The main Google Maps page now has a distance measuring tool. It’s not turned on by default, so you’ll have to click on the green beaker at upper right (the Google Labs symbol for experimental features):
Then enable the Distance Measurement Tool in the window that pops up:
A ruler icon will now appear in the lower-left of the maps; clicking on that will put you into measurement mode. Clicking on the map will now draw a line:
And the pane at left gives you the total distance (metric or English):
The entire Labs section is worth a look, as it offers several other useful options (as well as some useless ones, like adding the “Beta” title back to Google Maps).
- A “Drag N Zoom” button that lets you select an area to zoom to (finally!).
- LatLng Tooltip brings a little pop-up window near your cursor that always displays the latitude/longitude.
LatLng Marker lets you right-click on a point, and place a marker there with latitude/longitude. You can select the coordinate text with your cursor, copy the coordinates directly off the marker, then paste them elsewhere to save them.
I love it! Be sure to click the “I’m feeling geeky” link on the distance measuring tool, which gives you a drop down menu with ~ 50 odd units of measurements- Jewish cubits, football fields, fathoms, and more!
You’ve been able to access this same tool for years by clicking “my maps” on the left.
Not sure why it’s hidden away there, or why it’s only just made it to the “lab”.
Very useful tool though.