Way to get correct terrain Height globally

[JanikCodes]

Hi.

I'm trying to figure out a way to correctly generate meshs,points,lines across the terrains height without having to rely on Raycasts. Raycast aren't ideal because they are working based on the inbuild LOD and return incorrect results over a longer distance.

I'm eager to use an external API for height based on lat & lon due to failures in the result.

Is there no way to get a height based on the elevation layer or should I really rely on a height API?

[JanikCodes · Accepted solution]

edit for those who are interested:

As it seems like there is no inbuild way I actually decided to use an external elevation API (open-elevation) which you can also self host. If you want something else you can also download the global elevation data and build something yourself.

The API itself is pretty great, allowing you to post multiple geo positions and get returned multiple elevations.

[MichaelBranscomb]

Hi, 

Soon we'll be able to share some exciting news that will help solve this question - stay tuned! 

Thanks 

[MichaelBranscomb]

Hi,

Update - we've just launched a beta of our new global elevation service/API. It's currently in beta, gathering feedback, before going general availability in 2025.

More info about the new service: Elevation service (beta) | Esri Developer REST APIs documentation (arcgis.com)

Sign-up to test: https://earlyadopter.esri.com/key/locationservices-elevation

We'd love to get your feedback on this new service (e.g. results, performance, developer experience). 

Thanks