What tool in GIS would you use for measuring distances?

The measuring tool, or distance tool, is specifically designed for calculating distances between two points within a GIS environment. This tool allows users to click on any two locations on a map, and it computes the linear distance between those points, either in straight lines or taking into account the terrain depending on the settings and capabilities of the GIS software. This functionality is crucial for tasks such as planning, analysis, and navigation where understanding spatial relationships between various features is important.

Other tools mentioned serve different purposes; for instance, the selection tool is used for selecting features based on certain criteria, the area analysis tool focuses on calculating the area of a defined space, and the coordinate tool generally helps in obtaining specific coordinates of points on the map rather than measuring distances. Hence, the measuring tool stands out as the most appropriate choice for the task of measuring distances.