The altimetry or hypsometry, as it is also called, is the branch of the topography that takes care of study the set of procedures and methods that exist to determine and represent the height or elevation of each point with respect to a reference plane. For example, thanks to altimetry it is possible to represent the terrain relief, such is the case of contour planes, profiles, among others.
In the specific case of the aviation, altimetry plays a prominent role, since it is responsible for set the flight altitude of the aircraft, that is, the vertical distance of the aircraft from sea level.
The determination and knowledge of this value are of vital importance for air navigation and strictly for the circulation of aircraft in those vertical sections of any airway, because the circulation is distributed and organized in flight levels that are linked to altitude.
The traditional instrument that deals with presenting altitude to the pilot of an aircraft is the altimeter, which makes it possible to obtain an altitude reading based on the measurement of the static pressure surrounding the aircraft.
Although the greatest use of the altimeter occurs in air navigation, since it constitutes one of the most secure elements that is coupled to the rest of the most important flight instruments of the plane, the altimeter is also frequently used in some sports and activities in which there are significant unevenness in heights, such is the case of mountaineering, trekking, cycling, skiing, climbing, skydiving, among the most practiced.
Then, at the request of any of the practices just mentioned, the altimeter is used to know the slopes that are being overcome.
In some cases, technology has had a radical influence and so, for example, some of the most modern speedometers for bicycles include an altimeter allowing profiles of the day to be generated with the help of a computer.
There are two types of altimeters: the barometric altimeter, which is the most common and its operation is based on the relationship between pressure and altitude, then, atmospheric pressure decreases with altitude; It takes as a reference the sea level and its operation is conditioned to climatic changes.
And the radio altimeter It is a small radar that measures the distance between two aerial vehicles with respect to the ground; It is mainly used in bombs and missiles.
