Horizontal positional accuracy of Google Earth's imagery over rural areas: a study case in Tamaulipas, Mexico

Due to the popularity of Google Earth (GE), users commonly assume that it is a credible and accurate source of information. Consequently, GE's imagery is frequently used in scientific and others projects. However, Google states that data available in their geographic products are only approximations and, therefore, their accuracy is not officially documented. In this paper, the horizontal positional accuracy of GE's imagery is assessed by means of comparing coordinates extracted from a rural cadastral database against coordinates extracted from well-defined and inferred check points in GE's im...