Module 7: Google Earth

 Module 7: Google Earth

This weeks module is about using Google Earth and knowing how to show data through an interactive 3D map. One of the best things about Google Earth is that the data is free and can be used by everyone who is able to download the app on their computer. Much of the maps we created in this class are from ArcGIS Pro and using Google Earth is important to give data to the average person. 

It is important to note that the data that is used in Google Earth are KMZ/KML files. The data that is used in ArcGIS Pro are either feature classes or layers. The first step before using Google Earth is converting the data to KMZ/KML files. Once the data is converted it can be opened up in Google Earth. Also, in this module we learned how to use a png or jpeg file to image overlay the image onto the map. For this map it was a legend and we need to make sure the colors in the legend matched the colors on the map before getting converted to KMZ/KML files. The map below showed how all the data is able to be put within Google Earth and give it easily to other people who have Google Earth on their computer. The reason that is important is because ArcGIS Pro is expensive and people cannot always use that data to make maps in the future.

In the module we were able to learn how to create a Google Earth Tour to show all the information of the dot density map and the landscape. First we needed to create placemarks in dense areas in southern Florida, such as Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa Bay, and St. Petersburg. To make the video we needed to turn off the names of the placemarks but could still use it for the 3D tour. A pro for using Google Earth is that there are some areas that were more photorealistic because there had been more data collected. An example is how Tampa looks more photorealistic because it is using LiDAR data whereas Fort Lauderdale was likely manually put in and does not look as realistic. In order to make the Tour you need to press the "Record a Tour" button and make sure to press the red record button. To zoom into the placemark areas you need to double-click the placemark and it will zoom into that area. When done you need to press the red record button again to stop the tour. When you save the tour you need to make sure to save as a kmz file so that it can be given to anyone with Google Earth on there computer.

This module is very important to learn because the data can be given to people who have Google Earth on their computer. Also, Google Earth is free and people are able to get a lot of information without having to pay a lot of money. Since ArcGIS Pro is very expensive, Google Earth is definitely a cheaper option.