Google Earth for Ecological Forestry KML/KMZ's

Google Earth (GE) is a great tool for all kinds of tasks related to natural resource management.  Even the free version provides access to all sorts of handy tools and data.  I've been meaning to do a post about GE for awhile now.  Not that this topic hasn't been covered by others many times before; I just think that I will try to compile some of the most useful hints that I got from scouring the internet in one place.  I had originally intended to cover many aspects of Google Earth in a single comprehensive post.  However, my schedule seems to be making this difficult.  So, I have decided that I will try to cover some different aspects of GE in several posts.  In this post, I will discuss KML and KMZ files.  These files are very useful for sharing data in GE.  Effectively sharing information seems to be one of the most crucial aspects of ecological land management which often involves coordinating diverse groups of people with varying professional backgrounds.

Using KML's and KMZ's for Sharing Data

KML stands for Keyhole Markup Language.  It is used by Google Earth for creating and sharing placemarkers and infromation.  KML files can be viewed in GE much like a web page can be viewed and interpreted by your browser.  For documentation on KML, see the KML Documentation page or have a look at the KML tutorial.  In addition to point locations, lines, and polygons, related images and icons can be zipped with the KML information and shared as a KMZ file.  These files can be saved, emailed, or even linked to on the web so that the information can be shared easily with others, which is very handy.

In Google Earth, creating a KML or KMZ file is easy.  Any placemarks, polygons, or paths that you create in GE can be saved as a KML or a KMZ simply by selecting the "File"menu --> "save" --> "save place as".  Alternatively, you can save an individual feature by right clicking the feature in the "Places" window and then selecting "save place as".  Remember, that if you want to save image overlays and custom icons as a part of the view that you are better off using a KMZ, rather than KML.

Exporting ESRI Shapefiles and ArcMap Data to Google Earth

There is a lot of great data available for free in the form of shapefiles on the web from various not-for-profits and government agencies.  Sometimes it is also necessary to use GIS information generated in-house in order to make operational maps viewable in GE or on the web.  Recently, I was trying to conduct a forest inventory with a group of people.  I wanted an inventory progress map available on the web, so that field personnel could easily have access to a map of the region indicating work that was assigned, needing to be done, and completed day to day.  Using KML's proved very useful for this purpose.

If you have access to ArcMap:

There is an Export to KML script available from ESRI.  There is a great tutorial on how to install and use the ArcMap script available at the GETA website  GETA stands for Geospatial Equipment and Application.  It is a group that focuses on using Geospatial technologies for incident command situations, mainly wildfire suppression.  I have provided a link to their website because it has some handy information regarding GE and some very nice tutorials. 

If you do not have access to ArcMap:

If you don't have access to ArcMap, you can still export shapefiles to KML.  To do this, you will first have to download MapWindow GIS.  The good news is, it is free and open source.

Then you will have to download and install the shape2earth extension for MapWindow.  This extension can be used for 500 exports for free and then may be purchased for $30 US.  I cannot remember if the extension just shows up in MapWindow as a menu option after being installed or if it must be enabled in the "plugins"menu.

You should then see a shape2earth menu.  In this menu there will be an option to "export to KML".

This option will allow you to export the active shapefile to a KML.

So, that's a primer on creating KML's/KMZ's.  I am going to try to do a few posts about Google Earth because I think it is a great resource when trying to coordinate diverse groups of professionals and stakeholders.  I have used it for coordinating field activities and am hoping to use GE for a large land management project that I am currently working on.  Hopefully there are others out there that will find this helpful!  Happy mapping!