Google Earth: Show elevation profile and contour lines - how it works
You can have an elevation profile and contour lines displayed in Google Earth - this is useful if you are planning a hike or bike tour. Read how to do this in this guide.
Show elevation profile and contour lines in Google Earth
So that you can see a height profile and contour lines in Google Earth, you first have to create the route as a new path.
- Open Google Earth and display the desired region on your screen.
- First click on "Add" in the menu bar and then on "Path".
- Now draw your path on the map with the mouse. To do this, you can either define individual waypoints by briefly pressing the left mouse button or hold down the left mouse button while drawing the path.
- Enter a name for the new path and confirm with "OK". The path now appears in the left area of the program window under "My Places".
- Right-click on the path there and select "Show elevation profile" in the context menu. Google Earth then shows the contour line on the map and the height profile below it.
- You can see the minimum, average and maximum height from the graphic and find out the exact distance, height difference, maximum gradient and average gradient. If you move the mouse pointer over the height profile, Google Earth will show you the exact position on the map with the respective values.
In our next practical tip, you will read how to calculate areas in Google Earth.