Measuring distances, areas, and bearings on the map

The measurement tools let you calculate distances along a path, areas within a polygon, and bearings between two points — directly on the map. Measurements can be labelled, saved, and reviewed later.

Tool types

There are three measurement modes:

• Distance — draws a linestring path along multiple vertices. Reports the total path length. Useful for measuring transect lengths, track distances, and linear feature dimensions.
• Area — draws a closed polygon. Reports the enclosed area. Useful for estimating survey zone extents, habitat patch sizes, and clearance buffers.
• Bearing — draws a two-point line. Reports the compass bearing from the first point to the second, in degrees from true north. Useful for orientation, aspect determination, and QA checks on transect alignment.

Activating measurement mode

1. Open the map view for your project, site, or survey.
2. In the map toolbar, click the Ruler icon (Distance), Area icon, or Compass icon (Bearing).
3. The cursor changes to a crosshair — you are now in measurement mode.

Drawing a measurement

1. Click on the map to place your first vertex.
2. Continue clicking to add more vertices. For Distance, each click extends the path. For Area, each click adds a corner. For Bearing, you only need two points.
3. As you move the cursor between clicks, a live preview shows the running total.
4. Double-click to finish the measurement.

Adding a label

After double-clicking to finish, a prompt appears asking for an optional label (for example, "Northern transect corridor" or "Zone A boundary"). Enter a label or leave it blank and click Save.

The Measurements panel

Saved measurements appear in the Measurements panel in the sidebar, grouped by type (Distance, Area, Bearing). Each entry shows:

• The label (or auto-generated name if left blank)
• The measurement value in your preferred display unit
• The date it was created

Click any measurement in the panel to fly to it on the map and highlight it.

Editing a measurement

1. Click a measurement on the map or in the Measurements panel.
2. Click Edit in the popup.
3. You can update the label or change the display unit (m / km for distance, m² / ha for area).
4. Click Save to confirm.

Display unit is a per-measurement preference — you can show one measurement in metres and another in kilometres.

Note on unit storage: Values are always stored in metres or m² internally — the display unit is a preference and does not affect the stored value.

Archiving and deleting a measurement

• Archive — moves the measurement to the archived state. It is hidden from the map and panel but remains in the database. Use this to tidy up without permanently losing data.
• Delete — permanently removes the measurement. This cannot be undone.

Both options are available from the measurement popup or the Measurements panel kebab menu.

Related Articles

• Working with the map — Map navigation, layers, and drawing tools
• Drawing and managing map annotations — Pins, lines, and polygons saved to a survey