Data sources and model limits
Maps
© OpenTopoMap-R, © OpenHikingMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors. Topographic tiles from OpenMaps.fr · Donate · Usage policy.
Terrain data
Mapzen Terrain Tiles / AWS Open Data, Terrarium format. The displayed map and the elevation model are separate sources. Altitudes follow the vertical reference of the underlying sources; a uniform global datum is not guaranteed.
A 10 m search grid does not imply 10 m measurement accuracy. Sources include a 10 m Austrian model, EU-DEM at approximately 30 m, and regionally finer or coarser datasets. Tile pixels are interpolated. Profiles are sampled every 10 m; search edges are checked at quarter steps.
Progressive calculation
A clearly marked 100 m preview uses zoom-12 elevation tiles for a fast first heatmap and approximate contours. It can miss narrow passages and misrepresent terrain boundaries. The chosen 10 m or 30 m grid is then calculated independently using zoom-14 elevation tiles. The heatmap is replaced first, followed by each contour. Dashed contours are previews; they are not final reachability results. Target routing waits for the completed fine calculation. Elevation profiles run independently using the detailed elevation source.
Source credits from Mapzen Attribution:
- Austria terrain data © Open Data Austria – Austrian Digital Terrain Model (DGM).
- Europe terrain data produced using Copernicus data and information funded by the European Union – EU-DEM layers.
- United States 3DEP and global GMTED2010 and SRTM terrain data courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey.
- ArcticDEM terrain data DEM(s) were created from DigitalGlobe, Inc., imagery and funded under National Science Foundation awards 1043681, 1559691, and 1542736.
- Australia terrain data © Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia) 2017.
- Canada terrain data contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada.
- Global ETOPO1 terrain data: U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
- Mexico terrain data source: INEGI, Continental relief, 2016.
- New Zealand terrain data Copyright 2011 Crown copyright (c) Land Information New Zealand and the New Zealand Government (All rights reserved).
- Norway terrain data © Kartverket.
- United Kingdom terrain data © Environment Agency copyright and/or database right 2015. All rights reserved.
Loading and location
Wildglide retains elevation tiles and a limited set of completed calculations in memory while the tab stays open. Small areas of elevation data may be loaded after the map stops moving; this is disabled with Data Saver or slow mobile connections. Basemap imagery is not prefetched.
Location access is optional and controlled by your browser. It centres the map without choosing a launch. Use “Locate me” to try again. Wildglide does not persist your location coordinates; the map providers still receive the tile requests needed to display the area.
Reach from a waypoint
After drawing a route, the heatmap shows the remaining reach from its last point. Click a previous marker or use “Reach from” to inspect an earlier point. Arrival altitude equals the original launch altitude minus the entire route distance divided by glide ratio. Each comparison contour uses its own ratio along that route. If an earlier segment intersects terrain, the route cannot restart at a later point, even above lower terrain. Waypoints receive no launch correction or altitude bonus. The profile always starts at A.
Calculation model
Still air, constant glide ratio, no altitude gain. Height loss equals cumulative horizontal path length divided by glide ratio. The search uses eight neighbouring directions; grid paths can be longer than optimal free paths. Targets snap to the nearest grid cell. Contours bound reachable cells, with positional uncertainty of at least one cell.
The fine search starts at 3 or 6 km (10 m grid), or 12 km (30 m grid), and expands when reachable terrain touches its boundary. The preview may suggest a larger initial extent. Fine resolution is retained. Resource limits: 18 km at 10 m and 36 km at 30 m. At that limit, a circle marks the search boundary and clipped results are labelled partial. Contours are model reachability boundaries, not circular glide radii. Manual routes support 100 points within the calculated area or at least 12 km from launch. Coverage: 70° S to 70° N, 179° W to 179° E; polar regions and the date line are unsupported.
Ground launches with no added height can be visibly moved up to 25 m to a suitable edge in the model. Candidates and the connecting corridor stay within −15/+5 m of the clicked terrain. The actual corrected terrain height is used, without an altitude bonus. This optional adjustment does not establish that a location is suitable for launching. Clearance applies after the origin. Buildings, vegetation, cables, airspace, wind and real turn losses are not reliably represented. Missing data never establishes reachability. Wildglide is a planning model, not proof of a safe flight route.