OpenAltimetry

VISUALIZE AND DOWNLOAD SURFACE ELEVATION DATA FROM ACROSS THE EARTH, OVER TIME

Overview

NASA's OpenAltimetry (OA) is a free and powerful map-based data visualization and discovery tool for exploring surface elevation profiles from ICESat and ICESat-2 satellite mission altimetry data. Use OA explore how different types of surface heights have changed across the Earth over time. You can also easily download the data without the need for any special software or scripts; all you need is a web browser.

Data availability

OA's ICESat-2 elevation data include observations from 2018 to present. The data show multiple photon beams, one day at a time, and users can easily select different dates and overlay MODIS cloud cover data. Types of altimetry data include:

Land ice height
Sea ice height
Land and vegetation height
Sea ice freeboard
Ocean surface height
Inland water surface data

ICESat elevation data: This data set is GLAH06 Global Elevation Data. ICESat is the predecessor to ICESat-2 and collected data from 2003 through early 2010.

Where to find user support

OA has become a NASA Earth science application maintained and supported by the NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center (NSIDC DAAC). For assistance with OA, contact NSIDC User Services with questions and user-support requests.

OA history

OA started as an Advancing Collaborative Connections for Earth System Science (ACCESS) Program-funded collaboration between Scripps Institution of Oceanography, San Diego Supercomputer Center at the University of California San Diego, National Snow and Ice Data Center, and EarthScope Consortium (formerly @UNAVCO).