TUTORIAL

MAPPING BASICS
WITHIN GOOGLE
EARTH PRO

STEP BY STEP TUTORIAL

SEPTEMBER 2021
 MAPPING BASICS WITHIN GOOGLE EARTH PRO

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION TO GOOGLE EARTH ................................................................................................ 3

2. NAVIGATION IN GOOGLE EARTH ...................................................................................................... 4

FIND A LOCATION......................................................................................................................................... 5

2.1.1. MANUAL LOCATION ................................................................................................................................... 5

2.1.2. SEARCH FOR A PLACE BY NAME .................................................................................................................... 5

2.1.3. SEARCH FOR A LOCATION BY COORDINATES.................................................................................................. 5

UNDERSTANDING THE NAVIGATION CONSOLE ....................................................................................... 6

LOST? FIND THE RIGHT ANGLE AND DIRECTION ..................................................................................... 8

3. STORING DATA IN CACHE ................................................................................................................. 9

4. LAYER MANAGEMENT IN GOOGLE EARTH ..................................................................................... 10

4.1. DISPLAY OF PRIMARY LAYERS ................................................................................................................... 10

4.1.1. ADDING LOCAL IMAGES AS A BACKGROUND MAP ........................................................................................ 10

5. CREATING DATA IN GOOGLE EARTH (POINTS, LINES, POLYGONS).............................................. 12

5.1. CREATE FOLDERS IN MY PLACES .............................................................................................................. 12

5.2. CREATION OF GEOSPATIAL DATA ............................................................................................................ 13

5.2.1. CREATION AND MODIFICATION OF PLACEMARKS (POINTS) ........................................................................... 13

5.2.2. CREATE AND EDIT PATH (LINE) .................................................................................................................. 13

5.2.3. CREATE AND MODIFY POLYGON................................................................................................................. 14

5.3. POINTS FROM A CSV FILE .......................................................................................................................... 15

5.3.1. CONVERTING XLS TO CSV ....................................................................................................................... 15

5.3.2. IMPORT THE CSV INTO GOOGLE EARTH PRO ............................................................................................. 16

6. STYLIZATION OF DATA .................................................................................................................... 19

6.1. FOR LINES AND POLYGONS ...................................................................................................................... 19

6.2. FOR POINTS ................................................................................................................................................. 19

6.3. SHARE THE STYLE IN A FOLDER ................................................................................................................ 19

7. EXPORTING YOUR GOOGLE EARTH MAP ....................................................................................... 20

7.1. EXPORTING A MAP AS AN IMAGE ............................................................................................................. 20

7.1.1. SAVE AS A MAP IN GOOGLE EARTH PRO ..................................................................................................... 20

7.2. EXPORTING PROJECT DATA TO KML ........................................................................................................ 21

8. UNDERSTANDING GOOGLE EARTH FILE MANAGEMENT .............................................................. 22

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 MAPPING BASICS WITHIN GOOGLE EARTH PRO

8.1. KML OR KMZ ? ............................................................................................................................................. 22

8.2. MY PLACES AND TEMPORARY PLACES .................................................................................................... 22

8.3. TIPS AND TRICKS FOR PROPER DATA MANAGEMENT ........................................................................... 23

8.3.1. WISE THINGS TO DO ................................................................................................................................. 23

8.3.2. MISTAKES TO AVOID ................................................................................................................................. 23

9. IMPORT GPS DATA ........................................................................................................................... 23

9.1. FIND YOUR DATA IN THE GPS DEVICE ..................................................................................................... 23

9.2. IMPORT INTO GOOGLE EARTH ................................................................................................................. 24

9.3. CLEANING OF DATA OBTAINED IN GOOGLE EARTH.............................................................................. 25

The French version of this resource was produced with the support of Humanity
& Inclusion.

This publication is supported by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD).

Nevertheless, the ideas and opinions expressed in this document do not
necessarily represent those of AFD.

The GIS Toolkit is released under a Creative Commons Licence

Attribution - ShareAlike 4.0 International Licence

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 MAPPING BASICS WITHIN GOOGLE EARTH PRO

1. INTRODUCTION TO GOOGLE EARTH

Google Earth is Google's proprietary software, which provides a geographic visualisation of our planet. It
maps the Earth by aggregating images from satellite imagery, aerial photography and geographic
information systems (GIS) into a 3D globe that is easy to navigate and explore.

It also offers various possibilities:

• Adding various geospatial data, available online or by importing local files

• Create and modify personal spatial data by drawing and saving them
• Visualise and create multimedia content such as images and videos, spatial animations and
temporal changes.
• Working with three-dimensional elements: buildings, elevations, etc.
• Share spatial information privately or within the Google Earth community

It can be considered the most commonly used basic mapping software. Although its features are not
powerful enough to perform complex analysis or produce beautiful maps, Google Earth is a very useful
geospatial visualisation tool.

Google Earth is a free tool available on the Internet. The web version is available here. To download the
Pro version, go to https://www.google.fr/earth/download/gep/agree.html

The Pro version of Google Earth is available legally and free of charge on the internet. The Google

Earth product is no longer maintained by Google.

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 MAPPING BASICS WITHIN GOOGLE EARTH PRO

2. NAVIGATION IN GOOGLE EARTH

The Google Earth interface offers many shortcuts to help you navigate the Earth easily and change views.
Some of these can help you work much faster and enjoy your work with Google Earth more. Let's try
them out using the location of your choice - for this training we will use a remote part of the world, often
the site of humanitarian operations, as an example: the city of Faizabad in Afghanistan (Badakhshan
province).
1

2
5 3

1. Menu bar (File, Edit, View, Tools, Add, Help) - gives you access to many of the options and
features of Google Earth.
2. Toolbar - The toolbar at the top of the Earth image has icons for the most useful functions, such
as adding pins, adding a path, displaying a ruler, or sending the image by email.
3. Navigation Tool - The Navigation Console is your primary tool for navigating in Google Earth.
You can also use your mouse and the CTRL key.
4. Information bar - The information bar provides you with information about where your eye is,
where your mouse is pointing, and the image displayed in Google Earth.
5. Search Panels - The search bar allows you to find a location on Earth by entering an address,
place or latitude and longitude coordinates.
6. My Places - The My Places area (middle left) provides a section where you can organize your own
data and Google base layers.
7. Layers panel - The default layers offered by Google Earth, you can choose to enable certain
layers to enhance the data in your map.

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 MAPPING BASICS WITHIN GOOGLE EARTH PRO

F IND A LOCATION
Google Earth offers the possibility to browse the spatial extent of the Earth, Mars, the Moon and the Sky.
Only the Earth function will be covered in this course. You can find your place of interest using several
different means.

2.1.1. M ANUAL LOCATION

If you already know where the place you are looking for is on Earth, you can manually pan and zoom to
the right extent using the navigation tool, your mouse and your keyboard (see Understanding the
navigation console).

2.1.2. S EARCH FOR A PLACE BY NAME

If you don't know where to find the place you are interested in, or if you want to save time, you can use
the search function. As the software includes extensive databases of locations, searching for places on
Google Earth is quick and easy.

Use the Search tab and type in the place you are looking for. Note that Google Earth will suggest similar
places. Giving details about the place you are interested in will speed up the search and avoid confusion.

Press the Enter key or the Find button. If you have entered the correct location details, your screen
content in the 3D viewer will be moved to the desired location.

2.1.3. S EARCH FOR A LOCATION BY COORDINATES

If you don't know the name of the place you are interested in, but you have its GPS coordinates, you can
enter them directly into the search field. Google Earth accepts the following coordinate notations:

Type of coordinates Explanation Example

Decimal Degrees (DD) The decimal precision is defined 49.11675953666N

in the "degree" coordinate.

Degrees, minutes and The decimal precision is defined 49 7'20.06 "N

seconds (DMS) in the "seconds" coordinate.

Degrees, minutes and The decimal precision is defined 49 7.0055722 "N. (Here, the above
decimal seconds (DMM) in the "minutes" coordinate. 20.06 seconds are divided by 3600
to obtain the decimal value of
minutes for 20.06 seconds).

N/S and E/W coordinates should be separated by a space and a comma. Details on the syntax of latitudes
and longitudes are available on the Google Earth Support website at the following link:
https://support.google.com/earth/answer/148074#entering.

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If you have difficulties entering coordinates,

we recommend converting them to decimal
degrees (DD), as these coordinates are the
easiest to manage and enter into Google
Earth.
Online converters can be found in many
places on the Internet, such as
https://www.earthpoint.us/Convert.aspx.

U NDERSTANDING THE NAVIGATION CONSOLE

Imagine that all information displayed on GE is "seen" from a
hypothetical satellite on which you are embedded. You can freely
use three commands: 1

1. Pan - Move the satellite itself over the area you wish to see.
2. Zoom - Move your satellite closer or further from the
ground - you can also SCROLL to zoom in. 2
3. Eye - Rotate the satellite to rotate the map, or to get a plan
view to use Eye movements.

Shortcut: Use the arrows on your keyboard or the hand tool to

move north, south, east and west. You can also click and drag in 3

the 3D viewer to achieve the same effect.

or

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To rotate around a point on the map, you can (hold)

+ (hold)
either use the north mark on the eye tool, hold
down the SHIFT key + the left/right arrow on your
keyboard, or hold down the 'CTRL' key and scroll
your mouse up/down.
(hold)
If you rotate your map too much and want North + (hold)

to appear at the top, you can simply click on the

"N" icon at the top of the navigation console.

One of the most interesting features of Google

Earth is that it allows you to get a 3D view, as if
you were looking at the Earth from a plane instead of a flat satellite image. While this gives clear and
comprehensive views of your work, it can be difficult to make it work.

To switch your view from vertical to "aeroplane mode", you can either hold CTRL + click and drag on your
screen, or hold CTRL + the up/down arrow.

(maintain) (maintain)
or
or
+
or +

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 MAPPING BASICS WITHIN GOOGLE EARTH PRO

L OST ? F IND THE RIGHT ANGLE AND DIRECTION

Now you're lost in Google Earth ...
your North is pointed in the wrong
direction, and you're looking at the
ground at the wrong angle, and as
you click around, the world is
spinning or moving very fast.

Far from Faizabad, the North

points to the South-East, too close
to the ground: I am lost.

Getting back to normal is very

easy. There are only two keys to
press on your keyboard:

The N key will Orientation

take you back back to
to North at normal
the top

Pressing the U Sight

key will return restored to
you to the top normal
view (satellite
view)

Instead of pressing "N" and then "U", pressing the "R" key will combine both effects!

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3. STORING DATA IN CACHE

Do you regularly use Google Earth as a mapping tool? Are you going on an emergency mission with
limited internet connectivity? If so, you may want to take certain areas offline to view imagery even when
you have no internet. In computer terms, this is called "caching imagery".

• Open Google Earth on your computer

• First, go to the Tools > Options menu and
select the "Cache" tab.
o Do not touch the Memory Cache, as
this will slow down your computer:
leave it at 500MB or any other default
value.
o Set the Disk Cache to 2000 MB (2
Gigabytes)
• Press the "Clear Memory Cache" button to
clear Google Earth of all previous data.
• Then navigate to the area of your choice and
browse it manually. You want to visit it all, at
the smallest zoom level 1 that you will need to use on the ground, to force Google Earth to store
them. Watch how the satellite image tiles "load" (they are blurred at first and then gain in quality).
• Close Google Earth: the next time you reopen it, the satellite images will be accessible offline.

Warning: The maximum size you can "cache" is 2000Mb. This means that you cannot store an entire
country offline (and it would take hours to "visit" it at the maximum zoom level). However, storing a
medium-sized city or region (about 50x50km) usually works.

More advanced options allow you to save larger areas, but they require a greater

understanding of the software and (to some extent) administrator rights on your

computer. It is advisable to consult your IT manager before trying them:

- Creating a local cache on Google Earth (video)

- Google Earth blog post on cache manipulation

1
The "lowest zoom level", in TI/GIS terms, means "the maximum zoom".

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4. LAYER MANAGEMENT IN GOOGLE EARTH

4.1. D ISPLAY OF PRIMARY LAYERS
In the lower left corner of the main Google Earth interface screen you will find the layers panel. It
contains a list of spatial information layers stored on the Internet. You can display them by checking the
box to the left of each layer name.

The primary database included as standard in Google Earth contains many useful layers such as
international, national and regional borders, rivers, roads, places, water bodies, coastlines, Wikipedia
links, 3D buildings, live weather information, Panoramic world photos, etc.

Take time to explore the contents of the Primary Database, make sure you unfold each line by clicking
on the small blue triangle on the left. Note that some information may only be displayed when you have
zoomed in sufficiently. For others, by clicking on the points, lines or areas displayed, you can get
additional information in the form of pop-up windows.

Caution: Do not try to display too many layers at the same time (especially if you have a limited
connection), as this will overload your viewing windows and use up a huge amount of Internet
bandwidth.

4.1.1. A DDING LOCAL IMAGES AS A BACKGROUND MAP

Finally, you can also add your own images as background in Google Earth. Let's say you want to use
this UNDP map of the Horn of Africa

First, save the image to your computer.

In Google Earth, you can use the Add Image Overlay button located in the toolbar. Clicking it opens a
window with several options - click the Browse button and locate the image you want to add as a
background in Google Earth.

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OCHA Horn of Africa hunger map added to Google Earth

Once your map is displayed, set the Transparency slider to 50%. You will notice that your map is not in
the right place - it is not aligned and scaled with the base world boundaries as they are displayed on
Google Earth. Keeping the New Image Overlay window open, use the green lines that appear on your
new image to move, scale and rotate it until it meets the Google Earth boundaries.

• Click and drag the central green cross to move your image.
• Click and drag one of the 4 green corners to scale your image.
• Click and drag the green diamond to rotate your image.

Once your image is in the right place, give it a name in the New Image Overlay window and click OK.

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5. CREATING DATA IN GOOGLE EARTH (POINTS,

LINES, POLYGONS)
Google Earth also allows you to create, edit and share geospatial content, so that you can show on the
maps things that relate directly to you and your humanitarian work. The features you can create in
Google Earth are

Lines (also called Paths) Polygons

Points (also called
Placemarks, Points of
interest, Landmarks,
Pinpoints)

If used correctly, these three types of geographic objects can represent almost anything.

5.1. C REATE FOLDERS IN M Y P LACES

To create your own data in Google Earth, you need to use the Places toolkit. It consists of two main
folders: My Places and Temporary Places.

See Managing your data in Google Earth to learn more about how to organise your records.

Right-click on My Places > Add > Folder. Name it "Training".

IMPORTANT: Each time you create or edit an object, you must ensure that you have selected

that folder in the "Places" box. The selected folder appears highlighted in light blue. If this is

not the case, a left click on the folder will select it.

Once you have created and selected the "Training" folder, you are ready to create geospatial objects.

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5.2. C REATION OF GEOSPATIAL DATA

5.2.1. C REATION AND MODIFICATION OF P LACEMARKS ( POINTS )

Use the Add Placemark button in the toolbar.

A pop-up window and a yellow dot will appear (you may have to drag the pop-up window to the side of
the screen if it hides the dot). You can then :

• Click and drag the point to locate it on the map.

• ... or enter the contact details manually if you know them.
• Give it a name in the "Name" field (e.g. "My first placemark").
• Add a brief description of the item in the "Description" field.
• Change the point symbol by clicking on the icon button.

When you have finished, click OK to confirm the creation of the points. The information entered in the
description box will appear as a descriptive pop-up when you click on your finished point.

The landmark you have created will be referenced in the Places box in the Training folder. To modify a
created waypoint, you can right-click on it and select Properties. The landmark properties window reopens
and allows you to change the location, name, symbol and description of your landmark.

5.2.2. C REATE AND EDIT P ATH ( LINE )

Adding lines works in the same way as creating a placemark. Make sure
you have selected the 'Training' folder in My Toolbox (or any other working
folder you may have created previously), then click on the 'Add Path'
button.

To create a line, you must click several times on the map. The first click will create the starting point of
the line, then each click will be used to draw the line. Using the Style-Colour tab you can change the
thickness, transparency and colour of your line, to make it easier to see. Click OK to confirm when your
line is drawn.

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In the same way that a landmark can be changed or deleted later in the Places box, it is possible to do
the same with a line/path by right-clicking and selecting Properties.

Get more information:

• You can find the length of the path created by going to the last tab "Measures".
• You can see the elevation profile of the created path: right-click on it in the left panel "Places"
> Show elevation profile (this option only works online).

5.2.3. C REATE AND MODIFY POLYGON

Adding polygons is another option available in the toolbar:

Polygons are created in the same way as lines, by clicking several times to draw the shape of the polygon
you wish to create. However, unlike lines and paths, it also has a colour in the centre area. In the Style-
Colour tab you can change the appearance of the outline and the appearance of the inner area
separately.

It is advisable to set the transparency of the inner area to 50%, as this will allow you to see what is under
the shape you are drawing on the map, rather than hiding it completely. Add the name and description
and click OK to confirm.

Like landmarks and lines, polygons can be edited by right-clicking in the My Places box.

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5.3. P OINTS FROM A CSV FILE

In Google Earth Pro, you can import data from a CSV file (tabular data) if it has columns with geographic
coordinates. This data can come from external sources on the Internet or be data you have collected
yourself.

5.3.1. C ONVERTING XLS TO CSV

First, make sure that the data you want to import contains geographical information (latitude and
longitude expressed in decimal degrees).

If the data you have is in excel format, simply convert it to CSV: File > Save as > in "Save as type" choose
CSV (Comma Delimited).

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5.3.2. I MPORT THE CSV INTO G OOGLE E ARTH P RO

File > Import > Choose your CSV file >

1. Specify the text delimiter

2. Specify encoding
3. Check the overview
4. Click on Next

5. Select latitude and

longitude fields if your data
contains them
6. Click on Next

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7. Indicate the type of each

field
Reminder:
String = text
Integer = Integer
Floating point : Decimal
number

Remember to set your

latitude/longitude fields as
floating commas

8. Click on finish

A pop-up window will appear asking if we want to apply a style template to the data we are going to
import, this will allow us to define categories and a style according to the fields in our table, select Yes.

A Style Template Settings window opens.

The Name tab allows you to define the field in your table that will be used to label the data.

In the Icon tab, you can define how the data will be represented. You can apply the same symbol for all
data or create categories based on a field.

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To apply different symbols according to a field: check "Define icon from field" > choose the field on
which you want to base the differentiation > check "create sub-folders for each bucket" to have
one sub-folder per category > select the icon you want for each category and give a name to the
folder that will be created > click OK.

You can save this style and these categories in a Google Earth (.kst) format for later import. If you don't
want to save them, just click on Cancel.

You now have your data imported from the CSV file, styled differently depending on the field chosen.

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6. STYLIZATION OF DATA
6.1. F OR LINES AND POLYGONS
You can give your data a custom look in Google Earth by clicking on an item (point, line, polygon) and
then going to Properties. Once in the properties window, you will also need to access the Style and
Colour tab. Here you can change the following properties:

The colour and opacity of a polygon fill area

The colour, width and opacity of the lines (of the
(central part)
outline, in the case of a polygon).

6.2. F OR POINTS
For points, you do not need to access a style
tab, just go to the properties window (right
click > Properties). Then click on the symbol
to the right of the name. You can then
change the symbol used to represent the
point.

You can also add a custom icon, for example

a logo, by clicking on the "Add custom icon"
button at the bottom and selecting an image
file from your computer.

NOTE: If you use custom symbols, please save your work to Google Earth later using a KMZ file and not a KML
file. This will store the custom icon IN your Google Earth file, making it available even if the file is opened on
another computer.

6.3. S HARE THE STYLE IN A FOLDER

You can apply the same symbol to all the elements contained in the same folder. To do this, right-click
on the folder concerned > Properties > go to the Style, Colour tab.

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The button to change the icon is greyed out, to

make the style editable click on "Share Style" at
the bottom of the window. You can now define
the symbology to be applied to each element of
this folder (icon, colour, size, label...).

7. EXPORTING YOUR GOOGLE EARTH MAP

You have now finished drawing and saving the features you wanted to see on Google Earth. Now it's time
to export your map as a final image for decision makers or save your spatial data (locations) to share
with a colleague.

7.1. E XPORTING A MAP AS AN IMAGE

Instead of taking a screenshot every time you need one, it is possible to export what you see in Google
Earth as an image by clicking on the Manu bar: File > Save > Save Image. You can then navigate to any
folder on your computer and save the map extent displayed in the 3D viewer as a .jpg image, which you
can then include in a Word report or send by email.

Unlike a screenshot, neither the right side panel (Search, Places, Layers), nor the navigation console, nor
the menu and toolbar will be included in the image. However, the Google Earth logo will remain on your
exported image and you are not allowed to crop, edit, delete or hide it.

7.1.1. S AVE AS A MAP IN G OOGLE E ARTH P RO

Google Earth Pro now allows you to export your work into a map template that includes a title,
legend, north arrow and scale bar. In the toolbar, click on the "Save Image" button to open this
template. The legend is automatically filled in by the elements displayed in the view. You can change the
title and the legend by clicking on them.

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• If the characteristics listed in the legend

do not match the characteristics
displayed in the view: click on the
legend to edit it > at the bottom of
the window click on "Refresh from
view".
• You can also check or uncheck the
characteristics you do not want to
appear in the legend.
• To rename items in the legend, double-click on them.

7.2. E XPORTING PROJECT DATA TO KML

Exporting image files is great, but it doesn't give you the
ability to share an editable Google Earth file in the same
way you would, for example, with a Word document. If
you need to send your items to someone else for
viewing, editing or simply to create a backup of your
locations, you can also export them to . kml files.

Keyhole Markup Language (kml) files are native to

Google Earth, just as .doc files are native to Microsoft
Word. They allow you to save and reopen points, lines
and polygons from Google Earth. You can save either
individual objects (points, lines, polygons) or folders
containing multiple objects in a KML file.

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To save the Training folder used earlier in this course, right-click on the folder name in the Places box
and select Save Place As. You can then navigate to any folder on your computer, give it a name and save
it as a KML file for later use or to send by email.

 MyProject.kml

8. UNDERSTANDING GOOGLE EARTH FILE

MANAGEMENT
8.1. KML OR KMZ ?
KMZ is a second format used by Google Earth. It is very similar, the main difference being that if you are
using custom symbols (a Tdh logo from your computer for example), saving in KMZ will store your custom
icon inside the KMZ. If you use the KML format, it will not be stored inside; therefore, it will only work on
a computer that has the same Tdh logo stored on disk.

8.2. M Y P LACES AND T EMPORARY P LACES

The Places panel in Google Earth is one of its most important features. As soon as you want to go beyond
simple data visualisation and start managing your own data, it will be your main management tool.

Places are always separated into two different folders. It is very important to understand the difference
between the two, as confusion between these folders is the source of regular data loss among Google
Earth users.

• My places

Your personal storage space in Google Earth. Items saved in this folder are permanent (they appear every
time you open the software). My Places is a storage space within Google Earth and can store items
without any specific KML files being saved to your disk (unlike normal office software like Word or Excel).
Your data can always be exported later as KML files for external storage or to share via email.

• Temporary locations

- Folder where the KML files you open or the items you create in Google Earth are stored without defining
a specific destination folder.

Warning: Whenever you close Google Earth, the contents of the Temporary Places folder are deleted
forever, and it is currently not possible to recover them.

Comments :

In the Places panel, you can move an item from Temporary Places to My Places by right-clicking > Save
to My Places. You can also drag and drop folders from one folder to another.

You can organise My Places into several folders and subfolders to represent your different maps, projects
and courses: this will help you keep a clean and complete toolkit, avoiding data loss and errors.
Remember to always check which folder is currently selected in My Places (highlighted in light blue). Every

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time you perform an operation in Google Earth (creating a place, importing GPS data, etc.), it applies to
the folder selected in My Places and in this one.

It is not always easy to see which folder is selected, and clicking on items in the map windows can result
in unexpected changes, so keep an eye on your selection.

Finally, remember that once saved on your computer, the KML files of existing items/ folders are
completely independent of the items/ folders saved in My Places, even though they may look similar.
Reopening and editing a saved KML file will NOT change the original, unless you save it back to My Places,
and vice versa.

8.3. T IPS AND TRICKS FOR PROPER DATA MANAGEMENT

8.3.1. W ISE THINGS TO DO

Make a regular (weekly or monthly) backup of your entire My Places folder, and keep it in a safe place on
your disk. In the event of a serious crash, you may need to reinstall Google Earth completely, deleting all
the data in the Places folder.

8.3.2. M ISTAKES TO AVOID

Create many items without checking that you have selected the correct folder in My Places, as you may
have to manually place them in the correct folder later.

Close Google Earth without checking the temporary files folder to see if there are any files you forgot to
save.

Multiple saves/openings of the same KML file without cleaning up previously opened files - you will get
confused between several folders with the same name in My Places.

9. IMPORT GPS DATA

This training assumes that you are using standard GPS units, mainly GARMIN. Importing from other devices
generally follows the same principles, but with possible variations. If necessary, consult the Garmin eTrex30
GPS manual available online: https://support.garmin.com/fr-FR/?partNumber=010-00970-
20&tab=manuals.

When your GPS is loaded with spatial information (waypoints and/or tracks collected in the field), opening
it is quite simple. The data will be stored in a file with the extension .GPX, which Google Earth is able to
open if we instruct it to do so, indicating what to look for and where.

9.1. F IND YOUR DATA IN THE GPS DEVICE

You will need your GPS unit and a USB cable to connect it to the computer. Once plugged in, the GPS will
be installed and displayed in the same way as a USB stick (assuming the Windows drivers are working
correctly).
Your GPS
All information is stored in the GARMIN/GPX files. Tracks and waypoints are then
stored in different files, both using a specific date and time to help you identify
them.

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 MAPPING BASICS WITHIN GOOGLE EARTH PRO

• Your benchmarks will look like this:

• Your tracks will look like this:

9.2. I MPORT INTO G OOGLE EARTH

There are three ways to import these files into Google Earth:

• By drag and drop

From your Windows Explorer windows, simply select the GPS file you wish to import and drag it into
Google Earth.

IMPORTANT: Do NOT drop it in the main map window but rather in the Places window. Even

if it is technically possible to drop it directly from the map, dropping it in the Places folder list

will force you to think about where you want to place your data: In Temporary Places? In my

places? In a custom folder that you will create?

NOT
FILE HERE

It is recommended that you first open and examine your GPS data in temporary locations.

• By File > Open

Google Earth can simply open GPX files like any

other file, through the File > Open menu. But
you must then go to the File Type list (button on
the right of the Open windows) and tell Google
Earth that you are looking for .GPX files -
otherwise they will NOT be visible and you will
not be able to open them.

Note also that many other file formats are

available, especially if you use Google Earth Pro -
including SHP Shapefiles. However, it is NOT recommended to open Shapefiles in Google Earth.

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 MAPPING BASICS WITHIN GOOGLE EARTH PRO

• Via the GPS import tool

A final way to import data is to simply plug in the

GPS device with the USB cable, without
searching for files, and use the Google Earth
menus: Tools > GPS > Import.

However, expect possible bugs with this method

(depending on the version of Windows and
drivers). It can be used as an alternative if necessary.

9.3. C LEANING OF DATA OBTAINED IN G OOGLE E ARTH

Whichever method you use, you will notice that your data will appear in a double folder called "GPS
Device":

Move this folder to

permanent
storage

Only then: delete

the empty "GPS
Device" cell

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 MAPPING BASICS WITHIN GOOGLE EARTH PRO

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