Google Earth Location Coordinate Finder

Resolve place names, street addresses, postal codes, coordinate strings and public Google Earth URLs into precise latitude/longitude, Google place IDs, terrain elevation, matched addresses, place-card details and ready-to-import KML.

The actor talks to the same public Google Earth web endpoints that earth.google.com uses in a browser. You do not need a Google Maps API key, a Google Cloud account, cookies or a proxy setup.

What this actor does

• Search by text - one query returns Google Earth's best match by default, and you can raise the per-query limit to collect every ranked match.
• Search a region - optional north/south/east/west bounds bias Google Earth's ranking to a city or country, so a generic query like KFC returns local branches.
• Switch language - place names, descriptions and details come back in the language you select.
• Resolve Earth URLs - paste public earth.google.com/web URLs. Search URLs are resolved; resolved view URLs with a data= token also unlock the place knowledge card.
• Terrain elevation - every coordinate can be enriched with ground elevation in metres above sea level.
• Address matching - Google's suggestion results are matched to search results when the match is unambiguous.
• Place-card details - for resolved URLs with a feature token: long description, full address, plus code, official website, Wikipedia link, photos and opening hours.
• KML output - optionally include a KML Placemark string on every record for QGIS, Google Earth or another GIS tool.
• No empty fields - values Google does not provide are omitted, never emitted as null, "", [] or a sentinel.

Input

Field	Type	Default	Description
mode	select	search	search for text queries, byUrls for Google Earth URLs.
searchQueries	string list	["Eiffel Tower"] prefill	Place names, addresses, postal codes or lat,lon strings. (mode=search)
startUrls	URL list	-	Public earth.google.com/web URLs. (mode=byUrls)
maxItems	integer	100	Global cap on saved records. The daily prefill uses 1.
maxResultsPerQuery	integer	1	Matches saved per query (1-200). The rank field keeps Google's original order.
language	select	en	Language for names, descriptions and details.
searchArea	object	world	Optional {north, south, east, west} bounds for search.
includeAddress	boolean	true	Match a street address when Google's suggestions are unambiguous.
includeElevation	boolean	true	Add elevation_meters (terrain elevation above sea level).
includeKml	boolean	false	Add a generated kml Placemark string.

The smallest daily run is the prefill: one English query, one result, address/elevation/KML enrichment off. It makes a single search request and returns one record.

Older task inputs that used query, queries, maxResults, minDelayBetweenRequests or maxDelayBetweenRequests still run: those keys are read in code and mapped to the current fields or pacing. They are not shown in the input form.

Example: landmarks

{
  "mode": "search",
  "searchQueries": ["Eiffel Tower", "Statue of Liberty", "Taj Mahal"],
  "maxResultsPerQuery": 1,
  "includeElevation": true
}

Example: all matches for a chain

{
  "mode": "search",
  "searchQueries": ["KFC"],
  "searchArea": {"north": 41.0, "south": 40.4, "east": -73.5, "west": -74.3},
  "maxResultsPerQuery": 50,
  "maxItems": 100
}

Example: resolved Google Earth URL

{
  "mode": "byUrls",
  "startUrls": [
    {"url": "https://earth.google.com/web/search/Eiffel+Tower/@48.8583701,2.2944813,146.9105192a,533.29335005d,35y,0h,0t,0r/data=CjoaDAoIL20vMDJqODEYAiImCiQJME-ZgofyPUARME-ZgofyPcAZ26Y5nC09S0AhQYot7SnSTMBCAggBQgIIAEoNCP___________wEQAA"}
  ],
  "includeElevation": true,
  "includeKml": true
}

Output per location

Legacy fields are unchanged:

• search_query - the query text, or the source URL in byUrls mode
• place_name - the resolved place name
• latitude, longitude - the resolved coordinates (WGS84)
• description - Google Earth's short description, e.g. Tower in Paris, France
• google_place_id - Google's place identifier (0x...:0x...)
• data_source - search_api for a search response, url_fallback for a URL-derived record
• url - a Google Earth URL for the resolved location
• scraped_at - ISO 8601 UTC timestamp

New fields are added beside them:

• elevation_meters - terrain elevation above sea level, when available
• address - matched street address, when unambiguous
• rank - original position in Google's result list
• language - language used for the response
• record_type - location
• kml - generated KML Placemark, when includeKml is on

For byUrls records with a feature token, the place knowledge card can also add:

• feature_id - Google Knowledge Graph id (/m/... or /g/...)
• description_long - the longer place description
• plus_code, plus_code_local
• website, website_domain
• wikipedia_url
• photos - Google-hosted photo URLs
• opening_hours - day-to-hours object
• google_maps_url
• camera_altitude_meters, camera_distance_meters, field_of_view_degrees, heading_degrees, tilt_degrees, roll_degrees, camera_text - camera values read from the URL

Use cases

• GIS data collection - bulk-resolve place names into coordinates and elevation for maps and terrain models.
• Travel research - get exact coordinates, addresses and opening hours for landmarks and venues.
• Location intelligence - attach Google place IDs and coordinates to a list of business names or addresses.
• Dataset enrichment - add latitude, longitude, elevation and a place ID to records that only have a name.
• Franchise mapping - resolve many branches of the same chain, optionally biased to a city or region.
• KML handoff - export a ready-to-import Placemark for each record.

FAQ

Do I need a Google Maps API key? No. The actor uses the public endpoints behind earth.google.com and never asks you for a key.

Why did a query return no record? Google Earth could not resolve that text to a location. A typo, a very vague query, an unsupported script, or a temporary rate limit can all cause this. The run summary reports how many inputs were unresolved.

Why does one query return only one record? That is the default. Set maxResultsPerQuery above 1 to collect every ranked match. Google Earth itself may return fewer matches than you ask for.

Why is address missing on some records? An address is added only when Google's suggestion results identify the same place unambiguously. Common names such as KFC can match many branches, so the actor omits the address instead of guessing.

Why can't I see website, photos or opening hours for a search result? Google Earth's search response exposes coordinates, place IDs and short descriptions. The full place card requires a feature id, which Google only exposes in a resolved view URL. Use mode=byUrls with a resolved Earth URL to get the full card.

What is the difference between search_api and url_fallback? search_api means the record came from Google Earth's search response. url_fallback means the record came from a URL you supplied (a resolved view, a coordinate URL, or a search URL resolved through the API).

Are the coordinates survey-grade? No. They are the coordinates Google Earth resolves for the place, typically accurate to a few metres for landmarks but not a survey measurement.

Does this work in any language? The 32 most common Google Earth interface languages are available. Google may fall back to English for places that have no localized name.

Is this affiliated with Google? No. This is an independent, third-party actor that reads Google Earth's public location search and place card data. It is not operated by or affiliated with Google.

Limitations

• Google Earth may cap the number of matches for a broad query; the actor stops when the source stops returning a next page.
• Place-card details (website, photos, hours, plus code) are only available for resolved URLs that contain a feature token, or when Google exposes a matching card.
• Some official venue websites block automated link checks. Their URLs are still the real website URLs Google publishes.
• Coordinates and names can change over time as Google updates its data.
• Broad queries are ranked by Google Earth, not by the actor. Use a specific query or searchArea for predictable local results.