Google Earth Pro
Sunset Announced
New downloads of the desktop app stop on June 25, 2027. Existing installs keep working. Export what you need while you have the app.
Dated Archive
The time slider reaches back decades in many places. Use it to verify when a feature appeared, changed, or disappeared.
Resolution Is the Limit
Your measurement error is set by the pixel size and the roof pitch, not by the tool. Identify the imagery tier before you trust a number.
Introduction
Google Earth Pro is the free desktop version of Google Earth. It shows high-resolution satellite and aerial imagery, a dated historical archive, 3D terrain and city meshes, and a ruler that measures distance, area, and height.
Use Google Earth Pro for fast visual checks: where is this, what did it look like on this date, how big is it roughly. Use QGIS for the documented geospatial work, because QGIS records projections, datum handling, and your process. The two tools are complementary: Earth Pro finds and estimates, QGIS measures and documents. The geolocation method is in the geolocation technique.
Installation
- Download the desktop application for Windows, macOS, or Linux from the official versions page.
- Note the sunset. Beginning June 25, 2027, Google will not offer new downloads of the desktop app. Existing installations continue to work, and Google points to the web and mobile clients.
- Verify the version in Help > About and record it in your method section.
Usage
Set up the 3D view· layers and options
Check the 3D Buildings box in the Layers panel. In Tools > Options > 3D View (Windows) or Google Earth Pro > Preferences (macOS), check Use 3D Imagery. If it is off, Earth Pro falls back to legacy simplified models. Check the Terrain layer too, or objects will float above the ground.
Choose the imagery date and provider· the time slider
Open the time slider to browse historical imagery. Record the imagery date and the provider label at the bottom of the viewer (for example "State of Texas" or "Maxar"). Both go in your decision log: the date is your evidence timestamp, the provider tells you the resolution tier. Street View, where available, is the ground-level cross-check.
Measure with the ruler· line, path, polygon, 3D
Open the Ruler. Use Line for a single distance, Path for segments, Polygon for perimeter and area, and Circle from a center point. Use the 3D path and polygon modes for surfaces that sit on the terrain mesh or on buildings; they follow the geometry instead of the flat 2D projection.
Estimate the error· pixel and slope
Before you report a number, work out its error: the pixel size of the imagery sets the precision floor, and a sloped surface inflates a 2D measurement. The method is in the next section.
Export the record· screenshots, KML, coordinates
Save what you used: the screenshot (File > Save > Save Image, with the timestamp overlay), the placemarks or measured shapes as KML/KMZ (File > Save > Save Place As), and the coordinates of the key points (copy from the status bar). The KML opens in QGIS for the documented side of the work.
Understanding the 3D Models
Two kinds of 3D content appear in the view, and they mean different things.
The "melted" look: automated photogrammetry
This is the modern standard. Google flies planes in a grid pattern, captures overlapping aerial photos, and stitches them algorithmically into one continuous 3D mesh. Everything is 3D (trees, cars, terrain), but up close it looks melted or blobby. It is a scan, not a drawing. Record the imagery date: the mesh reflects the capture flight, not today.
The "clean" look: legacy models
Buildings with sharp 90-degree corners, flat roofs, and clean textures come from the older era (roughly 2006 to 2012), when users built models in SketchUp and uploaded them to the 3D Warehouse. Google stopped accepting those submissions and has replaced most of them with the automated mesh. If you see a clean model, treat it as older and less complete than the photogrammetry mesh.
Estimating Measurement Error
Accuracy in Google Earth Pro is not absolute. It depends on the imagery resolution and the geometry of the target. Work through the three error sources before you report a number.
1. Pixel selection error (precision)
You cannot click with infinite precision. A linear measurement needs two clicks. If one pixel is 0.15 m and you can be off by one pixel at each end, the combined random error is √(0.15² + 0.15²) ≈ 0.21 m. That is the hard floor of the imagery, before any other error.
2. The slope trap (geometry)
The standard ruler measures horizontal distance, the 2D top-down projection. A roof section that measures 8 m in 2D with a 30° pitch is 8 / cos(30°) ≈ 9.24 m on the surface. Your number is short by 1.24 m, far beyond the pixel error. Mitigation: use the 3D path mode, or compute the hypotenuse when the pitch is known.
3. Relative vs. absolute accuracy
Absolute accuracy is where the site sits on the planet; it can be shifted by meters. Relative accuracy is the distance between two points in the same image, and it is usually much better. For "how big is this building" questions, relative accuracy is what you use.
Resolution spectrum
| Tier | Source | Pixel size | Typical location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best | Aerial photography | 15 cm to 30 cm | Urban US, Europe, Japan |
| Mid | High-res satellite | 50 cm to 60 cm | Developing cities, rural US/EU |
| Low | Older satellite | 1 m to 2.5 m | Older archives, remote areas |
| Worst | Landsat / Sentinel | 15 m to 30 m | Deep wilderness, open ocean |
Identify the tier: read the provider label at the bottom of the viewer ("State of Texas" or "Sanborn" suggests aerial at about 15 cm; "Maxar" or "CNES/Airbus" suggests satellite at 30 to 50 cm; "Google", "USGS", or "NASA" suggests low resolution). Then zoom to a car: at 15 cm you see the windshields; at 50 cm the car is a rectangle; at 15 m the car does not exist.
Impact on a typical measurement
For an 8 m rooftop:
| Resolution | The roof spans | Measurement error | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 cm | ~53 pixels | ±0.30 m (~4%) | Usable for estimates |
| 50 cm | ~16 pixels, aliased edges | ±1.0 to 2.0 m (12 to 25%) | Approximate only |
| 15 m | less than half a pixel | not measurable | The house is not resolved |
You cannot measure an object that is smaller than the pixel. State the tier and the error in your decision log.
In an Investigation
Use the block below to document how you used Google Earth Pro on the evidence.
Documentation: how to document Google Earth Pro
In Your Method Section
Guidance: Describe the purpose, the tool version, and the input data.
- Investigative Objective: To analyze historical satellite imagery and terrain context of [Location].
- Software Version: Google Earth Pro [Version] (e.g., 7.3.6), [date checked, before the 2027 download sunset].
- Input Data: Satellite imagery dated [YYYY-MM-DD] provided by [Data Provider] (e.g., Maxar/Airbus), resolution tier [15 cm / 50 cm / ...].
In Your Decision Log
Guidance: Record the specific procedural parameters and integrity checks.
- Specific Settings: Imagery date, eye altitude, terrain exaggeration (set to 1.0), ruler mode used (2D or 3D).
- Assumptions: The imagery is orthorectified; the relative accuracy at this resolution is adequate for the question.
- Integrity Check: Saved the screenshot with the timestamp overlay; exported the KML of the measured features.
- Date Performed: [YYYY-MM-DD].
Verification & Mitigation
Guidance: How did you verify accuracy and mitigate bias?
- Verification: Cross-referenced the feature with another provider or with ground-level imagery (Street View, drone, or field photos).
- Bias Mitigation: Checked multiple imagery dates to separate permanent features from transient artifacts (clouds, shadows, seasonal cover).
Example Methodology Statement
"To verify the presence of the structure in 2020, Google Earth Pro [version] was used with imagery dated [YYYY-MM-DD] (provider [X], 15 cm tier). Terrain exaggeration was 1.0. The structure was cross-referenced with [second source] for the same period. Measurement error was estimated at ±[X] m from the pixel size and roof pitch."
Into Blender
Google Earth Pro is a source of coordinates and imagery, not a geometry exporter.
- Coordinates: copy the lat/lon/alt of key points and place them in your Blender scene using the same custom CRS and origin as your QGIS baseline.
- KML: export placemarks and measured shapes as KML and open them in QGIS. QGIS is the tool that documents the geospatial processing; Earth Pro is the tool that found the values.
- Screenshots: a high-resolution satellite screenshot can serve as a reference underlay in a Blender scene (an image plane behind a reconstruction). Label it as a reference, not as evidence geometry.
Limitations
- The desktop app is sunsetting. New downloads stop on June 25, 2027. Pin what you need (screenshots, KML, coordinates) while you have the installation.
- Imagery resolution varies by location and date. Some places have only low-resolution coverage.
- The 3D terrain and city mesh reflect the capture date and are smoothed. Recent changes and small-scale topography are missing.
- Absolute registration can be off by meters. Use relative measurements within one image.
- There is no reliable batch or scripting path for documented work. Repeat the steps by hand and record them.
Related
Resources
- Geolocation, the technique this tool supports
- QGIS, the documented geospatial workbench
- Camera Matching, for placing a scene relative to the imagery
Sources
- Google Earth versions page, download and the June 2027 sunset notice
- Measure distance and elevation, official ruler documentation
- View buildings in 3D, official 3D imagery documentation
- View a map over time, official historical imagery documentation