Measure Elevation

Learn how to measure elevation, slope, rise/run and gradient.

Moasure measures elevation by default, but to view the elevation changes, you must switch to 3D View in the app. Learn more about views in our Views Guide.

Moasure devices use high-performance inertial sensors to record changes in their own position as they move from one point to another. Moasure measures in 3D by default, so will always automatically capture elevation changes, slope and rise and run / rise and fall. To view measurements in 3D, you can switch to 3D View. To view rise and run, rise and fall, slope and gradient, you can use the Cross Section View Tool. The elevation is measured relative to the starting point, which is the origin (x:0, y:0, z:0). The elevation can be positive (upwards) and negative (downwards). The elevation captured depends on the Path Type used for the measurement. When using Straight Line, elevation is measured in a straight line between the two points and elevation changes between the pause points (in-flight) are disregarded. In Trace Line, elevation changes are captured in-flight, which means that you see exactly how the device has moved up or down in between the pause points.

When you place your Moasure device down and keep the device still, Moasure's algorithms calculate the data and the Moasure app records a point – a data coordinate with X, Y and Z (elevation) values. The X,Y and Z values are relative to the origin point (x:0, y:0, z:0). The first point recorded in a measurement is always the 0 point (x:0, y:0, z:0). Subsequent X, Y and Z coordinates are calculated and displayed relative to this origin.

This means that when you measure the complete perimeter of a yard, for example, the linear distance between each point is calculated, as well as height or elevation of the point itself.

Using advanced algorithms, the Moasure app then calculates the overall linear distance, giving you the perimeter measurement – and giving you the total square footage of the space.