Calculating Acreage with a GPS Device

Have you ever wondered exactly how much acreage your property contains? Or perhaps you’re considering purchasing a plot of land and want to know what the acreage is. You no longer have to sort through government documents to find out. You can measure acreage using your own handheld GPS device or a mobile device equipped with an app that uses GPS technology.

Probably most of us remember how to calculate the area of a perfect square or a nice, even rectangle. In the world of real estate, though, perfect squares and nice, even rectangles are few and far between. Most property parcels are oddly shaped. But that’s not a problem for GPS technology.

There are two ways you can measure the acreage (or square feet, square yards, or other measurement you may choose) using GPS technology: by physically walking the perimeter of the parcel while carrying the GPS tracking device (note that not all GPS mapping devices offer this feature), or by using online GPS software.

One writer stated that he used his Garmin GPS to calculate “the accurate acreage of each of the 13 wildlife food plots on [his] property.” He added, “None of those food plots is a square or a rectangle.”

A number of iPhone, iPad, and iPod apps can also accomplish this purpose. AGRIplot by SharpeTech as well as Acre & Area & Acreage by Productivity list this function among their capabilities.

So how does it work? Using a GPS device that has this functionality, just input your starting point, walk the outside of the property to be measured, and when you’ve completed the perimeter, input your finishing location. Most devices can calculate the perimeter distance as well as the area of the plot of land in multiple measurements—feet, yards, meters, acres, and so on.

Perhaps you’re not able to walk the perimeter of your property because of rough terrain, physical limitations, or your distance from the plot to be measured. Not to worry—GPS technology offers other options for you.

If you can locate the plot of land on MapQuest, GoogleMaps, or another GPS-based online mapping system, or if you have aerial photos of the plat, you can use various software products or apps to measure its perimeter and area. ExpertGPS is an online program that offers this function. For iOS devices, MyMeasure by TripWare and Planimeter by Core Signals state that they, too, can give you acreage information based on online mapping systems or aerial photos.

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Calculating Acreage with a GPS Device