Maybe I can get some help here.
I have a seat of "google earth pro". I have created or saved .KML files of the local NGS data set, the County GPS Control, some state monuments, FEMA zone panels, and local benchmarks.
I also have a good chunk of my projects converted to the format for research.
It's a pretty handy map to have onhand while researching.
And I thought, boy it would be nice to be able to view that stuff (or some of it) while in the field.
Sure, the app "findAControl" is handy for the NGS stuff, but I don't think you can add your own data to that.
So I'm playing with the Google earth App last night, and sure enough, you can email yourself the .KMZ .KML files and open them using GE. Looks great! zoom in, select the monument you want and up pops the relative data.
But then I re-open it this morning and ALL the data is gone. Still logged in as me. Surely I don't have to reload that stuff every time do I??
So I search around, and see that maybe I have to make a "Map" in GE to share with myself.
ok, go to google maps, create new map, new layer, import data! LOOKS great, but the import fails. I get this message. The part in red blew me away. How in the hell does google maps NOT support KML?? Am I missing something? All I want is to be able to port my data to my mobile device.
Make sure the correct layer is selected in the left panel. The selected layer will be blue on the left edge. You can only import into layers that are empty.
Click Import. You can import CSV, TSV, or XLSX files, My Maps, or spreadsheets from Google Drive.
KML import is not currently supported.
Drag a file from your computer, select a Google Drive file or open a previous My Maps map.
There always seems to be some sort of gotcha in any mapping service, doesn't there? At any rate, what you might consider using are Google Fusion tables, which can incorporate KML files with Google Maps basemaps. I gave a presentation on this at our state professional surveyor conference last month, and all the material is on a website I set up: apls2014.weebly.com.
Rudy Stricklan, RLS, GISP
> There always seems to be some sort of gotcha in any mapping service, doesn't there? At any rate, what you might consider using are Google Fusion tables, which can incorporate KML files with Google Maps basemaps. I gave a presentation on this at our state professional surveyor conference last month, and all the material is on a website I set up: apls2014.weebly.com.
>
> Rudy Stricklan, RLS, GISP
Thanks Rudy! It does seem ridiculous that with all the integration of Google products, and especially MAPS, that you can't simple share across platforms. Also, is it possible that "Google Maps" and "Google Earth" use different projections?
I have KML files created from autocad data (LL) that fit perfectly in GE but seem to be 20 miles south in GM. But that may be USER error too.
Andy
PS I wouldn't really mind, since in general it's all FREE, but I DO pay for GE PRO. so that's annoying.
Andy, maybe this article will help with your coordinate system difficulties:
As explained (not too well) on this site:
https://support.google.com/earth/answer/148110?hl=en
Google Earth's coordinate system is a "Simple Cylindrical projection with a WGS84 datum" for its imagery base. Or as it's better known, "Web Mercator": the Mercator projection, but using a round (i.e., equal-axes ellipsoidal) earth model. Simplifies the math, but makes the distortion even worse in extreme northern/southern latitudes.
Here are some more links that may help improve your alignment:
http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/EPSG:3857
Rudy
