GoogleEarth

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To Google Earth and Beyond!!
toc I always suggest creating the bulk of your map in Google Maps. The Rich Text Editor makes the process of creating nice looking Placemarks so easy, and it doesn't seem to want quite as much bandwidth as [|Google Earth]which keeps the process running smoother. There is a point, however, that you can do some very cool things in Google Earth that you can't do in Maps. Here are just a few:
 * create flying tours of your maps that run automatically if you want. You can set the computer to zoom into spots, open placeholders automatically, wait a set amount of time, then fly off to the next spot!
 * set the exact elevation/altitude you want to zoom in when you approach a placemark.
 * create layers of data, much like a GIS database

Google Earth uses a special type of file called a Keyhole Markup File, or kml file. Keyhole is the company that originally created Google Earth. These files contain all the data Google Earth needs to draw a map. In the fall of 2008 Google added support for KML files to Google Maps, so it is easy to move data back and forth between the two programs. Because Google products are so widely used, it is possible to convert lots of geographic data into KML files. You can convert most GPS data, environmental data, and even some census data into KML files and import them into Google Earth and Google Maps (mind you, I'm not saying this is an easy process all the time, but it is possible).

Create a KML File
In Google Maps, open your map that you want to view in Google Earth. Locate the View in Google Earth link above your map and to the right of the screen. This will open a dialog box as follows. If you want to open the file directly into Google Earth, just click open. If you want to save the file so you can send it to others or post it on a web site, click Save. Name the file as you want and save it in a location you can remember.

Import KML Files
There are a multitude of ways to share Google Maps, and KML files fits in this list. If you need to view a KML file in Google Maps (most sites tend to store the data in KML files because they are reliable and take up little storage space -- Google Lit Trips for example). You can also use the import feature to import data from your GPS system.

Here are the steps to import a KML file.

In Google Maps, open your map that you want to view in Google Earth. Just above the map title in the bar on the left you will see an Import link. When you click the link an **Import KML dialog box** will appear. Click the Browse button to locate the file on your computer.

When you have located the file and it appears to the left of the Browse button, click Upload and the file will be loaded into your Google Map. Save the map, click done, and you now have a new map you can use.

Import a Few Maps on Your Own
Try importing a map or two from the list below:

Lewis and Clark Expedition:

Google LitTrip - My Brother Sam is Dead:

Jimmy Buffet Tour of Hawaii!!!!: