I tried to collect together in one post a few useful tools. If you have any other favourites, please let us know
To identify places in GE
Geonames features network link. Click on "geonames features network link" on this page and it will download a kml file which you can copy to "My Places". Check the box next to the file and it will search for names in the area you're looking at. You can also expand the tree structure and choose only certain types of features. Best to check it only when you want to use it.
Flash Earth - "an experimental application that uses satellite and aerial imagery from online mapping websites without official consent"
Flash earth network link created by Valery35 and Barry Hunter, enables you to see the corresponding view in other map applications via Flash Earth in a placemark balloon. Needs Google Earth 4.2.
MapMart - a choice of images from different data providers for sale, with previews
To find coordinates of places that the GE database doesn't recognise
Geonames - with a link to Google Maps Geody - seems to have a smaller database than Geonames, but has a better interface with GE, as well as a link to Google Maps NGA Geographic Names Database - allows more flexible searching (fuzzy search etc) Falling Rain - search using only the beginning of a name
Wikipedia - on pages about places, there's generally a link to a coordinates page where you can download a kml file to "Find this location with Google Earth" Some map sites will also give you coordinates, eg Multimap, Maporama How to go from Google Maps to Google Earth - thanks LuciaM and simon_a Google maps overlay - display those road names that elude you in Google Earth
Contributed by LuciaM The Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names - includes ~ 900,000 geographic features as well as populated places, maintained by the Getty Art Museum in LA Lat-Long.com - for the US "Airports, lakes, cemeteries, parks and more" Streetmap - for the UK, with a useful "click here to convert" link at the bottom of the page, which gives you the coordinates, grid reference, post code etc
Contributed by Felippo BayernViewer - alternative imagery and maps of Bavaria, Germany, includes ruler and measuring tools klickTel - alternative imagery for Germany map.search.ch - alternative imagery from Switzerland with pop up information bubbles and drawing tools terraserver.com - a choice of images from different data providers for sale, with previews Airports - a webpage that helps to find airports, closest airports, gives a Google Maps image and some information, including coordinates
Contributed by Terry_Pinnell GPS Visualizer: Do-It-Yourself Mapping - "GPS Visualizer is a free, easy-to-use online utility that creates maps and profiles from GPS data (tracks and waypoints), street addresses, or simple coordinates"
-------------------- ...::: | | | Install 4.3 and be aware you can switch back | | | :::...
...::: | | | what you are is what you eat and what you think | | | :::...
...::: | | | if you want to get something, first look and ask for its very details | | | :::...
Attached are three tools developed by GE admins to help you find your way around a local area. There are two kinds of reticule that mark the center of the screen, and a degree/decimal minutes generator.
If you want to drift slowly over a small area, try this: Place the "hand" relative to a reticule determined by the direction you want to move in. i.e., if you want to drift NW place the hand NW of the reticule. Determine how fast you want to drift by the relative distance you place the hand from the center. Close = slow and Distant = fast. Then press and hold left button, press right button, and release both. You will continue to drift at the same direction and speed until you touch a button again. This is really good for leisurely drifting over a new area without having to occupy either hand and is far more accurate than the "toss and grab" method described in the GE Help section.
The generator is good for quickly generating lat/lon coordinates for discussions.
Choose which you wish to use and uncheck the others - or keep all off. I always use one of the reticules because it makes precise screen navigation easy.
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Hill, I like your degree/decimal minutes generator, well worth checking out. And I never knew you could use the mouse to move that way, as you say, much better than the "toss and grab" method - thanks
Super collection, Noisette! Many thanks for taking the trouble to prepare it.
I have a few comments/queries about some of the resources, so hope it's OK to list them here to get any further feedback:
Local.live link That's probably my favourite of the tools you've listed. A big thank you to jschutz. Although I'm an enthusiastic user of GE, I must say that for most UK areas the VE aerial views are far better, and much more consistent. And, in the minority of cases when they're available, those birds eye view are just superb.
Anyone know if it's possible to remove that large (about 100 px deep) shaded blue band near the top of the local.live display, to get something closer to a full screen view?
Presumably VE gives you similar facilities to GE? (I cannot install it, as - for various reasons - I'm still using XP SP1, and VE needs SP2.)
Flash Earth I cannot get access to the last 3 options: Ask.com (physical), OpenLayers, NASA Terra (dailiy). Just get a No Entry sign. What are the dependencies here?
Falling Rain Very interesting search tool, but its database (for UK at least) is badly screwed up. Pretty well all UK locations seem to be listed under 'Aberdeen City'!
NASA Worldwind I cannot get any Placenames displayed, with that layer switched on.
Maybe I missed it, but I didn't see Adam Schneider's excellent GPS Visualizer? It was very useful for me recently, to get some GPS-recorded walks time-stamped, so that they could be animated by GE's neat new Time Slider.
Thanks Terry, I had intended to reorganise and add some more general tools, but I haven't got around to it yet. I will, and I can add GPS Visualizer then. The whole thing has grown much larger than I thought it would be in the beginning!
FlashEarth: you need to be zoomed out to see OpenLayers or NASA Terra, I don't know about Ask.com. There is always an icon in the bottom left corner to open a web page to the actual application where you can get more information.
FallingRain: yes, there seems to be only one region in the UK!
I won't be able to check out Worldwind for a few days, but I'll certainly have a look and see what I can make of it.
These are a few simple tools I've found useful for creating placemarks. Nothing too complicated or technical!
Free text editors: EmEditor recommended by Valery35 EditPad recommended by LuciaM Notepad++ recommended by ManoM
NorthGates' KML Editor - free KML Editor designed primarily to provide WYSIWYG HTML word processing power for the Snippet text and the Balloon description of Google Earth's Placemarks
XML validator - recommended by LuciaM, just paste your full kml document into the box. If there is a problem, it will tell you what it is and which line number is the culprit. (If there is more than one error however, you will need to correct the first one it finds and paste it back in again).
Link Sleuth - recommended by weatherman22. Link Sleuth will open a kml file if it is renamed as an html file, and check all the links in it. Original post.
HTML To BB Code Converter by Gary Hood - feed in the html code for the links and images you used in your placemark, and this will give you the UBB code you can use in your post in the forum.
Google Earth Outreach
The Google Earth Outreach programme is intended for non-profit or public benefit groups, but provides tools, templates and tutorials which can be used by anyone:
Templates for your placemarks, simply download the template(s) of your choice and follow the instructions.
jEdit - open-source, Java-based text editor provides as-you-type error checking to ensure that your KML is well-formed and validates against the official KML schema.
-------------------- ...::: | | | Install 4.3 and be aware you can switch back | | | :::...
...::: | | | what you are is what you eat and what you think | | | :::...
...::: | | | if you want to get something, first look and ask for its very details | | | :::...
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