Assignment: Google Earth

Sylvio Mannel, Oglala Lakota College, 2006

NAME:

Google Earth is a great and easy way to get familiar with basic GIS tools, such as zooming and panning. With Google Earth you can create a virtual over-flight over any point in the world.

In this assignment you will:

  1. Download and install the free software “Google Earth”
  2. Get familiar with the program
  3. Create a virtual overflight

Prerequisites: Internet

Follow the procedures and answer the questions with a Q in front! Help each other and work as a team!

Preparation:

  • Open Windows Explorer
  • Navigate to your work directory
  • Make a new folder (right click <new> <folder>
  • Name it ‘programs’

Setting up Google Earth is easy:

  • Open Internet Explorer
  • Open the follow website:
  • Upper right corner of page click <get Google earth>free version>
  • Click download Google Earth
  • When download begins choose <save to your own directory>
  • Save it to your ‘programs’ folder

When download completes, contact instructor, as we need to run the setup as computer administrator

  1. When installation window pops up click <next>
  2. Uncheck <I allow this information to be sent>
  3. Install as CUSTOM installation

Q: Why should you install custom installation? Ask Instructor!

  1. Choose the default folder for the program and the cache
  2. Uncheck: all options in the next setup window (there are 3)

Get Familiar with Google Earth.

  • Open Google Earth program from the start menu or the desktop shortcut
  • Zoom in and out by pressing (+) or (-) on the upper right side of the map
  • Turn on and off some layers by unchecking the layers on the bottom of the map
  • Press the <play tour> arrow on the left side below the <places> panel to play the tour that comes along with the program. The tour is called ‘sightseeing’
  • Check out the left side, where you can see all the places

Hint: if photos seem blurry, check the ‘streaming’ display on the bottom of Google Earth. The images are uploaded from the internet. It sometimes takes a while until you can see them in full clarity.

Q: Check out the tool buttons on top of the screen. What does each of them do?

Check out the program. Zoom to your house, to your parent’s house and to other places!

  1. Put a placemark over your college center and name it

Imagine you would like to add a map like this to a report. Here is how you would do it:

  1. On toolbar, click <file> <save image> and save the image into your folder.
  2. Open Windows Explorer
  3. Navigate to your folder

Q: Is the image there?

  1. Open Microsoft word
  2. Insert the image into this word document.

  1. Print and email

this worksheet.

We will now create our own tour!

  1. Right click on <my places>
  2. Click <Add> <folder>
  3. Call it ‘student’s tour
  4. Click on the placemark you made of the college center and drag it into you’re the folder ‘student’s tour’

Assignment: Create a tour with at least 4 placemarks! Have at least one of them tilted! (Ideas: your house, Crazy Horse Monument, Eagle Nest Butte, etc)

We will now save your tour

  1. Right click on your tour
  2. Click <save as>
  3. Browse to your work directory
  4. Save it there.

Let’s check if your tour is really saved!

  1. Close Google Earth
  2. Open Windows Explorer (same as My computer)
  3. Navigate to your work directory
  4. Double click your tour

It should come up in Google Earth

There are aerial photos and satellite data displayed in Google Earth. See if you find them.

Zoom in all the way to an area where you see both sources side by side (look in rural South Dakota)

Q: Which one has higher resolution (shows more detail) aerial photo or satellite image?

Get instructor to save your project and present it to the class!

Additional task: Overlay a picture over an area!

  1. Click the add image overlay button and add pictures. Ask instructor for picture source.
  2. Check out the transparency of your pictures.
  3. Add the pictures to your tour.

Explore more of the program!

Turn in this tutorial sheet!