Getting Started

The Google Maps Elevation API provides elevation data for all locations on the surface of the earth, including depth locations on the ocean floor (which return negative values).

Sample request and response

You access the Google Maps Elevation API through an HTTP interface, with requests constructed as a URL string, using latitude/longitude coordinates to identify the locations or path vertices. Requests must include your API key.

The following example requests the elevation for Denver, Colorado, the "Mile High City", in JSON format:

https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/elevation/json?locations=39.7391536,-104.9847034&key=YOUR_API_KEY

You can test this by entering the URL into your web browser (be sure to replace ‘YOUR_API_KEY’ with your actual API key). The response includes the elevation at that point, in meters, along with the resolution value (the maximum distance between data points from which the elevation was interpolated, in meters).

View the developer's guide for more information about building request URLs and available parameters and understanding the response.

Below is a sample response, in JSON:

{
   "results" : [
      {
         "elevation" : 1608.637939453125,
         "location" : {
            "lat" : 39.73915360,
            "lng" : -104.98470340
         },
         "resolution" : 4.771975994110107
      }
   ],
   "status" : "OK"
}

Start coding with our client libraries

Client libraries make developing with the Google Maps web service APIs easier by providing simple, native implementations of common tasks, such as authentication, request throttling and automatic retry. The Google Maps Elevation API is available as part of the Java Client for Google Maps Services, Python Client for Google Maps Services, and Go Client for Google Maps Services.

These community-supported client libraries are open-sourced under the Apache 2.0 License and are available for download, or contributions, on GitHub. The libraries are not covered by the standard Google deprecation policy, or support agreement.

Authentication, quotas, and policies

Activate the API and get an API key

To use the Google Maps Elevation API, you must first activate the API in the Google Developers Console and obtain the proper authentication credentials. You need to provide a server API key in each request (or a client ID if you have a Premium Plan).

Click the button below to flow through a process where you will:

1. Go to the Google Developers Console
2. Create or select a project
3. Enable the API
4. Get an API key

Get a Key

Learn more about authentication credentials.

Quotas

Review the usage limits page for details on the quotas set for the Google Maps Elevation API.

Policies

Use of the Google Maps Elevation API must be in accordance with the API policies.

Learn more

There’s more you can do with the Elevation API, like requesting elevation data from multiple locations and creating elevation charts. See the Elevation API developer’s guide for more examples and other details.