1. Install Google Earth Pro on you local computer.
2. Search for the address of the property you are doing analysis.
In this example I am using the Reebock International office in London.
3. Make sure that what you think is the facing of the property is facing up, and the building is aligned to the road or to the top of the image.
4. Navigate to the ribbon menu bar and select placemark
5. Placemark is showing over the buildings roof. Same applies to houses.
6. Choose View and take note of the heading
7. We see 150 degrees. Google Earth uses True North, so we need to obtain the magnetic declination as Feng Shui uses the Magnetic North.
Note: if the result was -150, we would subtract 360 degrees – 150 degrees = 210 degrees
8. Calculating the Magnetic Declination
To determine the magnetic declination, we use a magnetic declination calculator or the NOAA website.
Provide the City and Country and search map
If declination is West we ADD the declination to the degrees. If Declination is East we SUBTRACT the declination.
In this example, we see a positive declination of +0 35 East so we subtract, giving us roughly 150 degrees anyway.
ALTERNATIVES
An alternative to step 5 is to use the Ruler instead of the placemark. The ruler can lead to errors if a good reference isn't available to draw it along the building.
Another tool I prefer is Setcompass. Setcompass uses Google’s satellite images and GPS so its precision is always up to date. It includes a virtual compass and when “Draw Route” button is selected it calculates the magnetic declination.
To setup this service, an API key will need to be configured with Google, as well payment services. This service is charged based on quotas. For normal use you should not expect to pay for its use.
Hope you find this post useful. Feel free to contact me if you have questions.
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