Find the flattest route between any two points in SF(flattensf.com)
308 points by ishan0102 8 days ago | 114 comments
tl;dr: Flatten SF is a browser-based tool that computes walking and biking routes between any two points in San Francisco, letting users trade off distance against elevation gain via a slider. It uses USGS 1-meter lidar elevation data and the Overture/OpenStreetMap street graph across ~160,000 segments, with stairways permitted for pedestrians but excluded for cyclists. Place search and all routing run offline in the browser.
HN Discussion:
  • ~Recommends alternative existing tools that offer similar or better elevation-aware routing
  • ↑Suggests feature improvements like minimizing grade rather than total elevation gain
  • ↓Reports accuracy issues and routing bugs with specific street examples
  • ↑Appreciates the tool with nostalgia and enthusiasm for SF-specific routing
  • ↓Criticizes technical choices like missing OSM attribution and confusing UI decisions