diff --git a/brouter-mapaccess/src/main/java/btools/mapaccess/NodesCache.java b/brouter-mapaccess/src/main/java/btools/mapaccess/NodesCache.java
index f2a6316..e16b8d2 100644
--- a/brouter-mapaccess/src/main/java/btools/mapaccess/NodesCache.java
+++ b/brouter-mapaccess/src/main/java/btools/mapaccess/NodesCache.java
@@ -385,4 +385,20 @@ public final class NodesCache {
       }
     }
   }
+
+  public int getElevationType(int ilon, int ilat) {
+    int lonDegree = ilon / 1000000;
+    int latDegree = ilat / 1000000;
+    OsmFile[] fileRow = fileRows[latDegree];
+    int ndegrees = fileRow == null ? 0 : fileRow.length;
+    for (int i = 0; i < ndegrees; i++) {
+      if (fileRow[i].lonDegree == lonDegree) {
+        OsmFile osmf = fileRow[i];
+        if (osmf != null) return osmf.elevationType;
+        break;
+      }
+    }
+    return 3;
+  }
+
 }
diff --git a/brouter-mapaccess/src/main/java/btools/mapaccess/OsmFile.java b/brouter-mapaccess/src/main/java/btools/mapaccess/OsmFile.java
index 0f773cf..67eff29 100644
--- a/brouter-mapaccess/src/main/java/btools/mapaccess/OsmFile.java
+++ b/brouter-mapaccess/src/main/java/btools/mapaccess/OsmFile.java
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ final class OsmFile {
   private int cellsize;
   private int ncaches;
   private int indexsize;
+  protected byte elevationType = 3;
 
   public OsmFile(PhysicalFile rafile, int lonDegree, int latDegree, DataBuffers dataBuffers) throws IOException {
     this.lonDegree = lonDegree;
@@ -43,6 +44,7 @@ final class OsmFile {
 
     if (rafile != null) {
       divisor = rafile.divisor;
+      elevationType = rafile.elevationType;
 
       cellsize = 1000000 / divisor;
       ncaches = divisor * divisor;
diff --git a/brouter-mapaccess/src/main/java/btools/mapaccess/PhysicalFile.java b/brouter-mapaccess/src/main/java/btools/mapaccess/PhysicalFile.java
index 2c2a186..e61f469 100644
--- a/brouter-mapaccess/src/main/java/btools/mapaccess/PhysicalFile.java
+++ b/brouter-mapaccess/src/main/java/btools/mapaccess/PhysicalFile.java
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ final public class PhysicalFile {
   String fileName;
 
   public int divisor = 80;
+  public byte elevationType = 3;
 
   public static void main(String[] args) {
     MicroCache.debug = true;
@@ -113,6 +114,10 @@ final public class PhysicalFile {
 
     if (len == pos) return; // old format o.k.
 
+    if ((len-pos) > extraLen) {
+      extraLen++;
+    }
+
     if (len < pos + extraLen) { // > is o.k. for future extensions!
       throw new IOException("file of size " + len + " too short, should be " + (pos + extraLen));
     }
@@ -134,5 +139,8 @@ final public class PhysicalFile {
     for (int i = 0; i < 25; i++) {
       fileHeaderCrcs[i] = dis.readInt();
     }
+    try {
+      elevationType = dis.readByte();
+    } catch (Exception e) {}
   }
 }