Google Earth Pro can be useful for more than viewing satellite imagery. It provides several tools that can help you visualise, measure, organise and present geographic information. For simple GIS-related tasks, you can work with points, lines, polygons, coordinates, imagery and geographic files without immediately needing a full desktop GIS application.
This makes Google Earth Pro useful for preliminary mapping, field planning, visual inspection, presentations and sharing geographic information. However, it is important to understand what it can and cannot replace when compared with dedicated GIS software.
If your locations are already stored in a spreadsheet, see our guide on how to import CSV coordinates into Google Earth Pro.
What Is Google Earth Pro Used for in GIS Mapping?
Google Earth Pro is primarily a geographic visualisation tool rather than a complete GIS package. It is particularly useful when you need to see geographic information over satellite imagery and interact with it in a simple 3D environment.
For example, you can use it to:
- Mark individual locations with placemarks
- Draw lines and routes
- Create polygons around areas
- Display coordinates
- Measure distances and areas
- View historical imagery
- Import and export KML and KMZ data
- Work with selected GIS and geographic data formats
- Add image overlays
- View terrain in three dimensions
The main advantage is that these functions can be combined with Google's geographic imagery to provide a quick visual understanding of an area.
1. Start by Setting Up Your Project
Before creating features, decide what you want your map to show.
For example, a water-supply mapping project might contain:
Water Sources → Treatment Plant → Storage Tanks → Pipeline Routes → Service Areas
Create folders in the Places panel to keep related information together. A well-organised project is much easier to edit and share later.
Use descriptive names instead of generic names such as "Point 1" or "Point 2". For example, Main Storage Tank is much more useful than Point 1.
2. Add Points Using Placemarks
A placemark represents a specific geographic location.
You can use placemarks for locations such as:
- Buildings
- Water sources
- Boreholes
- Survey locations
- Project sites
- Landmarks
- Sampling points
After creating a placemark, you can give it a name and description and adjust its position.
If you already have latitude and longitude coordinates, these can also be used to position the placemark. Google provides official guidance for creating and managing placemarks and coordinates.
For projects containing many points, consider importing the coordinates rather than creating every point manually.
3. Draw Lines and Routes
Lines are useful when you need to represent linear geographic features.
Examples include:
- Roads
- Rivers
- Proposed pipelines
- GPS tracks
- Walking routes
- Boundaries
You can create a path and place it over the satellite imagery. This provides a convenient way to visualise the approximate location and direction of a feature.
However, a line drawn from imagery should not automatically be treated as a surveyed or engineering-grade alignment. The accuracy depends on the underlying imagery, coordinate information and how the feature was created.
4. Create Polygons for Areas
Polygons allow you to outline an area rather than a single location or route.
They can be useful for visualising:
- Study areas
- Service areas
- Catchments
- Project boundaries
- Land parcels
- Reservoirs
- Zones of interest
You can also use Google Earth Pro's measurement tools to estimate the area of a polygon.
For professional cadastral, engineering or regulatory work, however, measurements should be checked against appropriate survey or authoritative spatial data.
5. Work With Coordinates
Coordinates are fundamental to GIS mapping because they identify where a feature is located.
Google Earth Pro can display geographic coordinates and allows users to work with different coordinate display formats.
Depending on your project, you may encounter:
- Decimal Degrees
- Degrees, Minutes and Seconds
- Latitude and longitude
If you have coordinates stored in a spreadsheet, you can also use suitable CSV data to bring multiple locations into your mapping workflow.
This can save considerable time when working with many points.
6. Import and Export Geographic Data
One of the most useful aspects of Google Earth Pro is its ability to work with geographic information that can be transferred between applications.
KML and KMZ are particularly important when working with Google Earth. They can contain geographic features such as placemarks, paths, polygons and associated information.
A practical workflow can look like this:
Spreadsheet/GIS data → Google Earth Pro → Visual inspection → KML/KMZ → Share or continue processing
This is useful when Google Earth Pro is being used as a visualisation or communication stage within a larger GIS workflow.
If your source data comes from dedicated GIS software, check the coordinate reference system and attribute information before importing or exporting it. Converting data between formats can result in information being lost or changed.
7. Use Image Overlays and Maps
Image overlays allow an image or map to be positioned over the Earth's surface.
This can be useful for comparing a scanned map, plan, historical map or other georeferenced image with current imagery.
For example, a planning team could visually compare an older map with current satellite imagery to understand how an area has changed.
The quality of the result depends heavily on the original image and how accurately it is positioned.
8. Measure Distance and Area
Google Earth Pro includes measurement tools that are useful for quick geographic estimates.
You can measure:
- Straight-line distances
- Routes consisting of multiple segments
- Approximate areas
These measurements are valuable for preliminary investigations. For example, you might estimate the distance between a water source and a proposed facility before carrying out detailed engineering work.
Do not treat Google Earth measurements as a substitute for a professional survey where legally or technically precise measurements are required.
9. Use Historical Imagery for Change Analysis
Historical imagery can help you examine how a location has changed over time.
For example, you could investigate:
- Expansion of built-up areas
- Changes in roads
- Development around a project site
- Changes in vegetation
- Historical land use
Historical imagery is particularly useful for visual comparison, but image availability and quality vary by location and date.
10. A Practical GIS Mapping Workflow
A simple Google Earth Pro workflow can be organised as follows:
- Define the mapping objective.
- Create a project folder.
- Add or import coordinates.
- Create points, lines and polygons.
- Add relevant imagery or overlays.
- Measure important distances or areas.
- Review the data against the satellite imagery.
- Organise the final features.
- Save or export the project as appropriate.
- Keep a backup of the original data.
This approach keeps the mapping process organised and makes the final project easier to understand.
Google Earth Pro vs Dedicated GIS Software
Google Earth Pro is excellent for visualisation, basic geographic editing and communication, but it does not provide the complete analytical capabilities of dedicated GIS platforms.
A professional GIS application may be more appropriate when you need advanced spatial analysis, geoprocessing, database management, coordinate-reference-system operations, raster analysis or complex attribute-table workflows.
A useful approach is therefore to use each tool for what it does best: Google Earth Pro for accessible geographic visualisation and presentation, and dedicated GIS software for advanced spatial analysis and data management.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Avoid treating satellite imagery as automatically equivalent to surveyed data. Also check coordinate information before importing datasets, keep original files as backups, and organise features into folders instead of placing everything directly under one project.
When exporting data, open the resulting file again and check that important features are still present.
For additional information and the latest guidance, see the official Google Earth Help documentation on printing and map layout improvements.
Conclusion
Google Earth Pro can be a practical part of a GIS mapping workflow when you need to visualise locations, create basic geographic features, measure distances and areas, compare imagery, and exchange KML or KMZ data.
Its greatest strength is its combination of simple mapping tools and an intuitive geographic visual environment. For advanced spatial analysis or high-precision professional work, however, it should be used alongside appropriate GIS or surveying software rather than treated as a complete replacement.
If you are building a Google Earth mapping project, start with a clear folder structure and accurate source data. From there, points, lines, polygons, coordinates, imagery and measurements can be combined into a useful and easy-to-share geographic project.
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