Google Earth Icon Maps - Advanced

RockWorks | Utilities | EarthApps | Points | Icons | Advanced

This program:

• Reads a listing of data from the Datasheet Editor: XY locations and (optionally) unique symbols, size declarations, and label content.
• Creates a KML output file in which the point locations are represented with icons, using the scaling, labeling, and hyperlink options you specify.
• Creates a KMZ (zip) output file, containing the KML file.
• Loads the KMZ file in Google Earth.

See also: Icon Maps - Simple, Icon Maps - Proportional

Menu Options
Step-by-Step Summary

Menu Options

• Input Columns: The prompts along the left side of the window let RockWorks know 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 for more information.
  • Y: Column that contains the Y coordinates for the points.
    
• Icons:
  • Fixed: Click in this button to use the same icon for all points.
    • Icon: Click on the sample to choose a different symbol for the point locations.
  • Variable (Defined by Column): Click in this button if you have symbols listed in the datasheet for each XY point, as shown in the data example below.
  • • Icon Column: Column that contains the raster symbol to be used to represent each site in Google Earth.
      Click on the current name displayed to the right, to choose a different column name from the drop-down list.
• Icon Size: Defines how you want the icons to be scaled. Expand the heading as necessary to access the options.
  • Fixed: All icons will be plotted at the same size.
    • Size: Click on the current Size setting, to the right, to type in a new size for the symbols. Default = 1.
      Rule of thumb: 0.5 will create small symbols, 2.0 large symbols.
  • Variable (Defined by Column): The icons can be sized differently, based on size declarations listed in the datasheet.
    • Size Column: Defines which column in the datasheet contains the size listings.
      Click on the current name displayed to the right, to choose a different column name from the drop-down list.
  • Proportional (Scaled Relative to Data Column): The icons can be scaled automatically, based on measured values listed in the datasheet.
    • Data Column: Defines the column that contains the measurements upon which the icons will be scaled
    • Minimum Size: Defines the radius for the icons, as expressed in Google Earth units, for the sample sites with the smallest Z value measurement (as read from the Z column defined above).
      Rule of thumb: 0.4 will create small symbols, 2.0 large symbols.
    • Maximum Size: Defines the radius for the icons for the sample sites with the largest Z value measurement (as read from the Z column defined above).
• Icon Altitude: Defines the altitude at which the icons will be plotted. Expand the heading as necessary to access the options.
  • Fixed: All symbols will be plotted at the same elevation.
    • Altitude (Meters): Defines the altitude relative to the ground at which each symbol is to be plotted.
  • Variable (Defined by Column): Symbols will be plotted at the elevation defined in a data column.
    • Column: Defines which column in the datasheet contains the altitude values.
      Click on the current name displayed to the right, to choose a different column name from the drop-down list.
• Include Labels: Insert a check here to label the site in the Google Earth side panel and in the map. Expand this heading as necessary to access the options.
  • Label Column: Defines the column that contains the text to be used for the labels.
    Click on the current name displayed to the right, to choose a different column name from the drop-down list. RockWorks will pull the label text from this column.
  • Color: Defines the color for the labels.
    Click on the current color, displayed to the right, to choose a different color.
  • Scale: Defines the size of the labels. Default = 1.
    Rule of thumb: 0.5 will create small labels, 2.0 large labels.
• Include HotLinks: Check this to include additional data with the symbols in the output file, which can be displayed in Google Earth by clicking on the point symbols. Expand this heading 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).

• 

  • Include 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.
    • Description Start Column: Defines the first column containing text for the extended descriptions.
      Click on the current name displayed to the right, to choose a different column name from the drop-down list.
    • Description End Column: Defines the last column 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.
      Click on the current name displayed to the right, to choose a different column name from the drop-down list.
  • Include Images: Check this if you want to include images in the description popups.
    • Image Column: Defines the column where the image names are listed.
      Click on the current name displayed to the right, to choose a different column name from the drop-down list.
  • Include Links: Check this if you want to include a hyperlink in the description. Expand this heading to access the options.
    • Link Column: Defines the column where the link content is listed.
    • Link Caption: Defines the column where the link text (what you actually click on in Google Earth) is listed.
      For both prompts, click on the current name displayed to the right, to choose a different column name from the drop-down list.

Step-by-Step Summary

1. Access the Utilities program tab. 
2. Create a new datasheet and enter or import your location names, coordinates, and other data into the datasheet.
   Or, open one of the sample files and replace that data with your own. (In this example, the sample file = "RockWorks17 Data\EarthApps Samples\Icons_Advanced_01.rwDat")

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.

3. Select the RockWorks | Utilities | EarthApps | Points | Icons | Advanced menu option. 
4. Enter the menu options as described above.
   
   ! Tip: If you're working with one of the sample .rwDat files, you can load its specific menu settings by (1) clicking on the Menu button at the top of the window, (2) clicking Load from RCL, and (3) browsing for the .rcl file with the same name as the .rwDat file you're working with.
   
   
5. Click the Process button to continue. 

The program will create a KML file containing a map in which the point locations are represented with icons, using the scaling, labeling, and hyperlink 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 automatically.

6. If RockWorks displays the KMZ name in a popup window for your reference, you can confirm:
   • Automatically load file into Google Earth: Be sure this is checked if you want to display the output at this time.
   • Show this message every time a KMZ File is Created: If checked, this window will be displayed each time a Google Earth output is created. Uncheck this if you prefer not to see this window in the future.
     (Both of these settings are also available via the Preferences menu.)
     
     
   • Click OK to continue or Cancel to cancel the operation.

The resulting map will be displayed in Google Earth, if requested.

Back to Point Map Summary

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