Elevation
For other senses of this word, see elevation (disambiguation).The
elevation of a
geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, often the
mean sea level. Elevation is mainly used when referring to points on the
Earth's surface, while
altitude is used for points in the
air, such as an
aircraft. Less commonly, elevation is measured, using the center of the Earth as the reference point. Due to
equatorial bulge, there is debate whether the summits of
Mt. Everest or
Chimborazo are at the higher elevation, as Chimborazo is further from the Earth's center while Mt. Everest is higher above mean sea level.
A
topographical map is the main type of
map used to depict elevation, often through use of
contour lines.
In a
Geographic Information System (GIS),
digital elevation models (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.
To determine elevation of a place, it must be
surveyed, in reference to a
ground control point.
The elevation of a
mountain usually refers to its
summit. The elevation of a hill also refers to the summit. A valley's elevation is
usually taken from the lowest point but is often taken all over the valley.
*
Altitude*
List of highest towns by country*
Topographical map*
Gemeinde Seelisberg*
Touristische Informationen
