RockWorks | Utilities | Earth |Circles
This program:
- Reads a listing of data from the datasheet: XY locations and (optionally) size declarations, measured values, colors, and label content.
- Creates a KML output file in which the point locations are represented with hollow or filled circles, using the color, scaling, and labeling options you specify.
- Creates a KMZ (zip) output file, containing the KML file.
- Loads the KMZ file in Google Earth.
Menu Options
Step-by-Step Summary
- Date Columns: These prompts tell RockWorks which columns in the input datasheet contain the required data.
Click on an existing name to select a different name from the drop-down list. See a sample data layout below.
- X: Column that contains the X coordinates for the points.
These can be Eastings in meters or feet, decimal longitudes, etc. See Defining your Datasheet Coordinates and Units for more information.
- Y: Column that contains the Y coordinates for the points.
- Radii: Defines the size of the circles.
- Fixed: (Easiest) Click this option to plot all of the circles at the same size.
- Radius (Meters): Enter the size for the circles, expressed in meters.
For example, an entry of 10,000 would create circles that have a radius of 10 kilometers. The correct value to enter will depend on the spatial extent of the data being displayed.
- Variable: (Defined by Column) Click this option for variably-sized circles, based on actual values listed in a datasheet column.
- Radius Column: Select the name of the column in the datasheet where the radius values are listed.
! Be sure you have the radius units (meters, kilometers, etc.) defined in the datasheet. See Defining your Datasheet Coordinates and Units for more information.
- Proportional: (Scaled Relative To Column Data) Choose this option for the size of the circle to be scaled automatically by the program, based on quantitative values listed in the datasheet.
- Column: Select the column that contains the measurements upon which the circles will be scaled.
- Minimum Radius (Meters): Enter the radius for the circles, as expressed in meters, for the sample sites with the smallest Z value measurement (as read from the column defined above).
For example, an entry of 1000 would create circles that have a radius of 1 kilometer for the site(s) with the minimum value.
- Maximum Radius (Meters): Enter the radius for the circles, in meters, for the sample sites with the largest Z value measurement (as read from the column defined above). Sites with intermediate Z values will be scaled proportionally between the minimum and maximum radii.
- Perimeter: Use these settings to define the colors and thickness of the circle perimeter.
- None: Choose this option to exclude the perimeter line from the circles.
- Fixed: (Easiest) Click this button for all circles to have the same outline color. Click the color box to select the color.
- Variable: (Defined Within Data Column) Click this button for circle perimeter colors to vary based on actual colors defined in the datasheet.
- Color Column: Select the name of the column in the datasheet where the colors are listed.
- Proportional: (Relative to Data) Choose this option for the outline colors to be assigned automatically, using a cold-to-hot color scheme, based on the min-max range of the values for the site listed in the data column defined below.
- Data Column: Select the name of the column containing the measurements upon which the automatically-colored circles will be based.
- Thickness: Enter the thickness for the perimeter circles, in pixels.
Rule of thumb: 1.0 = thin lines, 3.0 = thick lines.
- Fill: Use these settings to define how the circles will be filled.
- None: The circles won't be filled with color. Be sure you've defined a perimeter color, above.
- Fixed: (Easiest) All circles will be plotted in the same color. Click the color box to choose the fill color.
- Variable: (Defined by Column) The circles can be colored differently, based on actual colors listed in the datasheet.
- Color Column: Select the name of the column in the datasheet where the colors are listed.
- Proportional: (Scaled Relative to Column Data) Choose this option for the fill colors to be assigned automatically, using a cold-to-hot color scheme, based on the min-max range of the values for the site listed in the data column defined below.
- Data Column: Select the name of the column containing the measurements upon which the automatically-colored circles will be based.
- Labels: Insert a check here to label the site in the Google Earth side panel and in the map.
- Label Column: Select the column that contains the text to be used for the labels.
- Color: Click this box to define the color for the labels.
- Size: Enter the size of the labels. Default = 1.
Rule of thumb: 0.5 will create small labels, 2.0 large labels.
- Hyperlinks: Check this to include additional data with the sites in the output file, which can be displayed in Google Earth by clicking on the circles. Click on this tab to access the options and their data sources. In the example from Google Earth shown here, the extended description popup includes: the Label (first bold line), Descriptions (next three lines), an Image, and a Link (below the image).
- Descriptions: Check this to include extended descriptions. RockWorks pulls the description text from one or more columns in the datasheet. If you use multiple columns, they must be adjacent to each other.
- Start Column: Select the first column (left-most) in the current datasheet which contains the text for the extended descriptions.
- End Column: Select the last column (right-most) in the datasheet containing text for the descriptions. If you only have one column for description text, set the End Column to the same as the Start Column. All information from the start to the end columns will be included in the descriptions..
- Images: Check this if you want to include images in the description popups.
- Image Column: Select the name of the column in the current datasheet where the image names are listed.
- Links: Check this if you want to include a hyperlink in the description.
- Caption Column: Defines the column where the link text (what you actually click on in Google Earth) is listed.
- Link Column: Defines the column where the URL link content is listed.
- Group Name: Type in the name to assign to the map, which will be displayed in the Google Earth data tree.
- Output Options: Click on this tab to define the output file and display settings.
- Output File Name
- Automatic: Choose this option to have RockWorks assign the name automatically. It will use the name of the current program plus a numeric suffix, plus the ".KMZ" file name extension.
- Manual: Click this option to type in your own file name. The extension is ".KMZ".
- Display output within Google Earth: Check this box if you want to display the output at this time in Google Earth.
! Note that the actual program which will be used to display the KMZ file is determined by your Windows settings.
- Use Custom View: If unchecked, the starting viewpoint for the map will be determined automatically. If checked you can set a custom view.
- Longitude, Latitude: Type in the longitude and latitude coordinates where the viewpoint will be.
- Heading: Type in the 0 to 360 degree bearing from the viewpoint to the map.
- Tilt: Type in the angle downward from the viewpoint to the map.
- Range: Enter the distance in meters from the viewpoint to the map.
- Access the RockWorks Datasheet program tab.
- Create a new datasheet and enter or import your location names and coordinates, and any of the optional fields, into the datasheet.
Or, open one of the sample files and replace that data with your own.
! Click the Example button at the top of the window to load a sample file that is installed with the program.
Here is an example of how a data file might look. Note that only the X and Y columns (Longitude and Latitude here) are required.
Longitude and latitude coordinates must be in decimal format. If you're using another coordinate system, be sure you've specified the Units and the Projection Settings as appropriate.
- Select the RockWorks | Utilities | Earth | Circles menu option.
- Enter the program settings as described above.
- Click the Continue button to proceed.
The program will create a KML file containing a map in which the point locations are represented with circles, using the scaling, coloring, and labeling options you specify. It will create a KMZ (zip) file containing the KML file. The Google Earth KML and KMZ file names will be assigned as you specified.
The resulting map will be displayed in Google Earth, if requested.
Back to Earth Menu Summary
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