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The elevation of a geographic
location In geography, location or place are used to denote a region (point, line, or area) on Earth's surface or elsewhere. The term ''location'' generally implies a higher degree of certainty than ''place'', the latter often indicating an entity with an ...
is its
height Height is measure of vertical distance, either vertical extent (how "tall" something or someone is) or vertical position (how "high" a point is). For example, "The height of that building is 50 m" or "The height of an airplane in-flight is ab ...
above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference
geoid The geoid () is the shape that the ocean surface would take under the influence of the gravity of Earth, including gravitational attraction and Earth's rotation, if other influences such as winds and tides were absent. This surface is extended ...
, a mathematical model of the
Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...
's
sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardise ...
as an
equipotential In mathematics and physics, an equipotential or isopotential refers to a region (mathematics), region in space where every point is at the same potential. This usually refers to a scalar potential (in that case it is a level set of the potential ...
gravitational
surface A surface, as the term is most generally used, is the outermost or uppermost layer of a physical object or space. It is the portion or region of the object that can first be perceived by an observer using the senses of sight and touch, and is ...
(see Geodetic datum § Vertical datum). The term ''elevation'' is mainly used when referring to points on the Earth's surface, while '' altitude'' or '' geopotential height'' is used for points above the surface, such as an aircraft in flight or a
spacecraft A spacecraft is a vehicle or machine designed to fly in outer space. A type of artificial satellite, spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, Earth observation, meteorology, navigation, space colonization, p ...
in orbit, and '' depth'' is used for points below the surface. Elevation is not to be confused with the distance from the center of the Earth. Due to the
equatorial bulge An equatorial bulge is a difference between the equatorial and polar diameters of a planet, due to the centrifugal force exerted by the rotation about the body's axis. A rotating body tends to form an oblate spheroid rather than a sphere. On E ...
, the summits of
Mount Everest Mount Everest (; Tibetic languages, Tibetan: ''Chomolungma'' ; ) is List of highest mountains on Earth, Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border ru ...
and
Chimborazo Chimborazo () is a currently inactive stratovolcano in the Cordillera Occidental range of the Andes. Its last known eruption is believed to have occurred around 550 A.D. Chimborazo's summit is the farthest point on the Earth's surface from t ...
have, respectively, the largest elevation and the largest
geocentric In astronomy, the geocentric model (also known as geocentrism, often exemplified specifically by the Ptolemaic system) is a superseded description of the Universe with Earth at the center. Under most geocentric models, the Sun, Moon, stars, an ...
distance.


Aviation

In aviation the term elevation or aerodrome elevation is defined by the ICAO as the highest point of the landing area. It is often measured in feet and can be found in approach charts of the aerodrome. It is not to be confused with terms such as the altitude or height.


Maps and GIS

GIS or geographic information system is a computer system that allows for visualizing, manipulating, capturing, and storage of data with associated attributes. GIS offers better understanding of patterns and relationships of the landscape at different scales. Tools inside the GIS allow for manipulation of data for spatial analysis or cartography. A topographical map is the main type of
map A map is a symbolic depiction emphasizing relationships between elements of some space, such as objects, regions, or themes. Many maps are static, fixed to paper or some other durable medium, while others are dynamic or interactive. Although ...
used to depict elevation, often through use of contour lines. In a Geographic Information System (GIS),
digital elevation model A digital elevation model (DEM) or digital surface model (DSM) is a 3D computer graphics representation of elevation data to represent terrain or overlaying objects, commonly of a planet, moon, or asteroid. A "global DEM" refers to a discrete g ...
s (DEM) are commonly used to represent the surface (topography) of a place, through a raster (grid) dataset of elevations. Digital terrain models are another way to represent terrain in GIS. USGS (United States Geologic Survey) is developing a 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) to keep up with growing needs for high quality topographic data. 3DEP is a collection of enhanced elevation data in the form of high quality LiDAR data over the conterminous United States, Hawaii, and the U.S. territories. There are three bare earth DEM layers in 3DEP which are nationally seamless at the resolution of 1/3, 1, and 2 arcseconds.


See also

*
Amsterdam Ordnance Datum Amsterdam Ordnance Datum or ' (NAP) is a vertical datum in use in large parts of Western Europe. Originally created for use in the Netherlands, its height was used by Prussia in 1879 for defining ', and in 1955 by other European countries. In the ...
, aka ''Normaal Amsterdams Peil'' (NAP), Dutch vertical datum * Geodesy *
GTOPO30 GTOPO30 is a digital elevation model for the world, developed by United States Geological Survey (USGS). It has a 30-arc second resolution (approximately 1 km), and is split into 33 tiles stored in the USGS DEM file format. According to DTED ...
*
Height Height is measure of vertical distance, either vertical extent (how "tall" something or someone is) or vertical position (how "high" a point is). For example, "The height of that building is 50 m" or "The height of an airplane in-flight is ab ...
, general * Hypsometric tints * Lapse rate, or the adiabatic lapse rate *
List of European cities by elevation This is a list of European cities by elevation, located above —divided by cities with over 10,000 people, and those with 100,000 or more. The list of those with more than 10,000 people is further divided by elevation above sea level. Cities ov ...
*
List of highest mountains on Earth Currently, There are at least 108 mountains on Earth with elevations of or greater above sea level. The vast majority of these mountains are located on the edge of the Indian and Eurasian plates in China, India, Nepal and Pakistan. The di ...
*
List of highest towns by country This is a list of the highest settlements by country. Many of these are too small to be regarded as towns or cities. Only permanent settlements occupied year-round are included. When possible, the highest point in the contiguous year-round settl ...
*
List of the highest major summits of North America The following sortable table comprises the 401 mountain peaks of greater North AmericaThis article defines greater North America as the portion of the continental landmass of the Americas extending westward and northward from the Isthmus of ...
*
Normalhöhennull ' ("standard elevation zero") or NHN is a vertical datum used in Germany. In geographical terms, NHN is the reference plane for the normal height of a topographical eminence height above mean sea level used in the 1932 German Mean Height Refe ...
, German vertical datum, literally: ''standard elevation zero'', (NHN) * North American Vertical Datum of 1988, (NAVD 88) **
Sea Level Datum of 1929 The National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 is the official name since 1973 of the vertical datum established for vertical control surveying in the United States of America by the General Adjustment of 1929. Originally known as Sea Level Datum ...
, a superseded United States vertical datum, (NGVD 29) *
Orthometric height The orthometric height is the vertical distance ''H'' along the plumb line from a point of interest to a reference surface known as the ''geoid'', the vertical datum that approximates mean sea level. Orthometric height is one of the scientific fo ...
*
Physical geography Physical geography (also known as physiography) is one of the three main branches of geography. Physical geography is the branch of natural science which deals with the processes and patterns in the natural environment such as the atmosphere, ...
* Topographic isolation *
Topographic prominence In topography, prominence (also referred to as autonomous height, relative height, and shoulder drop in US English, and drop or relative height in British English) measures the height of a mountain or hill's summit relative to the lowest contou ...
*
Topography Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the land forms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps. Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary sc ...
* Vertical pressure variation


References


External links


U.S. National Geodetic Survey website

Geodetic Glossary @ NGS

NGVD 29 to NAVD 88 online elevation converter @ NGSUnited States Geological Survey websiteGeographical Survey InstituteFind the elevation of any place
{{Authority control Geodesy Topography Physical geography Surveying Mountaineering Vertical position