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| Public domain image from Canva |
The Google Maps measuring tool can be used to measure the distance between two points, and the result is displayed in feet and metres.
Alternatively, values are displayed in miles and kilometres if a user zooms out to view a greater-sized region of the map.
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| Imagery © 2022 Google. Imagery © Maxar Technologies. Map data © 2022 |
Recently, however, I discovered that it's also possible to draw lines around a region on a map and calculate the area enclosed by those line segments. In this guide, we'll first explore how to measure distance using Google Maps on a desktop (or laptop), and then how to measure area.
How to Measure Length
First let's measure the diagonal length of the field in the photo below.
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| Imagery © 2022 Google. Imagery © Maxar Technologies. Map data © 2022 |
Step 1. Right-Click to Bring Up the Context Menu
Right-click on the map and select "Measure Distance " from the pop-up menu. A small circular marker appears.
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| Imagery © 2022 Google. Imagery © Maxar Technologies. Map data © 2022 |
Step 2. Select the Start Point
Left-click and drag the start marker to the point where you want to measure from. Alternatively, you could have right-clicked first on the point where you wanted to start from before selecting "Measure Distance" from the menu.
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| Imagery © 2022 Google. Imagery © Maxar Technologies. Map data © 2022 |
Step 3. Click on the End Point
Click the point on the map where you want to measure to. A second marker appears with a line joining it to the start marker. Distance is displayed on a panel at the bottom of the screen and also on a label adjacent to the end point on the map.
If you zoom in, you'll notice that equally-spaced graduations are added to the line joining the start and end points. In the photo below, 10 graduations are added from the 0 to 200 feet label. Distances are then labelled every 200 feet up to the end point. These regularly-spaced labels depend on the distance between the start and end points. For instance if the points were 90 miles apart, there would be labels at 20 miles, 40 miles 60 miles etc. Labels will either be metric or imperial, depend on the measurement system you've chosen for the map.
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| Imagery © 2022 Google. Imagery © Maxar Technologies. Map data © 2022 |
How to Measure Area
The steps to measuring area are similar to those for measuring length.
Step 1. Repeat the Process for Measuring Length
Using the steps above, position a start point and second point on the boundary of the region you want to measure the area of.
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| Imagery © 2022 Google. Imagery © Maxar Technologies. Map data © 2022 |
Step 2. Continue to Position Nodes Around the Perimeter of the Region
Continue to left-click and add new points or nodes around the measured region of interest. Distance from the start point is labelled at regular intervals along the complete path (in the second image below at 500, 1000 and 1500 feet). The total path length is displayed in a panel at the bottom of the screen.
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| Imagery © 2022 Google. Imagery © Maxar Technologies. Map data © 2022 |
Look at the photo below. This selection path on another map shows more clearly how intermediate distances from the start point are labelled at regular intervals along the path.
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| Imagery © 2022 Google. Imagery © Maxar Technologies. Map data © 2022 |
Step 3. Position the End Point on the Start Point
Click on the start point to complete the boundary path. The box at the bottom of the screen updates to show the enclosed area and distance (the perimeter length of the field in this example).
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| Imagery © 2022 Google. Imagery © Maxar Technologies. Map data © 2022 |
How to Convert Between Measurements
Units | How to Convert |
|---|---|
Square feet to acres | Divide by 43560 |
Square metres to hectares | Divide by 10,000 |
Feet to miles | Divide by 5280 |
Metres to kilometres | Divide by 1000 |
Moving the Nodes to Adjust the Boundary
If the line segments don't perfectly match the boundary of interest, they can be repositioned by moving the nodes. You can do this while drawing the boundary or alternatively after fully completing it (when you've clicked on the start node again). Simply left click and drag any of the node points to adjust their position. You can also left click on a node to delete it. The panel showing distance and area at the bottom of the screen updates to show the changed measurements.
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| Imagery © 2022 Google. Imagery © Maxar Technologies. Map data © 2022 |
Suggested Reading
- 15 Advantages of GPS
GPS (Global Positioning System) works through satellite technology and offers many advantages. I list the 15 main ones and explain why they are so beneficial. - 7 Disadvantages of GPS
GPS technology has revolutionized many aspects of life, especially navigation and travel. There are downsides, however, and this article lists the seven limitations of GPS. - How to Navigate on Land Without a Compass or GPS
Learn how to navigate on land without the use of instruments or anything but a map and some common sense skills.
This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.
© 2022 Eugene Brennan
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