About Us
Fast, accessible elevation data for every location on Earth
What Elevation was founded on a simple observation: finding your exact height above sea level shouldn't require downloading heavy applications, battling intrusive advertising, or navigating complex GIS software.
01 / PURPOSE
Simplicity First
We believe everyday utilities should execute their core task in under three seconds. Open the page, detect coordinates, and view your elevation immediately.
02 / SCIENCE
Verified Topography
Consumer smartphone GPS vertical sensors can drift by tens of meters. We resolve this by pairing coordinates with satellite-derived digital elevation models.
03 / ETHICS
Zero Retention
Location data is personal. Your coordinates are processed solely inside your browser session and are never logged, tracked, or resold to data brokers.
Our Technology Stack
Under the hood, What Elevation utilizes digital elevation data models from spaceborne synthetic aperture radar and optical sensors. Our primary reference is the Copernicus Global Digital Elevation Model (GLO-30 and GLO-90), maintained by the European Space Agency and the European Union’s Earth observation program.
Unlike simple geometric ellipsoids (such as raw WGS84 height), our data references Mean Sea Level (MSL) using gravitational geoid undulations. This ensures that when our tool reports an elevation of 1,842 meters, that figure represents true physical height above the ocean surface datum.
Who Uses What Elevation?
Our tool serves a diverse global community:
- Hikers, Trail Runners & Climbers: Verifying topographic gain, trailhead baselines, and summit elevations.
- High-Altitude Bakers & Chefs: Adjusting leavening agents and boiling temperature timings based on local barometric elevations.
- Athletes & Coaches: Tracking training camp altitudes and adjusting aerobic exertion targets.
- Travelers & Road Trippers: Anticipating mountain passes, acclimatization stops, and weather temperature gradients.
- Engineers & Surveyors: Quick field sanity checks on terrain contours and drainage slopes.
Open Web Principles
We are committed to maintaining What Elevation as a free, open-access public resource. We do not require accounts, we do not require software downloads, and we design with accessibility (WCAG AA standards) and lightweight performance in mind so the site loads instantly even on low-bandwidth rural connections.
Have Questions or Suggestions?
We are constantly improving our datasets and interface.