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Also known as: Elevation, Height above sea level
Vertical measurement of a point relative to a reference level, commonly mean sea level.
DESCRIPTION
Altitude expresses vertical position and is used in mapping, aviation, surveying, and device telemetry. It depends on the chosen reference (ellipsoid, geoid, or ground). In data systems, altitude joins with coordinates for 3D analyses and routing. Accurate handling requires datum awareness, sensor calibration, and unit consistency. DEMs provide gridded elevation data for terrain modeling.
ALTERNATIVE DEFINITIONS
Wikipedia
Altitude or height (sometimes known as ‘elevation’) is a measurement, usually in the vertical direction, between a reference datum and a point or object.
Describes altitude generically and notes common synonyms.
Wikipedia
Elevation is a geometric height above a fixed reference point, most commonly sea level.
Emphasizes sea level as common reference for elevation.
RELATED TERMS
Latitude-Longitude GPS Coordinates Digital Elevation Model Topography Geoid Mean Sea Level Barometric Pressure DEM Terrain Analysis Aviation Navigation
COMPETING TERMS
Depth
KNOWLEDGE AREAS
Data Science IoT & Edge Data Data Modeling Data Visualization
TARGET AUDIENCE
Data Scientist Data Engineer AI Engineer Data Analyst Cloud Architect BI Specialist
EXTERNAL SOURCES
- Wikipedia - Altitude
- USGS - USGS elevation explanation
- NOAA NGS - Geoid and height FAQs
- QGIS - Working with elevation data
TOP QUESTIONS
Why is Altitude important in analytics?
It affects routing, climate models, and coverage analysis. Including altitude improves accuracy of spatial predictions and simulations.
Category: Relevancy
What reference should Altitude use?
Use geoid-based orthometric heights for practical elevation. Document the datum (e.g., EGM96, EGM2008) and transformation steps.
Category: Requirements
What’s a common Altitude mistake?
Mixing ellipsoidal and orthometric heights without conversion causes systematic errors. Barometric sensors drift without calibration.
Category: Mistakes
How to store Altitude?
Store numeric values with units and reference metadata. Use DEMs for context and validation.
Category: Management
How does Altitude relate to GPS?
GPS reports ellipsoidal height; convert to orthometric using geoid models. This aligns with common maps and elevation datasets.
Category: Example
What risks arise with inaccurate Altitude?
Aviation planning, flood modeling, and coverage maps may be wrong. Errors propagate in 3D analyses.
Category: Risks
What is a hot topic in Altitude data?
High-resolution DEMs and LiDAR improve terrain modeling. Sensor fusion enhances altitude accuracy for mobile devices.
Category: Topic
Where to learn about Altitude and elevation?
Review NOAA geoid resources and USGS elevation FAQs. Practice transformations in GIS tools.
Category: Example
How do Altitude and Depth compare?
Altitude measures vertical position above a reference, while depth measures below. They require consistent datums and units.
Category: Example