Land Surveying with Distance Map

Distance Map is a lightweight land surveying tool for measuring property boundaries, fence lines, plot perimeters and land area. Not a replacement for a certified survey, but accurate enough for quotes, garden planning, fencing, and checking published plot sizes.

What You Can Measure

Property Boundaries

Trace the edge of a plot on satellite imagery to see perimeter and area. Useful for:

Checking published plot sizes against the deed
Estimating land value per square meter or acre
Preparing purchase offers with accurate land area

Fence Lines

Drop pins along the planned fence run to get the total length. Knowing the length to the meter means you order the right amount of posts, rails and panels without over- or under-ordering.

Garden and Lawn Areas

Trace a garden outline to calculate square meters of lawn, beds or hardstanding. Essential for:

Ordering turf or grass seed
Calculating paving or decking quantities
Estimating fertilizer or herbicide volumes

Building Footprints

Measure the outline of a house, barn or outbuilding. Useful for planning permissions, extensions and insurance calculations.

Road Frontage

Measure the length of a plot’s road frontage — often a separate data point on property listings.

Two Ways to Survey

1. Drop Pins from Satellite View

Work from the map with satellite imagery. Drop pins at each corner of the plot and Distance Map calculates perimeter and area instantly. Fast, works anywhere, and needs no site visit.

Good for rough measurements, quotes, and feasibility.

2. Walk the Perimeter with Follow Mode

Use Follow Mode to walk the actual boundary on site. GPS tracks your path as you walk, and you get the exact perimeter and area of what you just walked.

Good for:

Sites where satellite imagery is outdated
Uneven or hidden boundaries (hedgerows, overgrown fences)
Where you need the real on-the-ground path

Accuracy Expectations

Distance Map uses geodesic calculations on the WGS84 ellipsoid — the same model GPS uses. Expect:

Satellite-pin measurements — accurate to the map tile resolution (a few meters at typical zoom)
Follow Mode (GPS) — accurate to 3–5 meters in open sky
Published maps have their own error (1–3 m typically)

This is plenty for quotes, planning and comparisons. For legal boundaries, planning applications over a certain size, or disputes, use a licensed surveyor.

Units That Matter to Surveyors

Switch between:

Square meters (m²) — metric standard
Square feet (ft²) — US/UK residential
Acres — US/UK rural land
Hectares (ha) — European agricultural land
Square kilometers (km²) — large parcels
Square miles (mi²) — very large land

For perimeters and fence runs:

Meters / feet — precise lengths
Kilometers / miles — long boundaries

Use Cases for Professionals

Landscape contractors — Measure plots before site visits to prepare accurate quotes.

Fencing contractors — Calculate exact run lengths for materials orders.

Real estate agents — Check published land areas for listings.

Agricultural advisors — Measure field area for yield and input calculations.

Roofers — Trace roof outlines on satellite imagery for material estimates.

Surveyors — Use as a first-pass tool before bringing equipment on site.

Any measurement can be shared with a link — clients see the exact plot you measured on an interactive map, with dimensions labeled. No account, no install, no PDF to download.

Alternatively, export as GPX for GIS software or to overlay on other tools.

Try It

Download Distance Map for iOS, or use the web distance calculator for quick measurements in the browser.

More Distance Map Tools

Get Distance Tool

Download Distance Tool for iOS and start measuring in seconds.