Which Method Provides the Most Accurate Land vs. Water Detection in Google Maps?

Identifying Land or Water in Google Maps

Problem Definition

Obtaining reliable information about whether a specific geographic point falls on land or water.

Solution Options

Google Maps API Methods:

• Reverse Geocoding: Retrieve the geopolitical entity at the given coordinates. Verify the entity's type (e.g., natural_feature) and analyze its name for water-related keywords.

Pros:

• Computation performed on the client-side.

Cons:

• Inaccurate and often returns "none" results.
• Pixel Detection via Static Map Service: Create a server-side service that performs the following:

1. Receives latitude, longitude, and zoom level.
2. Requests a 1x1 pixel static map image from Google Maps.
3. Analyzes the pixel color to determine if it represents land or water.
4. Returns the detection result.

Pros:

• Highly accurate detection.

Cons:

• Requires server-side resources.

Noteworthy Considerations:**

• Elevation data cannot be relied upon due to areas below sea level and landlocked water bodies above sea level.
• Pseudo-solutions such as geo-political entity identification and reverse geolocation are not sufficiently accurate.

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