A comparison of Google Earth extracted points with GPS surveyed points

Abstract

Surveying has become the most effective way of taking measurement in or/and on the earth surface. There is an exponential rise in techniques of taking measurements on the earth for different reasons and purposes. Google Earth offers an open source service, easy to access and cost free image data that supports map interests and provides data which are crucial for engineering purposes. Google earth has become so popular not because of its high accuracy, but because it is easily accessible to anyone. Google Earth, virtual globe uses World Geodetic Coordinate System 1984 WGS84 as a global coordinate system. However, in this research, the transformations made from those data obtained using Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and those obtained from Google Earth were made and analyzed. The same points were uploaded to Global Positioning Systems and Google Earth for extraction of heights. The resultant coordinate generated contours obtained from both systems were analyzed and conclusions made. The height difference obtained from both system was 15.138m.