Height Measurement

The Height Measurement tool measures the vertical distance between two points on your site. Click two points and SiteView calculates the height difference, showing whether it is a rise or fall, along with the horizontal distance and 3D distance for context.

Activating the Tool

Open the Measurements tab in the site detail floating panel and click the Height icon, or press H on your keyboard. The cursor changes to a crosshair.

Drawing the Measurement

The Height tool uses two points:

1. First click — places the reference point (the point you are measuring from)
2. Second click — places the target point (the point you are measuring to)

The measurement completes immediately after the second click. A vertical indicator line is drawn on the map between the two elevations to visually represent the height difference.

💡 Tip

Click the lower point first and the higher point second if you want to see a positive (rise) result. Click the higher point first for a negative (fall) result. Either way, the absolute height difference is the same — the sign simply indicates the direction.

Results

The results panel displays:

Rise and Fall Indicators

The results panel includes a visual indicator showing the direction of the height change:

• Rise (arrow pointing up) — the second point is higher than the first
• Fall (arrow pointing down) — the second point is lower than the first

The vertical indicator line on the map is drawn between the two elevation levels, making the height difference visible in the 3D globe view. This is particularly useful when the height difference is significant — such as measuring the depth of an excavation or the height of a retaining wall.

ℹ️ Did you know?

The Height tool isolates the vertical component of the distance between two points. If you need the full 3D slope distance instead, use the Distance & Bearing tool, which reports both horizontal and slope distances along with gradient.

Practical Uses

• Wall heights — measure the height of retaining walls, barrier walls, or building facades visible in the survey data
• Embankment depths — measure the vertical distance from the top of an embankment or cutting to the bottom
• Level differences — check the elevation difference between two areas of the site, such as between a road surface and an adjacent footpath
• Floor levels — compare the elevation at different floor levels of a multi-storey structure (if visible in the DEM or point cloud)
• Excavation depth — measure the depth of a trench, pit, or foundation excavation from the surrounding ground level

Context Values

The horizontal distance and 3D distance are provided as context alongside the primary height measurement. These help you understand the spatial relationship between the two points:

• If the horizontal distance is small and the height difference is large, the points are nearly vertically aligned (e.g., top and bottom of a wall)
• If the horizontal distance is large and the height difference is small, the points are on a gentle slope
• The 3D distance shows the true "as-the-tape-would-measure" distance between the points

Elevation Data

The Height tool reads elevation from the best available source:

1. Processed DEM — provides centimetre-level accuracy for points within the DEM coverage area
2. World terrain — provides approximate elevations when no DEM is available

For accurate height measurements — particularly for wall heights and excavation depths where the difference may be only a few hundred millimetres — ensure you have a high-resolution processed DEM covering both measurement points.

⚠️ Watch out!

Small height differences (under 0.5 metres) are difficult to measure accurately without a high-resolution DEM. World terrain data has a vertical accuracy of several metres and should not be relied upon for precise height measurements.

Saving the Measurement

Click Save to record the height measurement. Add a category, notes describing what you measured (e.g., "Retaining wall at grid line C"), and photos showing the feature. Saved height measurements appear in the Measurements tab and can be re-displayed on the map with the vertical indicator.

What's Next?

• Gradient / Slope — measure the slope between two points with colour-coded severity
• Coordinate Readout — read the coordinates and elevation at any point
• Measurement Tools Overview — return to the full list of measurement tools