How high is my land above sea level?
Drop a pin and get the ground height in metres above sea level, the slope in degrees and percent, the direction the ground falls, and the heights just north, south, east and west. The maximum building height the airport rules allow at that point comes in the same run.
Free. Sign in once with your phone to run it.
- Slope as a grade and a direction, so drainage and fill can be judged
- The neighbouring heights north, south, east and west
- The airport height cap at the same point, read in the same run
Freeevery run
What we need
One thing at a time. Fill it in and press Run.
The answer
From the register, with its date and source.
Nothing run yet. The answer appears here with everything this mini adds:
- Slope as a grade and a direction, so drainage and fill can be judged
- The neighbouring heights north, south, east and west
- The airport height cap at the same point, read in the same run
Height and slope, briefly
Aspect is the compass direction the ground falls towards. A plot with a north-east aspect drains to the north-east.
- Height
- 90 m model
Read from the Copernicus 90 m terrain model, so it is the height of the ground around the plot, not a surveyed spot level.
- Slope bands
- 1°, 3°, 8°
Under 1 degree is flat, 1 to 3 gentle, 3 to 8 moderate, and 8 or more steep. The slope is worked out from heights about 30 m apart.
- Low ground
- About 5 m
Near the coast, ground below about 5 m above sea level is worth a flood check before anything else.
How to find the elevation of a plot
- 1
Place the pin
Tap the plot on the map, paste a Google Maps link to it, or use your location while you stand there.
- 2
Press Run
The height, slope and fall come back in seconds, with the airport height limit beside them.
- 3
Compare the sides
The four neighbouring heights show where water will run off, and how much fill a level plinth needs.
When it helps with land
Low-lying land
A plot lower than the road beside it collects water. The height against its neighbours shows it before the rains do.
Filling and drainage
The slope and the way the ground falls tell a builder where the storm drain goes and how much earth to bring.
Building height
Near an airport, the height cap at the point limits how many floors the plot can carry.
A terrain model gives the lie of the land, not a level survey. For a plinth level or a drainage design, have a surveyor take spot levels on site, and check flood extents with the zone check.
Questions people ask
How do I find how high my land is above sea level?
Drop a pin on the land above, or paste a Google Maps link, and press Run. You get the height in metres above sea level with the slope and the direction the ground falls.
How accurate is the height?
It is a 90 m terrain model, so treat the figure as the height of the ground around the plot, not a surveyed spot level.
What does aspect mean?
The compass direction the ground falls towards. A plot that falls north-east drains that way. On nearly flat ground (under half a degree) no direction is given, because there is none worth naming.
Is my land low-lying?
Compare its height with the four neighbouring heights in the answer. Ground lower than all four collects water. Near the coast, anything below about 5 m deserves the flood layer in the zone check.
Why does the terrain profile give a different height?
The terrain profile reads the state elevation layer, and this mini reads a separate 90 m model. On a hill slope the two can disagree, and the profile says so when they do. Treat both as rough.
Is this free?
Yes, both the terrain read and the airport height check are free.