How to Sell My Land – How to check the topography of my land?

If you are wondering how to find the topography of your rural land, then this article is for you! You will learn about 3 different ways that can help you measure the terrain and dimensions of your property.

1) Google Earth: Typography Method

2) Surveyor’s Tape Measure on Google Earth

3) USGS Topographic Maps

The Typography Method of Google Earth is a great way to measure your property in seconds!

Steps: Find the feature on Google Maps that you want to measure and take note of its coordinates (e.g., 37° 56’22″N 119° 48’16″W). Copy these two numbers into a text document with no spaces between them so it looks like “37642241194816”. Open up this link [link] after replacing the last zero with an asterisk (*) for each number, e.g., *376*24119*48160*. Enter those values as shown below and click enter or return. This will find the height value from which you can read off how much square footage. Google Earth will calculate the area of your property and give you results in acres, square feet or meters.

*37642241194816 1769 4940 2376 12896

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Using the Surveyor’s Tape Measure tool on Google Earth to find the typography of your land:

To use this tool, click the “Measure” button in Google Earth’s toolbar. This will open up a window with three pieces of information: – The Tape Measure Tool (upper left), – Your current location on earth (center) and your desired measurement angle to point at from the center of the map (lower right).

*First input your coordinates into Google Maps by clicking here. You can also type them in manually if you know where they are located.*

– Enter these values as shown below and click enter or return. This will find the height value from which you can read off how much square footage. Google Earth will calculate the area of your property and give you results in acres and square feet. Record the data

Using USGS Topographical Maps to determine the typography of your land:

Navigate to USGS.GOV, select US TOPO and then select ‘Get Maps’

Some background: The USGS Topographical Maps are a collection of maps that show the terrain and land features in detail. The topographic map is a representation of your property using colors to represent elevation changes on earth surface, which can be seen from space.

Instruction after opening ‘Get Maps:’ Zoom into the desired area by clicking with the mouse or dragging over an area on the map. You will notice numbers appearing near major intersections in roads as you zoom closer to those intersections. These numbers represent feet above sea level at each location shown on Google Earth’s interface.

*Once you have determined where these elevations exist below sea level, convert them and multiply by 100 ft for meters.*

– Plot out areas of elevation between 1000ft and 2000 ft from sea level

– Keep in mind that any lines crossing the map are either highways, roads or rivers. If you would like to view other features on your property such as fences, buildings or houses, go back into Google Earth by clicking “Get Maps” again.

*Remember: Google Earth does not show an exact topography but it can help with a general idea.*

You may also want to use these steps for checking the topography of land where there is no highway next to it so that way you will be able to see what your land looks like without interference.