shading window for morning and evening hours.
Worked example: A rooftop array at (37.4131, -122.1650) (Palo Alto, elevation ~10 m). The eastern horizon rises to ~600 m at the Diablo Range about 30 km away — a horizon angle of about 1.1° that delays morning generation by 5–7 minutes on December solstice.
6. Watershed and stormwater modelling
Hydrologists trace flow direction down a digital elevation model to define watershed boundaries and predict where surface runoff will accumulate. A single elevation query is the basic primitive.
Worked example: A sampling point at (45.5152, -122.6784) (Portland, OR) — elevation ~14 m. The watershed feeding this point drains through Forest Park to the west; identifying the contributing area requires queries at thousands of upstream points.
7. Mountain biking and trail building
Trail designers compute grade by sampling elevation at regular intervals along a candidate route. IMBA guidance limits sustained grades to ~10 % for cross-country trails.
Worked example: A trail segment from (40.0150, -105.2705) climbing to (40.0205, -105.2680) over ~600 m horizontal distance. Net gain ~60 m gives 10 % grade — at the IMBA limit, sustainable only with armouring and water-bar drainage.
8. Drone delivery and altitude constraints
Drone-delivery operators must stay below FAA / EASA altitude ceilings — typically 400 ft (122 m) AGL. AGL is above ground level, computed from the drone's GPS altitude minus the terrain elevation at the same coordinate.
Worked example:A drone over Boulder, CO reading 1,750 m MSL. Terrain elevation at the drone's coordinate (~1,620 m) gives AGL of ~130 m — within the FAA Part 107 ceiling of 400 ft (122 m)? Just over. Operators must descend.
9. Telecommunication satellite ground-station siting
Satellite ground stations want unobstructed sky visibility — typically a horizon mask below 5° all around. Site selection involves sampling elevation in a 360° ring around candidate stations.
Worked example: A candidate VSAT site at (34.0522, -118.2437) (Los Angeles, ~70 m). Nearby mountains rise to ~1,500 m at ~30 km — a horizon angle of about 2.7°, acceptable for high-elevation satellites but marginal for low ones below 10° elevation.
10. Climate research and sea-level-rise studies
Coastal-vulnerability assessments overlay digital elevation models against projected sea-level scenarios. The lowest- elevation coordinate within 1 km of the shore is a basic input to these studies; high-resolution DEMs like USGS 3DEP make sub-metre coastal modelling possible for the first time.
Worked example: Miami Beach at (25.7907, -80.1300) — USGS 3DEP returns ~1.5 m above sea level. A 1 m rise by 2100 (IPCC AR6 high-emissions scenario) puts the queried point at ~0.5 m above sea level — within the typical king-tide range, meaning regular flooding.
Choosing the right tool
| Operation | Right tool on Coordinately | Returns |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation at a point (this page) | This page | Height above sea level + dataset + accuracy |
| Coordinates → nearest address | /tools/coordinates-to-address | Reverse geocoding with confidence band |
| Magnetic declination at a point | /tools/magnetic-declination | Declination + inclination + field intensity via WMM 2025 |
| Timezone at a point | /tools/timezone-by-location | IANA timezone identifier |
| Sun position at a point + time | /tools/sun-position | Solar azimuth + altitude + sunrise/sunset times |
Why an elevation might look wrong
- You compared it to a GPS reading.GPS reports ellipsoidal height; the tool reports orthometric. The two can differ by ±100 m depending on local geoid undulation — not an error, a reference-frame mismatch.
- The point is in a steep urban canyon.SRTM 30 m smooths terrain over its 30-metre pixels; a query on a building rooftop returns the surrounding terrain's average, not the rooftop height.
- The dataset is older than the terrain.New construction (highways, dams, surface mines) post-dating SRTM's 2000 mission won't appear; USGS 3DEP is refreshed continuously.
- It returned “no data”.Honest result — the upstream dataset has no value at this point. Don't treat as zero.
Privacy and data-flow notes
Coordinately routes elevation queries server-side to the appropriate upstream service. The coordinate is sent; the response is rendered for the requesting user and discarded — no caching, no logging.
The optional address autocomplete on the input field uses the Mapbox proxy (/api/geocode/suggest) with Cache-Control: no-storeper Mapbox ToS §19.2. Browser geolocation is button-triggered only and never automatic.
Related tools
- Coordinates to address— The nearest address for the same point
- Magnetic declination— Declination, inclination, and field strength at a point
- Time zone by location— IANA time-zone identifier for any coordinate
- Sun position— Solar azimuth and altitude at a place and time
- Coordinate format converter— Render the same point in all six common notations
Related articles
- Elevation, altitude, and ellipsoidal height— Three terms that mean different things — when each applies
- The geoid explained— The irregular surface that defines mean sea level
- Ellipsoid versus geoid— The two reference surfaces compared
- WGS 84 explained— The reference frame GPS reports against
- Horizontal versus vertical datum— Coordinate datums apply to both axes; the vertical one is different
Frequently asked questions
Which dataset is used for my coordinates?
For US points (continental US, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands), the tool uses USGS 3DEP via the Elevation Point Query Service. For all other points, it uses OpenTopoData's SRTM30m endpoint. The dataset name appears on every result so you can see which source produced the number.
How accurate is the elevation result?
USGS 3DEP delivers sub-2 m vertical accuracy on US land, and better than 1 m in densely surveyed lidar areas. OpenTopoData's SRTM30m is approximately 10 m vertical accuracy on rural terrain, degrading to ~30 m in urban or steep mountainous areas. Every result shows the accuracy band of the dataset that produced it; the elevation-reference-scale diagram draws this band as a translucent strip around your value.
Why does the tool show "no data"?
When the queried coordinate is over the ocean or outside the dataset's coverage (SRTM30m covers land between 60°S and 60°N), the upstream service has no value to report and returns null. Coordinately surfaces this as "no data" honestly rather than coercing to 0, which would falsely imply sea level at every such point and break round-trips through downstream calculations.
What's the difference between USGS 3DEP and SRTM30m?
USGS 3DEP is a high-resolution US-only programme regenerated from contemporary lidar surveys, with sub-2 m vertical accuracy. SRTM30m is a global 30 m DEM from the 2000 Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, processed by NASA and the USGS and distributed via OpenTopoData. The accuracy difference reflects two decades of survey improvement and a fundamentally different measurement method (lidar vs. radar from space).
Why is the elevation different from what my GPS or phone says?
Several reasons. GPS receivers usually report ellipsoidal height (the distance above the WGS84 ellipsoid), while elevation datasets report orthometric height (height above the geoid, which approximates mean sea level). The two can differ by 30 to 100 metres depending on location — a known offset called geoid undulation. Consumer GPS also has roughly 10–20 m vertical error on its own. The orthometric-vs-ellipsoidal diagram in the report visualises this.
Can I enter an address instead of coordinates?
Yes. The Location field accepts both: paste a coordinate pair in any of the six supported formats, or type an address. As you type, an autocomplete dropdown shows up to five suggestions from Mapbox; pick one and the coordinates resolve and the elevation lookup runs.
Does Coordinately cache or store the elevation lookup?
No. Each lookup queries the upstream service freshly with Cache-Control: no-store. The response is rendered for the requesting user and not retained anywhere — same retention policy as our other server-side data fetches. See /methodology and /privacy-policy for the full data-flow description.
What does the accuracy band on the elevation scale mean?
The translucent red strip on the elevation reference scale shows ± the dataset's typical vertical error. For USGS 3DEP that's about ± 1.5 m; for SRTM30m it's about ± 16 m. If your queried elevation is close to a threshold (such as the FEMA Base Flood Elevation), the strip helps you see whether the value falls firmly above or below the threshold or sits within the uncertainty band.
Sources
- USGS 3DEP — USGS 3D Elevation Program — Elevation Point Query Service (EPQS) documentation and accuracy specifications · https://www.usgs.gov/3d-elevation-program · Accessed .
- OpenTopoData SRTM30m — OpenTopoData — public SRTM 30 m elevation dataset and API documentation · https://www.opentopodata.org/datasets/srtm/ · Accessed .
- NASA SRTM — NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission — original 2000 mission and post-processing methodology · https://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/srtm/ · Accessed .
- NGS GEOID18 — US National Geodetic Survey GEOID18 — geoid undulation model for the conterminous US · https://geodesy.noaa.gov/GEOID/ · Accessed .
- NGA EGM2008 — NGA Earth Gravitational Model 2008 — global geoid model used for ellipsoidal-to-orthometric conversion · https://earth-info.nga.mil/php/download.php?file=egm-08 · Accessed .
- NIMA TR 8350.2 (WGS 84) — NIMA Technical Report 8350.2 — Department of Defense World Geodetic System 1984, 3rd ed. · https://earth-info.nga.mil/php/download.php?file=coord-wgs84 · Accessed .
- ISO 19111:2019 — ISO 19111:2019 — Geographic information — Referenced by coordinates (including vertical CRS) · https://www.iso.org/standard/74039.html · Accessed .
- ICAO Annex 6 — ICAO Annex 6 — Operation of Aircraft, including minimum off-route altitude provisions · https://www.icao.int/Pages/default.aspx · Accessed .
- FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer — FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer — Base Flood Elevation reference for underwriting and code compliance · https://www.fema.gov/flood-maps/national-flood-hazard-layer · Accessed .
- Mapbox Geocoding API v6 — Mapbox Geocoding v6 — used by the address autocomplete on this page · https://docs.mapbox.com/api/search/geocoding-v6/ · Accessed .