From a selected area to a clearer terrain picture.

Check the location before starting

The US pilot accepts user-drawn study areas within the contiguous-US pilot extent. The worker checks for usable native USGS project-level 1 m elevation data. Coverage is incomplete and may fail for a selected area; no coarser dataset is silently substituted.

Baden-Württemberg remains a separate established German workflow with official ALKIS parcels. US address points and drawn areas are not official parcel boundaries.

Select an area using the supported workflow

In Baden-Württemberg, choose a municipality and parcel number or click a parcel on the map. Verify the boundary and identifier before starting. The established German preview does not include general street-address geocoding.

In the US pilot, find a location, draw and confirm a study area, then request a free terrain preview. Census address points and drawn areas are not official parcel boundaries or ownership records.

Inspect the outputs and their provenance

Review the height range, slope and profile. Potential flow paths, accumulation and depressions describe topographic relationships within the selected area and its bounded context.

Read source dates, native resolution, coordinate and height reference systems, clipping and uncertainty alongside the maps. Raster spacing and the date a file was downloaded do not establish survey accuracy or a recent terrain survey.

What terrain screening cannot determine

Terrain screening does not simulate rainfall, infiltration, sewer capacity or the hydraulic effects of walls and culverts. It cannot predict flood depth, size a drainage system or confirm that a property is safe to build on.

A local catchment is limited to the analysed area. Contributions from beyond its boundary can be unknown. A modelled boundary crossing is not evidence of a real drain or drainage outlet.

Common questions