What Is My Elevation?
Tap Use my location to check your current ground elevation above sea level in feet and meters using the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 3D Elevation Program (3DEP), or enter any U.S. coordinates or street address.
How QuickWhere Measures Your Ground Elevation Above Sea Level
This elevation finder returns the bare-earth ground elevation above mean sea level in both feet and meters by querying the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Map 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) Elevation Point Query Service (EPQS) at your GPS coordinates or geocoded U.S. street address. Results are rounded to 0.1 feet and 0.1 meters (1 foot = 0.3048 meters exact) and referenced to official U.S. vertical datums.
Why USGS 3DEP Lidar DEM Is More Accurate Than Phone GPS Altitude
When a smartphone or handheld GPS receiver estimates altitude on its own, it calculates geometric height above the smooth mathematical WGS84 ellipsoid using satellite signal timing. Vertical satellite geometry is inherently weaker than horizontal positioning, so raw phone altitude frequently drifts by 30 to 150 feet—and when you are on the upper floor of a building or bridge, GPS measures your antenna height rather than the ground surface.
Instead of relying on vertical satellite trilateration, QuickWhere takes your horizontal latitude and longitude and samples the USGS 3DEP digital elevation model (derived from airborne lidar and 1/3 arc-second to 1-meter DEM rasters), which represents the actual terrain surface referenced to the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD88) across the contiguous United States and Alaska, or local tidal datums in Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. territories.
Geographic Coverage and Limitations
- Coverage Area: The USGS 3DEP Elevation Point Query Service covers the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands.
- International and Ocean Coordinates: Points outside U.S. territory or out in deep ocean waters are outside the 3DEP DEM coverage grid and return a clear notice explaining that USGS elevation data is limited to U.S. land and coastal waters.
- Steep Terrain and Cliffs: On steep mountain ridges, canyon walls, or retaining walls, a 10-meter horizontal GPS shift can correspond to several feet of vertical change; enter a precise street address or click exact coordinates via the Latitude and Longitude Finder for pinpoint checks.