What’s free
- Every tool on the map, as often as you like, with no account and no sign-up.
- The full result on screen: volumes, areas, hours of sun, slope classes and the report preview (see what the property report contains).
- Saving the map view as a high-resolution PNG image, stamped with the source.
- Searching by address or place name, and selecting a property’s tax parcel boundary.
What a pass unlocks
Every file download on the site, from every tool, while the pass lasts:
- Property Report: the PDF report and its data bundle of GIS, CAD and 3D files
- Find Matching Areas: the matching-ground map as a GeoTIFF
- Contour Lines: the contours as GeoJSON and KML here, or as DXF, Shapefile, SVG and PDF from Download Data
- Slope & Aspect: the slope or aspect grid as a GeoTIFF
- Sunlight: the sun-hours grid as a GeoTIFF
- Cut & Fill: the cut and fill depth grid as a GeoTIFF
- Landforms: the landform map as a GeoTIFF
- Water & Drainage: the drainage channels as GeoJSON or KML
- Wetness Map: the wetness index as a GeoTIFF
- Catchment: the catchment grid as a GeoTIFF
- Viewshed: the visibility grid as a GeoTIFF
- Route Explorer: the route as GeoJSON and its profile as CSV
- Download Data: GeoTIFF, contours (DXF, GeoJSON, Shapefile, KML, SVG, PDF), STL or OBJ meshes, and a georeferenced aerial photo
- Elevate a File: the enriched file in its original format
Formats: GeoJSON, Shapefile, DXF, KML, SVG, PDF, STL, OBJ, GeoTIFF, Aerial photo, plus analysis grids as GeoTIFF, the PDF property report and your own GPX, KML, GeoJSON or CSV files with elevation added. The aerial photo is a georeferenced color photo of the site from USGS NAIP (public domain), about 1 ft per pixel where available, as a JPEG with a world file for your GIS or CAD. Output resolution scales with the size of the area you select. Exports are capped at 1,024 pixels on the longest side, with a floor of 3.3 ft per pixel — so a 900 ft building site is delivered at the full lidar detail, while a block 7.5 miles on a side is resampled to roughly 39 ft per pixel. Select a smaller area when you need fine detail.
Compared with a survey
A field topographic survey by a licensed land surveyor is the right tool when a permit, an engineer or a boundary question needs surveyed elevations. A US$29 pass isn’t a replacement for that. It is the step before: find out whether the ground is worth surveying, compare several properties, and hand your surveyor and designer contours and a terrain model on day one.
Questions
Is it a subscription?
No. All passes are one-off payments. The 24-hour pass, the 30-day pass and the 12-month pass simply end; nothing renews, there is nothing to cancel and you are never charged again.
When does a pass start and end?
The moment you buy it. The 24-hour pass runs for 24 hours from purchase, not to the end of the calendar day: buy it at 3 p.m. and it lasts until 3 p.m. the next day. The 30-day pass runs 30 days and the 12-month pass 12 months, both from the moment of purchase.
What currency are the prices in?
US dollars. Payment is handled by Stripe, which emails you a receipt.
What does unlimited downloads mean?
While the pass lasts you can download as many files as you like, from any tool, in any format. Each download is still limited to the area a single request can process, up to 7.5 miles per side for contours and terrain files.
Can I see results before I pay?
Yes. Every tool runs free, with no account, and shows the full result on the map. You only pay when you want the file.
Do I need an account?
No. The pass is stored in the browser you buy it in, and there is no login. Keep the Stripe receipt email as your proof of purchase.
How do I use my pass on another computer, or after clearing my browser?
Under “Already bought a pass?” on this page, or in any download panel, enter the email you paid with. We email you a link; open it on the device you want to use within 30 minutes and the pass is back, with its original end time.
Can I use the downloads commercially?
USGS 3DEP elevation and USGS maps are U.S. Government works in the public domain. Credit the USGS 3D Elevation Program. NYS public tax parcels are assessment data provided as is, not surveys. Esri World Imagery follows its own terms and is display-only; downloaded aerial imagery comes from USGS NAIP.
Is a pass a substitute for a topographic survey?
No. The files come from the USGS 3DEP lidar elevation model, which is good for due diligence, concept design and rough quantity estimates. Permit drawings, boundary questions and engineering design still need a licensed land surveyor; check with the town, city or village what your project requires. A pass helps you decide whether a site is worth that spend, and gives the surveyor and designer a head start.
What if my area has no lidar at 3.3 ft per pixel?
Outside the lidar work units the elevation model falls back to about 33 ft per pixel, and every download states what share of its area fell outside the lidar work units. Check that figure first: a result at 33 ft per pixel is fine for a big-picture view and not fit for site-scale design.