Reference · built on requestCommons signalPlaces & geographic reference

USGS 3DEP Elevation Point Query Service

Ground elevation in meters or feet for any latitude and longitude from the USGS 3D Elevation Program via REST API.

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About

The USGS 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) manages high-resolution topographic elevation data across the United States. The 3DEP Elevation Point Query Service (EPQS) provides a lightweight public REST API hosted on The National Map platform. Given a geographic latitude and longitude coordinate pair, the service samples the underlying 3DEP digital elevation models and returns the ground elevation value in meters or feet.

Through Fibric, an operator references ground elevations for facility coordinates, proposing flood vulnerability classifications or elevation adjustments for weather-sensitive infrastructure.

This is a reference listing. It documents what Fibric would read from USGS 3DEP Elevation Point Query Service and what it could propose, based on the publisher's published interfaces. Fibric builds it under a managed deployment when you request it; selecting it here installs nothing.

Inputs

  • Ground elevation values returned via GET /v1/json with x and y coordinates
  • Unit of measure selection supporting output in meters or US survey feet
  • Data source layer attribution indicating the underlying 3DEP elevation model vintage
  • Spatial reference metadata conforming to the NAD 83 horizontal datum
  • National Map elevation coverage spanning nationwide 1/3 arc-second and 1-meter lidar surfaces

Proposed actions

Read-only. This feed informs operators; it changes nothing.

Proposed actions are target capabilities. Every action runs propose-first and needs a validated deployment and the appropriate permissions.

What you can build

  • Classify low-lying facilities for flood alert routing

    Query ground elevation for warehouse coordinates and compare with nearby river stage gauges, proposing enhanced flood watch alerts for low-elevation facilities.

    With Site Benchmark, Severe Weather Notice

  • Verify terrain altitude for field radio deployments

    Sample ground elevation at planned field gateway or antenna sites, proposing installation height recommendations based on local topographic relief.

    With Field Dispatch

  • Adjust HVAC setpoints for high-altitude locations

    Retrieve precise facility elevations across mountain distribution centers, proposing adjusted psychrometric calculations and atmospheric pressure compensation.

    With Guest Comfort

Requirements

  • Decimal degree latitude (y) and longitude (x) coordinates within covered geographic boundaries
  • Specified units parameter (Meters or Feet) matching engineering application standards
  • Connection handling for HTTPS requests directed to epqs.nationalmap.gov
Authentication
None. The USGS Elevation Point Query Service is an open public REST API requiring no credentials, registration, or API keys.

Limits

  • The service is designed for point elevation queries and does not generate continuous raster surfaces
  • Coordinates outside US sovereign territory and territorial borders return null elevation values
  • High-concurrency batch queries should be paced with reasonable backoff to avoid connection resets

Access and pricing

Reference listing. Public feed access is separate from Fibric integration. If you request this feed, your quote covers the build, usage, and support.

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Questions and answers

What data sources power the USGS EPQS service?
The service queries the USGS 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) national elevation datasets, derived from airborne lidar, digital photogrammetry, and interferometric synthetic aperture radar.
How accurate are the elevation values returned?
Accuracy depends on the underlying 3DEP resolution at the query coordinate. Areas with 1-meter lidar data provide vertical accuracy within centimetres, while older 1/3 arc-second data provides meter-level accuracy.
Are there quotas or rate limits on the EPQS API?
The USGS does not publish fixed rate limits for the service, but users are asked to pace requests responsibly and avoid multithreaded point queries that degrade public availability.
Ask about USGS 3DEP Elevation Point Query Service

Ask about the capabilities and requirements in this listing.

For project-specific requirements, contact Fibric.

This Commons signal listing is developed, published, and supported by Fibric. It reads public data published by US Geological Survey (epqs.nationalmap.gov). Upstream agencies and projects are the property of their respective owners, who are not affiliated with Fibric and do not sponsor or endorse this listing. Trademark policy