Google Earth Data with n8n Pipelines

Description and use

Automated pipeline that extracts geographic data from Google Earth, ensures idempotency using google_place_id, and forwards data to n8n for downstream workflows.

Problem

Need to orchestrate geographic data extraction from Google Earth and ingest it idempotently into downstream systems like PostgreSQL or n8n workflows.

Outcome

A repeatable pipeline that extracts precise geographic coordinates, prevents duplicate ingestion via google_place_id, and automates downstream processing with n8n.

Workflow

• Define search queries in the Actor input (array of location strings).
• Configure minDelayBetweenRequests and maxDelayBetweenRequests to respect rate limits.
• Run the Actor; it emits structured records with place_name, latitude, longitude, description, google_place_id, etc.
• Set up an Apify webhook to trigger an n8n workflow on Actor completion.
• In n8n, fetch the dataset items via the provided URL.
• For each item, perform an idempotency check against a PostgreSQL table using google_place_id. If not present, insert; otherwise skip. (Use MERGE/UPSERT for larger scales.)
• Continue downstream processing in n8n (e.g., enrichment, storage, notifications).

Evidence

Implement a mechanism that tracks processed items, typically using a unique identifier from the source data. The google_place_id field in the Actor's output is ideal for this, allowing downstream systems to check for its existence before inserting new records, ensuring only new, unique location data is processed.

Source

Set up a webhook in Apify to trigger an n8n workflow upon the Actor's successful completion. The webhook sends a POST request containing run details, including a URL to the dataset items, which n8n then fetches and processes.

Source