I am using GE and the "Get Directions" functionality using GE Free. Is it possible to export the elevation of each of the waypoints using GE in addition to the Lat Long Coordinates in KML format. This functionality would be extremely beneficial to me if it is possible. I know the elevation data is there it is just a matter of exporting it. Any help in this matter is greatly appreciated.

I don't believe that GE has any easy way of doing this. Maybe through the experimental/unsupported API? There is freely available, or at worst very inexpensive, DTED data out there that you could download and use a lookup from the KML lat/lon to the DTED terrain elevation. For example, search around through the links here and you will find some after not too long. Still, not a good solution and it would be much easier if GE had a way to export terrain heights (if they're allowed to do this).

The problem is that when you export to KML, the GE Client doesn't write out the terrain value (as you already found out) and instead writes out 0 elevation and uses the default <altitudeMode> of clampedToGround (not specifying it in the KML gives it the default value) in order to display the path correctly.

This made sense to the people at Google because by using clampedToGround, the path stays on the ground and displays correctly whether the Terrain is turned on of off in the Layers.I

Probably your easiest way to would be to use an external service to get the eleveation. For example the following two sites offer Height Webservices:

http://www.earthtools.org/webservices.htm

http://www.geonames.org/export/#ws

As you have the lat/long of each point, just ask one of these for the elevations.

Gentleman,

Thanks for the responses. The two links that were provided were very interesting. Although both will suffice for short term limited use I was hoping for a more behind the scenes approach. Any thought on how response GOOGLE or KEYHOLE is in responding to requests like these. Is this forum the best place to bring up such a topic?

Welcome to our Community...

You are in the right place/forum to ask these questions.

As the repliers told, there is no possibility to enter any elevation info. I need to add something to them. GE is not expected to contain the elevation data of the terrain from the known sources.

The primary task of the Keyhole staff is a complete-covering of the GE with hi-res. Terrain info is measured by the satellites while "scanning" the globe with some long-length intervals (it was 10 km each, or something like that, I dont remember exactly). In other words, satellite imagery are the result of the satellites' "scanning" (not shotting) action while adding elevation data into the info at certain time intervals (therefore the elevations are approximate and exists only to give some idea of the terrain). The elevation data is something built-in the application-imagery interactions and therefore can only be inserted by the info inserted by the satellites. My knowledge is that the completion of the tarrain data is not primary to the completion of the hi-res imagery and, therefore, we have to wait the latter.

Enjoy...

You can go here and send it to them directly, and on top of this, you can post your "wish" in this thread because at least some of the GE people read these and take them seriously if they think it is a good idea and is something that they are allowed to implement.