Oregon Elevation ToolsAdd elevation →

Add elevation to CSV files

Have a spreadsheet of points? Add the ground elevation of every row, in feet, read from the USGS 3DEP lidar model. For points anywhere in Oregon.

Add elevation to a CSV file

Elevate a File needs a pass: US$29 for 24 hours, US$99 for 30 days or US$399 for 12 months. It asks for one before the upload, then sends the file back with elevation columns.

Open Elevate a File →

Why add elevation to a CSV file?

Field data, asset registers and customer lists often have coordinates but no elevation. Looking points up one by one is slow; adding a column for the whole table at once is not. With elevations in the table you can:

  • sort and filter points by elevation;
  • chart a variable against elevation;
  • check which assets sit low in a drainage or high on a ridge;
  • carry elevations into a database, GIS or BI tool.

Made for data analysis

The output is the same table with elevation added in feet (elevation_ft), with elevation_m in meters alongside, ready for Excel, Google Sheets, pandas, R or a database import. For a single point, the Add Elevation tool on the map gives the elevation in feet with one click, for free.

Process your CSV file

Ground elevations from USGS 3DEP lidar for every row, in seconds.

Open Elevate a FileGPX, KML, GeoJSON and CSVJust one point?Look up a single elevation

How it works

  1. Prepare: one header row, then one row per point, with latitude and longitude in decimal degrees.
  2. Upload: open Elevate a File and, with a pass active, choose the .csv file (up to 50 MB, all points inside a square 3.7 miles on a side).
  3. Processing: the latitude and longitude columns are found from the header, and each row is sampled from the 3DEP model on a grid laid over your points, at most 1,024 samples across its longest side, so it is as fine as the source for points close together and coarser for points spread over several miles. Each value is interpolated between the four nearest cells.
  4. Download: the file comes back as yourfile_elevation.csv.

An input file like this:

id,lat,lon
P1,45.5401,-122.7559
P2,45.5412,-122.7565
P3,45.5420,-122.7571

comes back like this:

id,lat,lon,elevation_m,elevation_ft
P1,45.5401,-122.7559,295.1,968.2
P2,45.5412,-122.7565,292.4,959.3
P3,45.5420,-122.7571,298.8,980.3

(Three points in Portland’s West Hills. Elevations are above NAVD 88.)

Supported columns

  • Latitude: a header named lat or latitude.
  • Longitude: a header named lon, lng, long or longitude.
  • Header names are matched regardless of capitalization.
  • Values are decimal degrees in WGS84. Oregon is west of Greenwich, so its longitudes are negative.

Use cases

Field survey data

Add elevations to sample sites, plots, monitoring wells or photo points recorded with a handheld GPS.

Property and land

Compare lots, building sites or wells by elevation. For a legal or engineering decision, use a surveyed elevation.

Infrastructure and assets

Give culverts, manholes, poles, valves or tanks a ground elevation for planning and maintenance.

Business locations

Add elevation to store, customer or delivery locations, for example to flag sites that sit low near a river.

Research and monitoring

Put elevation next to every observation for analysis by elevation band.

Recreation data

Give trailheads, campsites, lakes and viewpoints from the Coast Range to the Wallowas a ground elevation.

Working with common tools

Excel and Google Sheets

Save the sheet as CSV, add elevation, then open the new file. The elevation columns are plain numbers ready for charts and formulas.

Databases

Import the enriched CSV as usual; the elevation columns load as numeric fields.

Python and R

Read the file with pandas or read.csv; the new columns are elevation_m and elevation_ft.

GIS software

QGIS and ArcGIS can load the CSV as points from the latitude and longitude columns, with elevation as an attribute.

Business intelligence tools

Map or chart the points by elevation in your BI tool.

Data quality and accuracy

Ground elevations on this site come from the USGS 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) seamless bare-earth model: 3.3 ft per pixel where lidar has been flown and about 33 ft per pixel elsewhere, with elevations above NAVD 88. The data is in the public domain. Most of Oregon’s lidar was flown through the Oregon Lidar Consortium, run by DOGAMI, the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries. DOGAMI reports about 99% of Oregon covered by at least one lidar project. Values are the ground: a point on a rooftop or a bridge gets the ground or water below it. More from the USGS 3D Elevation Program and DOGAMI’s lidar program.

File requirements

  • A header row, then data rows.
  • Comma- or tab-separated.
  • Keep it simple: no commas inside quoted fields, because the file is split on the separator.
  • Up to 50 MB, all points inside a square 3.7 miles on a side.

Privacy

The file is sent to the server, processed and sent straight back. It is not stored.

Frequently asked questions

What if my coordinates are in State Plane or Oregon Lambert feet?

Convert them to WGS84 latitude and longitude in decimal degrees first, for example in QGIS or a spreadsheet add-in. The tool reads decimal degrees only and does not reproject.

Can I process a CSV with thousands of rows?

Yes, as long as the file is under 50 MB and every point fits in a square 3.7 miles on a side. For points spread across a county, split the file by area.

Are my original columns kept?

Yes. Your columns and rows stay in the same order, and two new columns, elevation_m and elevation_ft, are added at the end. A column that already holds elevations is left exactly as it was. Blank lines are dropped.

What happens to points outside Oregon?

Oregon Elevation Tools covers Oregon only. Rows outside the state, or where no elevation can be read, are kept with the elevation left empty.

Can I use the elevations commercially?

Yes. USGS 3DEP elevation data is a U.S. Government work in the public domain, so you may use the results, including commercially. A credit to "USGS 3D Elevation Program" is appreciated.

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