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# ellipsoidalAltitude

The altitude as a height above the World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS84) ellipsoid, measured in meters.

```
var ellipsoidalAltitude: CLLocationDistance { get }
```

## Discussion

The [`ellipsoidalAltitude`](/documentation/CoreLocation/CLLocation/ellipsoidalAltitude) property represents the altitude above the WGS84 ellipsoid associated with a location. Use the [`ellipsoidalAltitude`](/documentation/CoreLocation/CLLocation/ellipsoidalAltitude) property when your geodetic application needs an altitude with respect to a standard reference frame. Use [`altitude`](/documentation/CoreLocation/CLLocation/altitude) if your application needs an altitude with respect to the approximate mean sea level.

The [`ellipsoidalAltitude`](/documentation/CoreLocation/CLLocation/ellipsoidalAltitude) value is valid if [`verticalAccuracy`](/documentation/CoreLocation/CLLocation/verticalAccuracy) is greater than `0`, and invalid if [`verticalAccuracy`](/documentation/CoreLocation/CLLocation/verticalAccuracy) is `0` or below. If [`verticalAccuracy`](/documentation/CoreLocation/CLLocation/verticalAccuracy) is `0` or below, [`ellipsoidalAltitude`](/documentation/CoreLocation/CLLocation/ellipsoidalAltitude) is invalid and contains the value `0.0`.

Valid values for [`ellipsoidalAltitude`](/documentation/CoreLocation/CLLocation/ellipsoidalAltitude) can be positive or negative. Positive values indicate altitudes above the ellipsoid. Negative values indicate altitudes below the ellipsoid.

---

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