Measure distances and areas on the map

Borealis includes built-in measurement tools that let you calculate distances and areas directly on any map — no external GIS software needed. Default units can be configured at the system level, and you can adjust them for each measurement as needed.

This article covers the following:

• Default Measurement Units
• Measure a Distance
• Measure an Area

Default Measurement Units

A general configuration defines the default units used for all measurements:

If your organization has configured different defaults, those will appear instead. You can always change the unit for an individual measurement without affecting the global default.

Step to configure as a Super user:

1. Navigate to the General parameters of the Configuration menu.
2. Go to Map tools section
3. Click the Edit button in the upper right hand corner of the page.
4. Select the value you want for your instance.
5. Click the Save button.

Measure an Area

Use the area tool to calculate the surface of a polygon drawn on the map — for example, to assess the footprint of a project area or the size of a parcel.

To measure an area:

1. In the map toolbar, click the Measure button
2. Select the tool you want to use between: 
   • Draw geometry
   • Draw a square
   • Draw a line
   • Select a point on the map
     
3. Click on the map to place your first point.
4. Continue clicking to add intermediate points along the path.
5. Click on the button to finish the measurement .
6. The total distance is displayed on the map, in the configured unit.
   

Tip: You can copy-paste the Area or Perimeter results by clicking on the button.

Measure an Area

Use the Measure tool to measure the length of a path between two or more points on the map — for example, the length of a utility corridor or the distance between two parcels.

To measure an distance:

1. In the map toolbar, click the Measure button.
2. Select the line tool.
3. Click on the map to place your first point.
4. Continue clicking to add intermediate points along the path.
5. Click on the button to finish the measurement .
6. The total distance is displayed on the map, in the configured unit.
   

Tip: You can copy-paste the distance results by clicking on the button.