If you enjoy hiking and want to know your height above sea level, you can use the Raspberry Pi Pico along with the BME280 sensor. This sensor can measure air pressure, humidity, and temperature, which it will then transmit to the Raspberry Pi Pico. By using the code installed on the Pi, you can take the air pressure reading and calculate your altitude.

The reason this method works is because of gravity’s influence on air density. Gravity pulls most of the Earth’s gas close to the surface, resulting in denser air at sea level. As you ascend, the air becomes less dense and exerts less pressure on the sensor.

At sea level, air pressure is generally around 14.7 PSI, while at the summit of Mount Everest, it drops to about 4.84 PSI. When hiking on land, the pressure you experience will fall somewhere in between these values. Typically, for every 1000 feet of elevation gain, pressure drops by around 0.5 PSI. However, this rate decreases at higher altitudes. By following the correct algorithm, you can easily estimate your altitude based on the pressure reading. If you’re interested in trying this out, the Pi Pico is one of the affordable Raspberry Pi products that can be easily obtained. You can find a two-pack of these microcontrollers on Amazon for just over $12.