Google Earth

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Google Earth (GE) is a geographic mapping application for exploring and displaying information. Information can be downloaded from and uploaded to Google Earth. GE is not just an exploration program or a place to find directions to specific locations. Using map overlays, placemark files, layers among a variety of other tools available, users can create and work with content and data rich maps to explore, investigate, explain, work through and solve real world issues and problems. Take the Google Earth Tour

Version

This article was written for Google Earth v.5.0 and is intended to provide you with some information on using the major features within Google Earth. For more advanced help, visit the Google Earth User Guide. Please check visit http://earth.google.com to download the latest version of Google Earth. You may need administrative rights to download and install software.

Contents

[edit] Getting Started

Click the Google Earth icon on your Desktop to launch the Google Earth. If there is no icon located on your desktop click Start > All Programs > Google Earth > Google Earth to launch the program. The following sections will help you get started working with the Google Earth interface and navigation tools.

[edit] Working Within Google Earth

Google Earth (GE) uses panels which are stacked (Search, Places, and Layers) on the left of the GE interface to help you search and organize content. Each panel can be expanded or collapsed by clicking on the triangle located next to its label. Expanding or collapsing these panels allows users to view more content adding to the ease of use.

[edit] Navigation

Google has an easy to follow tutorial on navigating within the Google Earth User Guide. While there are many ways that you can navigate within GE, you'll want to find the one that suits your comfort. Navigation can be manipulated using the controls located in the upper right of the GE window, by the mouse and through the keyboard.

[edit] Panels

Panels (Click to Enlarge)
Panels (Click to Enlarge)
Search
Under the Search Panel users can search the world over using the Fly to, Find Businesses, and Directions tabs. To search a location using the Fly to simply type the location (address, city, state, country, or zip code) you wish to explore or investigate. Similarly, you can enter a business name in the Find Businesses tab to locate specific locations of interest. Finally, use the Directions tab to determine travel directions from one location to another. When known, be sure to include the zip code of the location you are seeking.
Places
Much of the content you interact with in GE may reside in the Places Panel. Under Places you will work with files, folders, placemarks, image overlays, etc. in the My Places section as well as content located in Temporary Places. The main difference between My Places and Temporary Places is that files, folders


My Places
My Places will contain all the placemarks, folders, image overlays and other content you save in GE. Each time that you run the GE application these files will remain as they were from the last time you ran GE.
Temporary Places
Temporary Places are files, folders, overlays, layers among other data that you have imported or downloaded from the Google Earth Community, Google Earth Gallery or any other website containing GE content.


Saving Places
To save content from the Temporary Places to My Places use one of the following methods:
  • Select (by clicking) the content you wish to save and click File > Save > Save to My Places
  • Right-click and select Save to My Places option on the context menu
  • Press Ctrl+Shift+S
Layers
The layers panel provides a collection of content that can be, well, layered within GE. To turn on a layer withing GE simply check the box next to the item and give it time to load within your view. If you do not see the layer, zoom in/out as needed on the area of interest. Tip: Be careful not to check all boxes within the Primary Database. This will turn all layers on and may significantly slow the performance of GE.

[edit] Adding Content

The usefulness of Google Earth comes not only from the satellite imagery that is available, but the creativity and skill with which users produce and share content.

[edit] Create a Placemark

Creating a placemark identifies a location, be it a restaurant, a historical location, locations of scientific investigation or settings for stories in a book. Create a placemark by clicking Add > Placemark... or by clicking on the yellow pushpin icon in the menu bar.
A placemark window will appear as well as a marker on the map. New placemarks will be centered on your current view in Google Earth. You can add any text, photo or video information about the placemark in the description area (see Adding Text, Photo, & Video section below). Be sure to name the placemark in the name field and check the coordinates for the location. Add a description to share more information about the location. Placemarks can be plain text or you can add multimedia elements to further enhance your Google Earth file. Read the following sections to learn more about enhancing placemarks.

[edit] Adding Text, Photo, & Video

Adding Content to a Placemark (Click to Enlarge)
Adding Content to a Placemark (Click to Enlarge)
Formatting text, photos, videos and other elements in a placemark requires Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML). Since most of us are not experts in HTML programing language we can use online HTML editors or other web design software to generate HTML code to copy and past into the put in the placemark Description field. Below are resources where you can learn more about working with HTML as well as an online HTML editor to make writing in HTML easier.
HTML Resources

[edit] Inserting Text

Adding text to a placemark is extremely easy. Simply create a new placemark on a location and type or copy text into the Description field. Note: You do not need an HTML editor to add plain text, however if you want to format the text you will need to use HTML or an HTML editor.

[edit] Inserting Photos

Note: You will need to use HTML code or an HTML editor to add photos, please see Add Content

Photos can be used within a placemark to add value to the information about the placemark. Photos must be located on the web as you there is no feature to upload your own photos into Google Earth. To add a photo, copy the URL (its web address) of the photo and paste it into an according to the HTML editor (see #Adding Text, Photo, & Video section above) directions for adding a photo. Photos to use in Google Earth can be found on a variety of web sites, the following are just a few places to start searching for photos. Please remember to respect the use of photos within copyright laws.

[edit] Inserting Video

Video Embed Code (Click to Enlarge)
Video Embed Code (Click to Enlarge)
Embedding a video truly takes your placemarks into the realm of multimedia. Search for videos from a variety of sources, including YouTube and TeacherTube to add to your placemark files. Here are a few places you can find video to embed:

[edit] Import GPS Data

To use your GPS data within Google Earth you will need to use a third party software to download waypoints from your GPS device. Once downloaded into the software (i.e. - Garmin MapSource) save the file in the GPS eXchange Format (.gpx) file format under File > Save As. Note: Direct download of GPS data into Google Earth requires Google Earth Pro.

[edit] Creating Tours

Users can gather placemarks to create tours of locations, events, novels and more. This section will help you organize and save a Google Earth tour.

[edit] Organize Tour Placemarks

Use folders to organize placemarks in a tour (Click to Enlarge)
Use folders to organize placemarks in a tour (Click to Enlarge)

Follow these steps for creating a quick tour:

  1. Create a new folder by clicking Add > Folder and name it so that you can identify it when adding placemarks for the tour.
  2. Start adding new placemarks to be included the tour (be sure they are added to the folder you created). You can add placemarks you already created by dragging them into the folder.
  3. Once all placemarks are added to the folder, order them, top to bottom, in the sequence you would like them to appear when someone views the tour. To do this simply click and drag them in the desired order.

[edit] Changing Placemark Views

Editing a Placemark View (Click to Enlarge)
Editing a Placemark View (Click to Enlarge)

Adding tilt views of placemarks often gives the viewer a sense of flying from place to place and gives your tour different dimensions other than the traditional top down view. When you add a placemark, it will default to your current view (more accurately, what you see on your screen).

Follow these steps to change the way a placemark is viewed:

  1. Create or open a placemark and click the View tab
  2. While still in the placemark edit mode you can use your mouse or keyboard to change the view to how you would like it appear to those viewing the placemark.
  3. Once you have the view you want, click the Snapshot Current View button to set it.

[edit] Changing Tour Settings

Tours can be setup to simply fly through a set of placemarks, to get upclose and personal with a Google Earth feature or display a dramatic elevation view.

To change tour settings or options click Tools > Options to bring up the Google Earth Options window. Click on the Touring tab to begin adjusting the settings for how tours are viewed.

[edit] When creating a tour from a folder:

Time Between Features (Placemarks)
Time Between Features is the amount of time that it takes to travel from one placemark to another. To adjust the amount of time between placemarks, enter the number of seconds or slide the bar to the desired length of time.
Wait at Features (Placemarks)
Wait at Features is the amount of time that Google Earth will wait at each placemark. To adjust the amount of time at placemarks, enter the number of seconds or slide the bar to the desired length of time.
Fly along lines
Fly along lines directs Google Earth to follow placemark tours along lines created between placemarks. Lines can be created that take different directions besides a straight line between placemarks. Fly along lines allows users to take visitors slightly off course to point out interesting sights, features and locations along the tour. To allow Google Earth to follow these lines, check the box next to Fly along lines.
Show balloon when waiting at features
Show balloon when waiting at features tells Google Earth to open the placemark content balloon (or bubble) for visitors to view text, photos, video or other content you've added to the placemark. Check the box next to Show balloon when waiting at features to enable this. Be sure the Wait at Features setting is set to allow sufficient time for visitors to read or view the balloon at each placemark.

[edit] When creating a tour from a line:

More information about this setting will be added at a later time.

[edit] When recording a tour:

This is the quality of the file that will be created when recording a tour. If you have a long tour with a lot of terrain or features, consider setting this toward Smaller File in order to ensure the tour plays smoothly. When recording shorter tours with less terrain or features this setting can be set to Higher Fidelity.

[edit] Resources

[edit] Files to Use

[edit] Web Sites

Retrieved from "http://wiki.monroe.edu/index.php/Google_Earth"