Google Earth Tours
For the record, I'm not a fan of creating maps or tours in Google Earth. This lab in particular was a learning experience for me in that Google Earth Pro for Desktop did not run very smoothly. In fact, I had to Google search the Repair Tool for it because it wouldn't launch several days after successfully downloading the program. For user error, I had a hard time getting past what the Temporary Places in my Content Pane was trying to accomplish, and had even more difficulty getting my .kmz file to save at the correct extent. After a lot of trial and error, I was successful in creating a Google Earth tour of South Florida.
The provided data layers included a shapefile of the surface water in South Florida, a dot density layer illustrating population centers throughout the peninsula, and county boundaries. One tool used in this lab that I used in my professional life recently is the KML to Layer (or vice versa) tool. After the data was converted and uploaded to the map, the provided legend was inserted as a JPG file in the open space of the map (Gulf of Mexico). The first deliverable for this week's module was to display these layers in Google Earth. The next deliverable was to create a tour from this data around population centers in South Florida. After creating a Placemark, I zoomed in to the areas (looking past the large Add Placemark dialogue box) and adjusted the view. Once satisfied, I right-clicked the Placemark in the Content Pane and selected Snapshot View. I did this several times after recording the tour to adjust the extent; after watching the tour several times, the original extents needed refinement.
One drawback of Google Earth is how clunky it is. For example, the second Placemark on my tour is Downtown Miami and has a lot of 3D buildings. Unfortunately, when opening the .kmz file containing my tour, the building renderings are a bit choppy. The tour automatically begins once the file is opened up, but the program does not have enough time to process the building renderings for the second location of the tour (Downtown Miami). This is because within about 15 seconds of the file opening, a closeup of Downtown Miami takes over the view, and with so many 3D building renderings, a slower approach to the area would have been aesthetically better.
The provided data layers included a shapefile of the surface water in South Florida, a dot density layer illustrating population centers throughout the peninsula, and county boundaries. One tool used in this lab that I used in my professional life recently is the KML to Layer (or vice versa) tool. After the data was converted and uploaded to the map, the provided legend was inserted as a JPG file in the open space of the map (Gulf of Mexico). The first deliverable for this week's module was to display these layers in Google Earth. The next deliverable was to create a tour from this data around population centers in South Florida. After creating a Placemark, I zoomed in to the areas (looking past the large Add Placemark dialogue box) and adjusted the view. Once satisfied, I right-clicked the Placemark in the Content Pane and selected Snapshot View. I did this several times after recording the tour to adjust the extent; after watching the tour several times, the original extents needed refinement.
One drawback of Google Earth is how clunky it is. For example, the second Placemark on my tour is Downtown Miami and has a lot of 3D buildings. Unfortunately, when opening the .kmz file containing my tour, the building renderings are a bit choppy. The tour automatically begins once the file is opened up, but the program does not have enough time to process the building renderings for the second location of the tour (Downtown Miami). This is because within about 15 seconds of the file opening, a closeup of Downtown Miami takes over the view, and with so many 3D building renderings, a slower approach to the area would have been aesthetically better.
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