GPS & Google Earth - Routes
Posted: Sat Dec 07, 2013 11:03 pmI've been asked several times how I use Google Earth to create routes and then send them to my GPS device for use int he field so here is a simple write up.
There is no way that his tutorial can ever cover all models GPS out there but the process should be very similar for all brands of GPS units.
Items Required
Software:
Google Earth
http://www.google.com/earth/
GPSBabel
http://www.gpsbabel.org/
Hardware:
GPS unit
GPS cable to interface with a PC
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Let's start by going over the software you will use.
Google Earth
The first time I ever used Google Earth (GE) it was known as Keyhole and later bought by Google in 2004, since then GE and the KML & KMZ file formats have become a world wild standard and if you want to use GE you need to understand the two file formats. Keyhole Markup Language (KML) & Keyhole Markup Zipped (KMZ). It's important to remember these because later we will be converting our GPS files into the KML or KMZ formats. The only difference between the two file formats is that a KMZ file is a zipped or compressed version of a KML file. This is useful if you are including a lot of information such as images or thousands of way-points. For this lesson we will be using the KML format.
GPSBabel
GPSBabel is another free program developed by the good people at http://www.gpsbabel.org. I think this is hands down the best free program for converting common GPS file formats to other file formats.
Hardware I use.
I have owned several GPS units over the years starting with Garmin etrex's and finally settling on a Magellan 500 for the last few years. My GPS isn't new or high tech by today's standards so even with older cheaper hardware you can still have fun.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Creating a route in Google Earth then sending to the GPS
If I know that that I will be heading out in weather that limits my visibility and I will be using the GPS to navigate like extreme fog I will create a route in GE and then send it to the GPS so that I can see and actual line on my handheld unit. Let's do that now.
Open Google Earth and locate the are you want to be using. Here I am using the Mobile Delta, and I want to create a route from the boat launch to Big Bateau Bay.
Open Google Earth and on the toolbar near the top you want to select "Add new Path"
You will see a new small window appear this is the "properties" window for your new path, name the path then move the window out of your way. Hover your cursor over the map and it will turn into a cross hair. You can now start to click the map and add points on the path, go ahead and create your path.
Once your path is complete you want to save it to your PC. Right click on the path and choose "save to my places as" then a save window will appear. Here you can select where you want to save the file and what the name is going to be.
Once the file is saved in my case I named it "Boat Ramp to Big Bateau Bay.kml". Open GPSBabel because now we need to convert it to a format that my GPS receiver can understand. Depending on what brand of GPS you use will determine what you select here but the interface is very straight forward. The top section is for the source file and the bottom is for the converted file. You can see that I have selected the format (KML) and the file itself. Then I chose "Magellan SD files" because I am using a Magellan GPS. I've also named the location where I'll be saving the new file.
Now all that is left to do is upload the file to your GPS. I won't cover that here, refer to the user manual that came with your GPS for brand specific instructions.
Here you can see that the route has been uploaded to my GPS and is displayed on the map. When I choose to follow this map on my GPS I it will tell me distance to the next point, time to next point, and how far I'm off direction if any. You can see how helpful this would be in a zero visibility situation.
If you guys like this write up I will do more covering way-points, track-logs & how to use Google Earth to build and manage a database of files.
There is no way that his tutorial can ever cover all models GPS out there but the process should be very similar for all brands of GPS units.
Items Required
Software:
Google Earth
http://www.google.com/earth/
GPSBabel
http://www.gpsbabel.org/
Hardware:
GPS unit
GPS cable to interface with a PC
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Let's start by going over the software you will use.
Google Earth
The first time I ever used Google Earth (GE) it was known as Keyhole and later bought by Google in 2004, since then GE and the KML & KMZ file formats have become a world wild standard and if you want to use GE you need to understand the two file formats. Keyhole Markup Language (KML) & Keyhole Markup Zipped (KMZ). It's important to remember these because later we will be converting our GPS files into the KML or KMZ formats. The only difference between the two file formats is that a KMZ file is a zipped or compressed version of a KML file. This is useful if you are including a lot of information such as images or thousands of way-points. For this lesson we will be using the KML format.
GPSBabel
GPSBabel is another free program developed by the good people at http://www.gpsbabel.org. I think this is hands down the best free program for converting common GPS file formats to other file formats.
Hardware I use.
I have owned several GPS units over the years starting with Garmin etrex's and finally settling on a Magellan 500 for the last few years. My GPS isn't new or high tech by today's standards so even with older cheaper hardware you can still have fun.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Creating a route in Google Earth then sending to the GPS
If I know that that I will be heading out in weather that limits my visibility and I will be using the GPS to navigate like extreme fog I will create a route in GE and then send it to the GPS so that I can see and actual line on my handheld unit. Let's do that now.
Open Google Earth and locate the are you want to be using. Here I am using the Mobile Delta, and I want to create a route from the boat launch to Big Bateau Bay.
Open Google Earth and on the toolbar near the top you want to select "Add new Path"
You will see a new small window appear this is the "properties" window for your new path, name the path then move the window out of your way. Hover your cursor over the map and it will turn into a cross hair. You can now start to click the map and add points on the path, go ahead and create your path.
Once your path is complete you want to save it to your PC. Right click on the path and choose "save to my places as" then a save window will appear. Here you can select where you want to save the file and what the name is going to be.
Once the file is saved in my case I named it "Boat Ramp to Big Bateau Bay.kml". Open GPSBabel because now we need to convert it to a format that my GPS receiver can understand. Depending on what brand of GPS you use will determine what you select here but the interface is very straight forward. The top section is for the source file and the bottom is for the converted file. You can see that I have selected the format (KML) and the file itself. Then I chose "Magellan SD files" because I am using a Magellan GPS. I've also named the location where I'll be saving the new file.
Now all that is left to do is upload the file to your GPS. I won't cover that here, refer to the user manual that came with your GPS for brand specific instructions.
Here you can see that the route has been uploaded to my GPS and is displayed on the map. When I choose to follow this map on my GPS I it will tell me distance to the next point, time to next point, and how far I'm off direction if any. You can see how helpful this would be in a zero visibility situation.
If you guys like this write up I will do more covering way-points, track-logs & how to use Google Earth to build and manage a database of files.
