Get coordinates from Google Maps and navigate to the field with MapLab Survey
Google Maps coordinates are practical for sharing a point, but they are not parcel boundaries or engineering survey by themselves.
Field takeaways
- Google Maps coordinates are typically WGS84 latitude and longitude.
- Lat lon degrees are not UTM or TUREF metre coordinates.
- A map-picked point is a visual reference.
- MapLab Survey organizes target navigation, notes, photos and exports.
- Coordinate sharing should include source, date and purpose.
What you actually get
Press and hold on the map and a latitude-longitude pair appears — WGS84, latitude first. That is genuinely useful for describing a place: guiding a client, sharing a scouting spot, planning the first approach. It is enough to reach a place, and nowhere near enough to define a boundary.
Rounding moves the point
Every decimal place you drop shifts the position on the ground. Copy the full value, especially if you plan to navigate to it. Two coordinates that look "roughly the same" are two different places in the field.
Carrying it into MapLab Survey
- Take the coordinate together with a source note.
- Open the right project or scouting layer.
- Add the point as a target.
- Navigate by distance and bearing; record the conditions with a photo and note.
- Share as KML, CSV or a report when needed.
Degrees against metres
The Google Maps value is latitude-longitude in degrees. CAD and site work usually want metre-based TM or UTM coordinates. Mixing the two opens the point in the wrong place — which is why the coordinate transformation happens before the target is added, not after the drive.
The pin is not a corner
The pin marks a spot you chose by eye on an aerial image, not a surveyed corner. For parcel corners, stake-out, excavation levels, legal boundaries or precise construction checks it is not sufficient: use it to get there, then measure the real corners on site with the proper coordinate system, control points and professional method. Determining an official boundary is licensed survey engineering work; the app speeds up the field side and does not replace the side that signs.
See it in action
MapLab Survey | Professional Mobile GIS, GPS Surveying & Land Measurement App
Visit the YouTube channel ->Try these steps on your own phone.
MapLab Survey handles RTK/GNSS point capture, drawing, area and volume calculations and coordinate conversion, then exports to DXF, KML/KMZ, GeoJSON, Shapefile, GeoPackage, NCZ or CSV. Capture, calculation and export work offline. Live NTRIP corrections and online basemaps need a connection.
Frequently asked questions
What CRS are Google Maps coordinates?
Typically WGS84 lat lon.
Can they be used in MapLab Survey?
Yes, as target or reconnaissance points.
Are they official survey?
No.
Is lat lon the same as UTM?
No.
Technical references
The field guidance in this article is aligned with the technical and official references below.
Related: Coordinate navigation app · Lat lon to UTM · Find and share coordinates · MapLab Survey