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It's any public maps API (google, microsoft, openstreet...) that returns the height of the roof for certain points?

Imagine: you request some address and the API returns the coordinates, some information and the height of the building, if available.

Pedro Laguna
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  • this information exists: "These building footprints, complete with height detail, are algorithmically created by taking aerial imagery and using computer vision techniques to render the building shapes".... Doesn't look like it's included in the API. http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2012/10/expanded-coverage-of-building.html – awongh Apr 17 '13 at 08:57
  • For a start, you can get the altitude of the groundlevel and approximate the height yourself with this solution: http://stackoverflow.com/a/31839572/1069083 – rubo77 Sep 27 '15 at 07:39

2 Answers2

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OpenStreetMap has a height tag and various other building related tags like building:levels from which you could estimate the height. However note that currently most buildings lack those tags as they aren't widely in use so far. Still you could give it a try and request all buildings around a specific point or area using Overpass API / overpass turbo and then look for those tags.

scai
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I'm almost certain the answer is "no". To get this information you'd need LIDAR data or something similar, and there is no global dataset of LIDAR data at anything like the resolution necessary to accurately determine the height of an individual building roof.

Many of the web-mapping services use terrain and building elevation models internally to calculate their "3d" view modes, but I don't think this data is ever exposed, and even if it were I think it's only suitable for display purposes rather than for performing any calculations.

Alastair Aitchison
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