Jump to content

A Guide To Using Google Earth As An Aid?


Recommended Posts

So I'm very bad with driving directions. Google maps and such are really what enable me to explore more areas than I'd otherwise be comfortable.

 

So I've heard lots about .kml files "drifting" and using some other method to mark points, and I'm aware that lots of this is a subscriber feature, so... if you utilize google maps, can you give me a quick run through of what you do?

Link to comment

Assuming you're talking about adding waypoints to Google Earth, I think all you have to do is import them through file/import or something similar. You download the .LOC files from this site and import them into GE. Should show up on the globe then... a co-worker showed it to me one day.

Link to comment

First, some clarification of terminology. Google Maps is a website. You view it through your web browser. Google Earth (GE) is a standalone program, which you download and install on your computer. GE is a lot more powerful than Google Maps since it is a program, but the Google Maps beta cache maps thing put together on the geocaching.com website is pretty slick.

 

You mentioned the geocaching.com KML for use in Google Earth. This is nice tool for planning cache runs. You can see the cache's name, difficulty/terrain, and the cache type is represented by the same icons that are used on the website. There are some limitations though. First, there is some random location obfuscation. This is to prevent people from scraping geocaching.com's database. One way to get around this is to use GPX files, which are available to premium members, or to manually enter the cache's coordinates. Either of these methods will show the exact location of the cache.

 

Another limitation is that only 150 caches can be shown at a time. If you are zoomed out too far, some caches will be randomly dropped from the map. Also, you "only" have 200 views per day. In other words, you can only pan or zoom (any action that causes the map to redraw) only 200 times. One way some cachers get around this limitation is to use the method I describe here.

 

BTW, there is a version 4.0 beta release of Google Earth. Don't use that yet. Apparently it doesn't show the KML correctly, according to what others have posted here in the forum.

 

I always use Google Earth to plan where I will cache on the weekend. I pull in a Pocket Query (premium member feature) showing my 500 nearest unfound caches. I look for a nice cluster of caches. I pull up the KML to see what type of caches these are, along with difficulty. Seeing the exact location of the caches with the Pocket Query is nice because I know where to park and what trails to use. Some folks live in areas that don't have high-resolution imagery, so they are lucky to even see streets on the imagery in GE. Of course, I also examine the map to figure out how to travel from cache to cache. At the end of the day, I like to suck the tracklog off my GPSr and view it in Google Earth.

Link to comment

Thanks, Nerd! In my head somewhere I new the difference, but should have been more precise when I was writing out my post.

 

Fortunately, Pittsburgh has a very high resolution area of mapping until you get into some of the outskirting counties. I think I'm going to upgrade to premium membership here in the next week and start better planning my weekend excursions. (I'm determined to get out every weekend, it's good for me!)

 

Thank you, it really helps!

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...