RockWorks | Utilities | Earth | Cones
This program:
- Reads a listing of data from the current 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 illustrated with filled cones, up- or downward-pointing, whose radius, height, and color are either fixed, defined in the datasheet, or scaled proportionally based on measurements in the datasheet.
- Creates a KMZ (zip) output file, containing the KML file.
- Loads the KMZ file in Google Earth.
Menu Options
Step-by-Step Summary
- Data 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 (Easting): 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 for more information.
- Y (Northing): Column that contains the Y coordinates for the points.
- Cone Direction: Choose upward- or downward-pointing cones by clicking in the appropriate button.
- Cone Radius: Use these settings to establish how fat the cones are. You can choose from Fixed, Variable, and Proportional.
- Fixed: (Easiest) Click in this button if all of the cones are to have the same radius.
- Radius (Meters): Enter the radius for all of the cones, in meters.
For example, an entry of 1000 would create cones that have a radius of 1 kilometer.
- Variable: (Defined Within Data Column) Click in this button if the radius for each cone is listed in the datasheet.
- Radius Column: Select the column in the current datasheet that contains the radius listings and units.
- Proportional: (Scaled Relative to Data Column) Click this button to create cones with varying radii, scaled automatically based on any measured value in the datasheet.
In the image at the top of this topic, the cones represent earthquakes, and the radius is scaled based on the magnitude of the quake.
- Data Column: Select the column in the datasheet contains the measurements to use for scaling the cones.
- Minimum Radius (Meters): Enter the radius for the cones, as expressed in meters, for the sample sites with the smallest value measurement (as read from the Data Column defined above).
For example, an entry of 1000 would create cones that have a radius of 1 kilometer for those sites with the minimum data value.
- Maximum Radius (Meters): Enter the radius for the cones, in meters, for the sample sites with the largest value measurement (as read from the Data Column defined above). Sites with intermediate values will be scaled proportionally between the minimum and maximum radii.
- Cone Height: Use these settings to establish the height of the cones. You can choose from Fixed, Variable, and Proportional.
- Fixed: (Easiest) Click in this button if all of the cones are to have the same height.
- Height (Meters): Enter the height for all of the cones, in meters.
For example, an entry of 10000 would create cones that have a height of 10 kilometers when displayed in Google Earth.
- Variable : (Defined Within Data Column) Choose this option if the height for each cone is listed in the datasheet.
- Height Column: Select the column in the current datasheet that contains the height listings and units.
- Proportional: (Scaled Relative to Column Data) Click this button to create cones with varying heights, scaled automatically based on any measured value in the datasheet.
In the image at the top of this topic, in which the cones represent earthquake locations, the height of the cone is scaled based on the depth of the quake.
- Data Column: Select the column in the datasheet contains the measurements to use for scaling the cones.
- Minimum Height (Meters): Enter the height for the cones, as expressed in meters, for the sample sites with the smallest value measurement (as read from the Data Column defined above).
For example, an entry of 5000 would create cones that have a height of 5 kilometers.
- Maximum Height (Meters): Enter the height for the cones, in meters, for the sample sites with the largest value measurement (as read from the Data Column defined above). Sites with intermediate Z values will be scaled proportionally between the minimum and maximum heights.
- Cone Color: Use these options to define the fill color for the cones.
- Fixed: (Easiest) Click in this button if all of the cones are to plot in the same color. Click on the color box to choose the fill color.
- Variable: (Defined Within Data Column) Click in this button if the color for each cone is listed in the datasheet.
- Color Column: Select the column in the datasheet contains the colors.
- Proportional: (Scaled Relative to Data Column) Choose this option to create cones with varying colors, assigned automatically based on any measured value in the datasheet.
In the image at the top of this topic, the color of the cones is scaled based on the magnitude of the earthquake.
- Data Column: Defines which column in the datasheet contains the measurements to use for coloring the cones. RockWorks will assign colors using a cold-to-hot scale (cold for low values, hot for high).
- Cone Opacity: Use this setting to define how opaque/transparent the cones will appear. A value of 100 will be fully opaque.
- Cone Labels: Insert a check here to label the site in the Google Earth side panel and in the map.
- Column: Select the column that contains the text to be used for the labels.
- Color: Select a color for the labels.
- Size: Defines 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 cones in the output file, which can be displayed in Google Earth by clicking on a cone. 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 cone 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 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 | Cones 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 filled 3D cones, 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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