What datum (reference ellipsoid) does Google Earth use?

Question

What datum (reference ellipsoid) does Google Earth[1] use?

I can't seem to find where Google Earth tells explicitly what datum they use. I need some sort of valid link.

[1] The default free version that you download from Google.

PolyGeo · Accepted Answer · 2020-12-13 08:05:13Z

12

Google Earth itself doesnt do any projection or anything, but by convention all the data (imagry, KML etc) 'imported' into Google Earth uses WGS84.

PolyGeo♦

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answered Feb 13, 2012 at 19:50

Ryan Johnson

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Is it important for this question, that the geoid they use is not a perfect WGS84 geoid, but an EGM96 geoid which is a sphere? groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups=#!msg/kml-support-advanced/…
– Matthias Kuhn
Apr 23, 2013 at 7:18
Does Google's also use this datum for its Google Maps Geocoding API?
– craig
Sep 13, 2015 at 3:17
EPSG 3857, or spherical Mercator, is an interesting one. Since they use a different datum for input and output. alastaira.wordpress.com/2011/01/23/…
– HeikkiVesanto
Oct 30, 2015 at 11:26

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M. Mukul · Accepted Answer · 2015-10-30 11:15:14Z

7

The heights on google earth refer to EGM96 and are, therefore, Geoidal heights. The lat/long are referred to the WGS 84 ellipsoid.

answered Oct 30, 2015 at 11:15

M. Mukul

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That is pretty much the same as the SRTM C-Band data available on the net.
– M. Mukul
Oct 30, 2015 at 11:16
1

Read researchgate.net/publication/…
– M. Mukul
Oct 30, 2015 at 11:19

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