The 3D map renders altitude using WGS84 ellipsoid height (HAE), while most aviation/navigation data (autopilot, maps, terrain references) is reported as MSL/AMSL (Mean Sea Level). These two vertical datums are not the same. The difference between them is the geoid separation (N), which varies by location and can be tens of meters.
Because the system currently treats MSL altitude as if it were ellipsoid altitude (or mixes the two), objects appear vertically offset: the vehicle may look too high/too low relative to terrain, “floating” above the ground or clipping into it. This offset changes with latitude/longitude, so the error is not constant across the map.
The 3D map renders altitude using WGS84 ellipsoid height (HAE), while most aviation/navigation data (autopilot, maps, terrain references) is reported as MSL/AMSL (Mean Sea Level). These two vertical datums are not the same. The difference between them is the geoid separation (N), which varies by location and can be tens of meters.
Because the system currently treats MSL altitude as if it were ellipsoid altitude (or mixes the two), objects appear vertically offset: the vehicle may look too high/too low relative to terrain, “floating” above the ground or clipping into it. This offset changes with latitude/longitude, so the error is not constant across the map.