Measure Distance Between Two Locations Using Google Maps
Google Maps has a neat feature that lets you calculate distance between two points anywhere on the Earth - you could use this to measure the approximate distance between two cities or to calculate the size of a local football field or to know how far is your new office from home.
In the above example, Google Maps helps us measure the length of Manhattan Bridge between Brooklyn and New York that lies over the river.
To measure distances using Google Maps, click the “My Maps” tab on Google Maps website and select the “Distance Measurement Tool” - now select any two points on the map with your mouse and the distance will appear in miles (or kilometers).
Google Maps uses straight lines to calculate the shortest distance but if you are looking for more accurate numbers, trace the complete route by clicking at all the curves and deviations as below:
In this example we measured the distance between the car parking of Taj Mahal and the actual monument - one has to cover 1.4 km on foot before he gets in.
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You can do more than just measure distance between places. Actually, a few months back I was doing freelance work for a client in US. One of the task was to measure the dimensions of specific buildings using Google maps. I would zoom in on buildings and then use the above tool to measure out the length and breadth of the buildings. The measurements would be pretty accurate with less than 1% difference between my measurements and the actual dimensions.