Google Earth

[Fire Eater]

Ok with the new link to Google earth on our cache home page. When you click on the download link and save it to say your desktop, it asks what program do you want to open it.........so which program do you use? I thought it would open through the geaocaching page.

 

Fire Eater

[Twister65]

Ok with the new link to Google earth on our cache home page. When you click on the download link and save it to say your desktop, it asks what program do you want to open it.........so which program do you use? I thought it would open through the geaocaching page.

 

Fire Eater

You need Google Earth to view it

 

http://earth.google.com

 

It works pretty cool too. Once you load the file, it'll show you all caches in whatever area of the map you have on your screen.

 

Scott

[canadave]

You know, I tried this today, and it certainly was neat seeing all the cache locations in my area....but it raised a question for me--doesn't it sort of defeat the purpose of geocaching?

 

I mean, you see a detailed aerial photo of the area, and a dot marks where the cache is. I know many GPSr's will give you maps and such, but doesn't that all almost seem a bit too easy?

 

I guess since I'm just a newbie, and haven't yet been out on a cache hunt, I could easily be completely off-base here. But I think I prefer not knowing *exactly* where a cache is. It'd be enough for me to know "it's somewhere in this town", and that's as detailed as I want it to get.

 

Put it another way--would you find it fun if there was a cache that said right off the bat, "This cache is at the foot of the CN Tower by the front doors"? It seems to me that it'd be more fun if the cache listing said, "This cache is somewhere in downtown Toronto."

 

Just thinking out loud so to speak--

Dave

 

p.s. sorry for the bump, I know this topic is a couple of months old...the discussion still seems relevant though.

Edited December 19, 2005 by canadave

[+ecache]

I guess it would be up to the cacher, if you feel it gives too much information away then I wouldn't use it.

Different cachers enjoy different parts of geocaching, you have to figure out what you enjoy about it.

 

Using Google Earth will tell you the general viciniy of the cache, but not exactly. Plus ther are multis and mystery caches that would not be where they are on Google Earth either.

[canadave]

I guess it would be up to the cacher, if you feel it gives too much information away then I wouldn't use it.

Different cachers enjoy different parts of geocaching, you have to figure out what you enjoy about it.

Very true, and the .kml overlays can easily be turned off...and I want to emphasize that in no way am I implying that "my way of thinking about caches is the ONLY right way"--that would be silly of course. It just seemed odd to me, is all....

 

Using Google Earth will tell you the general viciniy of the cache, but not exactly. 

True, but even the general vicinity is way too much for me, and I wonder how many other folks want to know the cache location to Google Earth's relative precision--particularly in urban areas that are detailed in GE to resolutions of a meter or less (I know that the GPS coordinates themselves involve a certain degree of imprecision, but still). In my CN Tower example, even without knowing *exactly* where the hypothetical cache would be, it still would seem pointless to bring along a GPSr if I knew where the cache was within 20 feet or so. Mind you, I gather that some people enjoy geocaching without a GPSr, so I suppose that wouldn't be much of an issue....

 

Plus ther are multis and mystery caches that would not be where they are on Google Earth either.

True enough Good point.

 

--Dave

Edited December 19, 2005 by canadave

[+dogbreathcanada]

I mean, you see a detailed aerial photo of the area, and a dot marks where the cache is.  I know many GPSr's will give you maps and such, but doesn't that all almost seem a bit too easy?

Except the dot in Google Earth doesn't mark where the cache is. Groundspeak obfuscates each point by between 100 - 200 metres. They're very afraid of people scraping their data for use on 3rd party websites. Because of the obfuscation, I don't find the Google Earth service all that interesting.

 

I do use Google Map though. Although no obfuscation with that link, Google Map isn't accurate, and the location that is shown can be off by up to 50 metres (generally 20 - 25 metres). Not to mention the maps don't have the level of detail necessary to pinpoint a cache anyhow. I mainly use Google Map to get a general feel for an area, and to determine best parking locations (which can sometimes be a problem out here).

Edited December 19, 2005 by dogbreathcanada

[canadave]

Ah, didn't know that...thanks for clearing up the obfuscation so to speak.

 

I guess what I'm saying is that even Google Maps' provision of a point that's within a general area of the cache is more than I'd personally want to do. Maybe I should change the topic of this discussion to, "How much information about the cache location do people prefer to start out with?"

 

I personally would want as little information about the cache location as possible....all I really want is the approximate range from my house, just to get an idea of whether I can drive there or not (obviously I wouldn't want to go walking off in search of a cache 1,000 klicks away!)

 

But as long as I know it's say, 8 km away, that's enough for me--at that point I want to start up my GPSr at my front door, get a bearing, and try to figure out where in my area it could possibly be and how to get there. Having a Google Map to help at least find the major road nearby or what street intersection is closest, to me, won't be as much fun. But maybe I'm in the minority on that.

 

At any rate, I find the discussion interesting. Anyone else want to weigh in with their preferences in this regard?

 

Cheers,

Dave

[QuigleyJones]

You can abstain from using the zoom-in button, so you can only see what area its in.

[+Olar]

Having a Google Map to help at least find the major road nearby or what street intersection is closest, to me, won't be as much fun. But maybe I'm in the minority on that.

When I first started out with geocaching I basically felt the same way as you. In fact there were very little resources to reference 4-1/2 years ago. Most GPSR's in those days did not have any maps so we were at the mercy of the compass page pointer to lead us there.

However after a year or so I realized that my most enjoyment was when I was on the trails somewhere between the parked car and the cache. I began to pre-plan where possible in order to determine the fastest and shortest route to the parking area and/or trailhead so that I wouldn't waste a lot of time, not to mention fuel, driving around trying to find the best starting point. If I don't have time at home to check the maps and determine my route then the autorouting on my GPSr works overtime getting me from trailhead to trailhead.

 

So, getting to Google Earth, I don't see a lot of value in using it to plan cache trips. It's really just a novelty of sorts at the time being. I do get a kick out of using it afterwards to display my hiking track and found cache(s) though. Here is an example.

 

 

Cheers, Olar

[CharlieZulu]

Ah, didn't know that...thanks for clearing up the obfuscation so to speak.

 

I guess what I'm saying is that even Google Maps' provision of a point that's within a general area of the cache is more than I'd personally want to do.  Maybe I should change the topic of this discussion to, "How much information about the cache location do people prefer to start out with?"

 

I personally would want as little information about the cache location as possible....all I really want is the approximate range from my house, just to get an idea of whether I can drive there or not (obviously I wouldn't want to go walking off in search of a cache 1,000 klicks away!)

 

But as long as I know it's say, 8 km away, that's enough for me--at that point I want to start up my GPSr at my front door, get a bearing, and try to figure out where in my area it could possibly be and how to get there.  Having a Google Map to help at least find the major road nearby or what street intersection is closest, to me, won't be as much fun.  But maybe I'm in the minority on that.

 

At any rate, I find the discussion interesting.  Anyone else want to weigh in with their preferences in this regard?

 

Cheers,

Dave

Canadave:

 

Get out there and start looking, man! If said to you "I hid something in your house".... do you think you'd be able to find it? I think it would take you a while.

 

Even if those little symbols were in the right spot, the world is a complex place, and cache owners are clever people!

 

You gotta get out here with the rest of us, down on your hands and knees, in the rain, in the dark (with failing flashlight), in the snow, looking under a dead tree, up a dead tree, down in a cave, up there, over there.... back to where you first looked.... and on it goes!

 

Fuhgeeddabaout Google Erath, just shoot in the coords, and give 'er a whirl, man! I use GE to see what might be available in a certain area.. pretty useful for that. But you gotta get out there and enjoy the experience.

 

Happy caching!

[+dogbreathcanada]

It's really just a novelty of sorts at the time being. I do get a kick out of using it afterwards to display my hiking track and found cache(s) though.

I like doing the same, creating 3D track logs for my caching hikes in the mountains.

[CharlieZulu]

OK, I'll bite.... you do you do the tracklog thing on GEarth?? You have to buy it? (God forbid)

[+Olar]

OK, I'll bite.... you do you do the tracklog thing on GEarth?? You have to buy it? (God forbid)

No you can display tracks on the free GE download. Put your tracks and any waypoints in Mapsource and save it as a .gpx file which you can then import into GE.

 

Have fun, Olar

[+PDOP's]

OK, I'll bite.... you do you do the tracklog thing on GEarth?? You have to buy it? (God forbid)

One way is with MapSource which will export to KML. I suspect there are others.

[+northernpenguin]

I use gpsbabel to get my tracklogs into gpx format for Google Earth. Sometimes I use it to make the .kml file too but usually I use the gpx file format. I'm also viewing APRS tracklogs from my radio in Google Earth, but for that I got assistance from another cacher.

 

I know you use an eTrex, CharlieZulu which means that MapSource will probably be the easiest method for you.

 

One really nice thing about the Google Earth tracklog combined with the Geocaching.com overlay -- when I get back I can fire up Google Earth, pull in my tracklog from the night before and immediately see what geocaches I went to. Real handy for logging after events like the 24 Hour Marathon or the upcoming Snow Shoeing caches next week.

 

I've got some *nice* tracklogs stored from my caching adventures in the Adirondack's (and a couple plane trips too). Looks great in Google Earth.

 

Get Google Earth at earth.google.com

[CharlieZulu]

OK, I'll bite.... you do you do the tracklog thing on GEarth??  You have to buy it? (God forbid)

No you can display tracks on the free GE download. Put your tracks and any waypoints in Mapsource and save it as a .gpx file which you can then import into GE.

 

Have fun, Olar

OK.... where is the Google Earth "import" button??

[+Hard Oiler]

OK.... where is the Google Earth "import" button??

File Open and you can import all kinds of files including gpx and loc

[Twister65]

Displaying the tracks in Google Earth looks very cool. I gotta get a new GPS with PC connectivity!

 

I mainly use Google Earth to get a look at the surrouding area for access points and/or parking. It also helps me plan my route if I'm going out for multiple caches that day.

 

Scott

[+Hippie Kidz]

How do you get those cool screen shots from google earth (like DBC above)? What I would really like to do is email a screen shot but I do not have accounts for either of the providers listed. Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

Hippie B

[CharlieZulu]

OK.... where is the Google Earth "import" button??

File Open and you can import all kinds of files including gpx and loc

I sure as heck can't do that... the only options for files extensions on MY Google Earth are .kml .kmz .eta and .ini

[+Hippie Kidz]

charliezulu

 

I go into Mapsource, go to view, then go to - view in google earth. This is assuming you have Mapsource.

[+Keith Watson]

I like using it to see all my finds.

 

[CharlieZulu]

charliezulu

 

I go into Mapsource, go to view, then go to - view in google earth. This is assuming you have Mapsource.

Frig... I don't get it! In MY Mapsource, when I go to View... the choices are only Zoom In, Zoom Out, etc etc... nothing relating to Google Earth. I have to link them somehow?

[+Hippie Kidz]

It sounds like you don't have google earth loaded on your computer. You have to downlaod the program for things to work. hope this helps.

 

hippie B

[+northernpenguin]

charliezulu

 

I go into Mapsource, go to view, then go to -  view in google earth. This is assuming you have Mapsource.

Frig... I don't get it! In MY Mapsource, when I go to View... the choices are only Zoom In, Zoom Out, etc etc... nothing relating to Google Earth. I have to link them somehow?

CharlieZulu - make sure you're running the most current version of Mapsource. The Google Earth features were added very recently to that program, and if you're back a couple versions you may not get that menu option.

[CharlieZulu]

Whaaa?? There is only one version that I know of... the one I bought when I got my Garmin in July 2004. I even emailed the Mapsource people recently (since I thought there might be updates) and they told me there was only one, and that I had it.

 

Maybe we're not talking about the same thing... I am talking about Mapsource- Canada Topo.

 

Chris

[CharlieZulu]

It sounds like you don't have google earth loaded on your computer. You have to downlaod the program for things to work. hope this helps.

 

hippie B

Yes I do have it, just the free version, though. I can see all the caches come up, etc.

 

My problem is mapsource, I think.

[CharlieZulu]

It sounds like you don't have google earth loaded on your computer. You have to downlaod the program for things to work. hope this helps.

 

hippie B

Yes I do have it, just the free version, though. I can see all the caches come up, etc.

 

My problem is mapsource, I think.

Disregard all previous Luddite comments... upgraded my Mapsource and seems like what I need is there now

 

Merry Christmas to all of you.

 

Chris

[+Keith Watson]

Couldn't resist posting this one day cache outing.

Edited December 25, 2005 by Keith Watson

[Twister65]

Anyone know how to get a route or track from an eXplorist 600 into Google earth? There doesn't seem to be any compatible format.

 

I've looked at GPSbabel as well, and can't find any right filters for input or output (probably mostly due to the input format)

 

Thanks!

 

Scott

[+PDOP's]

I don't own an eXplorist 600 but if it will connect with any software that supports GPX files you can save your route or track as a GPX file which can be opened by the free version of Google Earth.

 

A freeware option would be GPSTrackmaker.

 

Edit to fix link

Edited January 8, 2006 by PDOP's

[Twister65]

I don't own an eXplorist 600 but if it will connect with any software that supports GPX files you can save your route or track as a GPX file which can be opened by the free version of Google Earth.

 

A freeware option would be GPSTrackmaker.

 

Edit to fix link

GPS Trackmaker worked like a charm. It was able to open the route file and save it as Google Earth file, which then opened without any problem. Thanks!

 

Scott

[+Hard Oiler]

I have an Explorist 500 and it can be done. As I recall I had to use the Mapsend Conversion Manager to convert the format back to the legacy Mapsend .trk format to get it to work. If you haven't already got it, download the new Mapsend Manager from the Magellan site. It makes it a lot easier to have all the conversions in one place.

 

Edit: I see you fixed it just as I posted. Great stuff - I'll have to try that way.

Edited January 8, 2006 by Hard Oiler

[+northernpenguin]

Anyone know how to get a route or track from an eXplorist 600 into Google earth? There doesn't seem to be any compatible format.

 

I've looked at GPSbabel as well, and can't find any right filters for input or output (probably mostly due to the input format)

 

Thanks!

 

Scott

I use an eXplorist and do this one all the time -

 

Use GPSbabelgui for simplicity.

 

You want to convert from "Magellan SD files (as for eXplorist)" to "GPX XML".

Make sure you have a fairly recent version of gpsbabel, as they added eXplorist support only about 8 months ago, and the old version's don't handle it.

 

The eXplorist is considered to be "magellanx" if you're using gpsbabel from the command line.

[+dogbreathcanada]

Charlie Zulu, the most recent version of MapSource is 6.8.0. You can get the most recent version, for free, from the Garmin website. This newest version of MapSource will give you some Google Earth options, as well it will allow you to save tracklog data as a GPX file.

 

As for opening .GPX files in Google Earth ... just drag a .GPX file anywhere in the Google Earth application. It will open automatically.

[Twister65]

I use an eXplorist and do this one all the time -

 

Use GPSbabelgui for simplicity.

 

You want to convert from "Magellan SD files (as for eXplorist)" to "GPX XML".

Make sure you have a fairly recent version of gpsbabel, as they added eXplorist support only about 8 months ago, and the old version's don't handle it.

 

The eXplorist is considered to be "magellanx" if you're using gpsbabel from the command line.

This worked as well, thanks!

 

Scott