Cartographic Skills – Week 12 – Google Earth

GIS 3015: Cartographic Skills

Week 12 Lab: Google Earth

This week we explored the use of Google Earth to share maps created in ArcGIS and to create tours.  In the process we learned to convert map documents to KMZ (a zipped version of a KML file to be used in Google Earth) through the use of the Map to KML Tool in ArcGIS.  Individual shapefiles can be converted using the Layer to KML Tool.

Google Earth provides some basic functional capabilities such as the setting of transparency levels, setting layer order through the altitude setting, as well as the selection of layers to be displayed.  Finally, we created a tour of various cities in South Florida thus incorporating Google Earth’s 3D capabilities into the process.

Below is a snapshot of the base Dot Density Population Map for South Florida after it was converted and opened in Google Earth.