Spatial Dynamics

It’s probably a frustrating experience for most people when they attempt to export their GPS tracks into Google Earth.

There are probably other ways to do this without using paying for Google Earth Plus or using professional GIS software, but I haven’t found any obvious solutions. I think a person’s best bet is to investigate GPSBabel , (while it seems to be a useful tool for translating data formats, the most current version appears to be designed for older versions of Google Earth).

For people who only want to be able to see their tracks on Google Earth, I would recommend Google Earth Plus ; (for a $20 annual subscription) a subscriber is able to import GPS waypoints, tracks, or routes directly from a Garmin or Magellan device (I don’t know how well it actually works, however).

Providing you have access to ArcGIS and other professional GIS software, figuring out how to get points from a GPS device into Google Earth is relatively simple. If I have data on a Garmin and I’m using ArcGIS, I import the .dxf file then export the .dxf points into a shapefile. Once the data is in shapefile format, I find it’s easier to edit the attribute table and remove unneeded columns. I then create a .kmz from the point shapefile using this free program.

It seems incredible Garmin and Google Earth haven’t collaborated to establish greater compatibility. Garmin users would be able to utilize and enjoy their GPS device even more and loyalty would only increase among users of Google Earth.

Tags:   ArcGIS · Garmin · Google Earth · GPSNo Comments