Open Topo Data

How to Use This API

1. Get Elevation for a Single Point

Get elevation for Manhattan (lat=40.71, lon=-74.00) using the global ETOPO1 dataset:

https://api.opentopodata.org/v1/etopo1?locations=40.71,-74.00

2. Multiple Locations in One Request

Get elevations for several points (up to 100):

https://api.opentopodata.org/v1/etopo1?locations=40.71,-74.00|48.85,2.35|35.68,139.76

3. Use US-Specific NED 10m Dataset

Higher resolution (10m) for locations within the United States:

https://api.opentopodata.org/v1/ned10m?locations=40.71,-74.00

4. JavaScript — Elevation Profile Along a Path

// Generate elevation profile for a hiking trail
const points = '46.85,-121.76|46.86,-121.75|46.87,-121.74|46.88,-121.73';
fetch(`https://api.opentopodata.org/v1/ned10m?locations=${points}`)
  .then(r => r.json())
  .then(data => {
    data.results.forEach((r, i) => {
      console.log(`Point ${i + 1}: ${r.elevation}m`);
    });
    const avg = data.results.reduce((s, r) => s + r.elevation, 0) / data.results.length;
    console.log(`Average elevation: ${avg.toFixed(1)}m`);
  });

5. Python — Mountain Elevation Check

import requests

peaks = [
    ('Everest', 27.99, 86.93),
    ('Kilimanjaro', -3.07, 37.35),
    ('Fuji', 35.36, 138.73),
    ('Denali', 63.07, -151.01),
]

locations = '|'.join(f'{lat},{lon}' for _, lat, lon in peaks)
resp = requests.get(
    'https://api.opentopodata.org/v1/etopo1',
    params={'locations': locations}
).json()

for (name, _, _), result in zip(peaks, resp['results']):
    print(f"{name}: {result['elevation']}m (dataset: {resp['dataset']})")