Google Earth sites used in April 28 presentation

Jane Frankenberger, Agricultural and Biological Engineering

Download Google Earth at http://earth.google.com

Read the article in Nature: http://www.nature.com/news/2006/060213/pf/439776a_pf.html

Research and Science Sites

These are .kmz files or links to the .kmz files. You can either download and save them, then open in Google Earth using File/Open, or if you double-click the kmz file, Google Earth may open with these sites directly.

• Avian flu maps, created for Nature http://www.nature.com/news/2006/060105/full/060105-1.html
• Earthquakes from USGS (See “KML files”): http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/catalogs/
• Virtual helicopter tour of Hayward fault, by USGS: http://quake.wr.usgs.gov/research/geology/hf_map/GE_helicopter.htm (This is the tour that goes through the Berkeley Stadium. Click on “Start Tour”, then wait a few minutes and it will start automatically.)
• World Ants http://www.antweb.org/world.jsp (Save file called “World Ants in Google Earth” under “Tools”. Then open.). See Article on World Ants in Google Earth at http://www.calacademy.org/geninfo/newsroom/releases/2005/Fisher%20Google.html)
• Real-time weather imagery from NOAA: http://wdssii.nssl.noaa.gov/geotiff/

Sites with a goal of influencing management or decision-making

• Hurricane Katrine imagery: http://earth.google.com/katrina.html
• Watershed that the San Jose water authority proposed to log: http://www.mountainresource.org/node/52
• Arctic National Wildlife Refuge site by the Sierra Club: http://www.sierraclubplus.org/arctic/maps

Feel free to suggest others that advance various ideas.

How to Create KML or KMZ files

Options for converting from ArcGIS files:

• Purchase Arc2Earth for $99:  http://www.arc2earth.com. View my 1-minute video showing ArcMap conversion using Arc2Earth, and the resulting kmz file of the Eagle Creek watershed to open in Google Earth.
• There are several free programs that can make the conversion. Search for kml at http://support.esri.com. I have heard that KML Home Companion 2 works fine (but haven’t tried). “Export to kml 2.2.4” http://arcscripts.esri.com/details.asp?dbid=14273 converts to kml and then asks if you want to open in Google Earth.
• More expensive method: You can get Google Earth Pro, which is free for educators, and then purchase the add-on to export from ArcGIS for $200

General help and suggestions:

• Sign up for the “EdGIS” listserver at https://list.terc.edu/mailman/listinfo/edgis. This is an excellent source of information – A couple messages per week, most with good tips about educating with GIS and how people are using ArcGIS, Google Earth and many other programs.
• Many tips: http://www.gearthblog.com
• Declan Butler’s article on making the Avian Flu maps (this was not easy!) : http://declanbutler.info/blog/?p=16

 For more information, Contact Jane Frankenberger, frankenb@purdue.edu