diff --git a/backend/services/navi_geo/admin.py b/backend/services/navi_geo/admin.py
index 83ccd27..153237b 100644
--- a/backend/services/navi_geo/admin.py
+++ b/backend/services/navi_geo/admin.py
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ from shared.admin_info import build_info_response
 from .geocode import photon_url
 from .landclass_client import landclass_url
 from .netsyms import db_path as netsyms_db_path
-from .dem import dem_path
+from shared.dem import dem_path
 from .geo_route import tz_db_path
 from .address_book import _config_path as address_book_path
 
diff --git a/backend/services/navi_geo/geo_route.py b/backend/services/navi_geo/geo_route.py
index beb1387..316e82e 100644
--- a/backend/services/navi_geo/geo_route.py
+++ b/backend/services/navi_geo/geo_route.py
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ from flask import Blueprint, request, jsonify
 from . import geocode as geocode_mod
 from . import landclass_client
 from .geocode import photon_url, _parse_photon_features
-from .dem import DEMReader, dem_path
+from shared.dem import DEMReader, dem_path
 
 logger = logging.getLogger('navi_geo.geo_route')
 
diff --git a/backend/services/navi_geo/dem.py b/backend/shared/dem.py
similarity index 94%
rename from backend/services/navi_geo/dem.py
rename to backend/shared/dem.py
index 2b9a8f1..03b29be 100755
--- a/backend/services/navi_geo/dem.py
+++ b/backend/shared/dem.py
@@ -1,10 +1,16 @@
 """
-DEM tile reader (port of recon's offroute/dem.py).
+Shared DEM tile reader (port of recon's offroute/dem.py).
 
 Reads elevation tiles from planet-dem.pmtiles (Terrarium-encoded WebP),
 decodes them into numpy arrays, and provides a stitched elevation grid
-for a given bounding box. navi-geo uses ``sample_point`` for the reverse
-bundle's ``elevation_m``. Faithful port; only change is the env-override path.
+for a given bounding box.
+
+Lives in ``shared/`` because it's designed to be used by multiple navi-*
+services that need elevation: navi-geo's reverse bundle uses ``sample_point``
+for ``elevation_m``, and other elevation-consuming services import the same
+``DEMReader`` rather than each carrying a copy. The DEM path is env-overridable
+via ``NAVI_DEM_PMTILES`` (``dem_path()``). Faithful logic; only the location and
+docstring changed in the promotion.
 """
 import math
 import os
diff --git a/backend/shared/tests/test_dem.py b/backend/shared/tests/test_dem.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e74d2ce
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/shared/tests/test_dem.py
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+"""Hermetic tests for shared.dem — no live PMTiles I/O (the real file is 657 GB).
+
+Behavioural coverage of DEMReader.sample_point already lives in navi-geo's
+test_reverse_bundle.py (via the geo_route._DEM mock); these only pin the shared
+module's import + the env-override path contract.
+"""
+from shared.dem import DEMReader, dem_path, DEFAULT_DEM_PATH  # noqa: F401 (import smoke)
+
+
+def test_dem_path_default_when_unset(monkeypatch):
+    monkeypatch.delenv('NAVI_DEM_PMTILES', raising=False)
+    assert dem_path() == DEFAULT_DEM_PATH
+
+
+def test_dem_path_env_override(monkeypatch, tmp_path):
+    custom = tmp_path / 'custom.pmtiles'
+    monkeypatch.setenv('NAVI_DEM_PMTILES', str(custom))
+    assert str(dem_path()) == str(custom)