# Elevation, profile and contour lines

> Index of the TerraLab docs for agents: [llms.txt](https://terra-lab.ai/docs/llms.txt). Every docs page is also served as markdown: add .md to its URL.

Elevation of points, a profile along a path, or a DEM, hillshade, slope and contour lines for an area, worldwide at 30 m.

| | |
| --- | --- |
| REST | `POST https://mcp.terra-lab.ai/v1/tools/get_elevation` |
| MCP tool | `get_elevation` on `https://mcp.terra-lab.ai/mcp` |
| Group | Terrain and routes |

## Request

```bash
curl -X POST https://mcp.terra-lab.ai/v1/tools/get_elevation \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TERRALAB_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"mode":"point","points":["Annecy, France"]}'
```

```python
import os
import requests

response = requests.post(
    "https://mcp.terra-lab.ai/v1/tools/get_elevation",
    headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['TERRALAB_API_KEY']}"},
    json={
        "mode": "point",
        "points": ["Annecy, France"],
    },
    timeout=120,
)
response.raise_for_status()
print(response.json()["structuredContent"])
```

```javascript
const response = await fetch('https://mcp.terra-lab.ai/v1/tools/get_elevation', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.TERRALAB_API_KEY}`,
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    "mode": "point",
    "points": [
      "Annecy, France"
    ]
  }),
});
const data = await response.json();
console.log(data.structuredContent);
```

Other valid request bodies:

```json
{"mode":"path","points":["Chamonix, France",{"latitude":45.8786,"longitude":6.8873,"name":"Aiguille du Midi"}]}
```

```json
{"mode":"area","area":{"place":"Chamonix, France","radius_m":2000},"interval_m":50}
```

## Parameters

A JSON object in the request body; in an MCP client, the arguments of the tool call.

| Name | Type | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `mode` | string | No | point: elevation of each point; path: profile along the points; area: DEM, hillshade and slope GeoTIFFs, plus contour lines and slope statistics for small areas. One of `"point"`, `"path"`, `"area"`. Default `"point"`. |
| `points` | array of string or object | No | For point and path: points or place names. The place the user asks about, not the user's own location. 1 to 100 items. |
| `samples` | integer | No | For path: number of samples along the path. From 10 to 500. Default `200`. |
| `area` | object | No | For area: The area: a bbox, or a place (name, address or coordinates) with an optional radius in metres. The place the user asks about, not the user's own location. |
| `area.bbox` | array of number | No | [west, south, east, north] in decimal degrees (WGS 84). Exactly 4 items. |
| `area.place` | string or object | No | A place name or address, or a point. |
| `area.radius_m` | number | No | Radius around the place in metres. From 1 to 100000. |
| `interval_m` | number | No | For area: vertical interval between contour lines, in metres. From 1 to 1000. Default `20`. |

## Response

`structuredContent` holds the result, `content` the same result as text for a model, and `isError` is `true` when the tool refused the request or failed; then `structuredContent.code`, `message` and `hint` say what to change.

```json
{
  "structuredContent": {
    "sources": [{ "name": "...", "licence": "...", "url": "..." }],
    "downloads": [{ "label": "...", "format": "...", "url": "...", "name": "..." }]
  },
  "content": [{ "type": "text", "text": "..." }],
  "isError": false
}
```

Every result lists its `sources` with their licence. File results come as `downloads`: each link builds its file when opened.

## Errors

A missing key answers `401`, an empty balance `402`, too many calls `429`. A call that fails or finds nothing is not counted. See [Errors and rate limits](https://terra-lab.ai/docs/errors).

## Description for agents

The text the server gives an agent to decide when to call this tool:

> Use this when the user asks how high a place is (altitude, height above sea level), wants an elevation profile or the climb between places (a hike, a ride or a road up a mountain: elevation gain and loss, highest and lowest points, cross-section), or asks about the terrain of an area, anywhere in the world: a DEM, relief or hillshade GIS file, contour lines (topographic lines) and how steep or flat it is (slope). Place names work directly, for example a town and a summit. Reads the values from Copernicus DEM, a 30 m surface model of the whole world, and returns the numbers, a profile chart, the path or contours on a map and files. mode "point": up to 100 points. mode "path": 2 or more points, sampled into at most 500 samples. mode "area": a bbox, a place or a place with a radius, of any size: returns the DEM clipped to the area as a GeoTIFF (30 m, coarser for very large areas), a hillshade GeoTIFF and a slope GeoTIFF, which open directly in QGIS; for areas up to about 10 x 10 km it also returns contour lines (interval_m between lines; Shapefile, GeoJSON, KML) and slope statistics, so one call answers how steep a site is. Not for routes or travel times. Needs a place, coordinates or an area: to explain what a DEM, a DSM or contour lines are, answer without this tool. Never use the user's current location unless they type it. Give the place as the user names it (place name, address or coordinates): this tool locates it, so find_places is not needed first. Download links build their file when opened; no file is saved. Never pass these links to open_gis_file.


Source: https://terra-lab.ai/docs/api/get_elevation · Updated 2026-10-27