In order to help drivers find parking spots to sites organised in Somerset (UK) for a forthcoming Dipterists Forum field week I’ve modified the organiser’s parking spots slightly so that they are positioned on the road. Then made a kmz file using a combination of an online converter and Google Earth Pro.
Why was that necessary? Our traditional OSGR Grid references are only precise to a 100m or 10m grid square so using them directly for navigation could put you off-road quite easily. The Lat/Long coordinates however (once modified by eye using Google Earth Pro) can be positioned on the exact lay-by or reserve car park.
The resulting kmz file can now be uploaded to a SatNav.
I have the instructions for Garmin SatNavs, having done that several times before.
People use a variety of devices as SatNavs though. Mobile phones in particular (favourite trick of mine is to phone my brother to ask where he is as he’s driving to visit us: “I don’t know, I had to turn the SatNav off to answer your call”)
Can the iNat community help by providing guides on how best to upload and use a kmz file to add locations to various other devices, especially phones, please.
Many thanks in anticipation
Darwyn
I have an Apple phone and for this, iPhone 15, and the last version I had, you can load Google Earth to your phone directly. This will track your current location on the screen. You can also load kml, kmz photos on to Google earth on the phone. Email the kmz to yourself. Give it a name and save it in ‘Files’, click on the bars at the top left of the Google Earth screen, open ‘Projects’ this should show you the saved file which can then be saved to Google Earth.
The above operation must be done when you have a mobile signal. Once it is loaded it still works in places with no mobile coverage.
Is a kml necessary? For something small like a parking lot, a pin/set of coordinates should suffice. Users can see the bounds and find a specific space when they arrive. Any mapping/nav app I have ever used allows for direct entry of coords, and coords mean the end user doesn’t need to have any specific software installed.
It’s an expedition. 56 sites and 31 attendees, all sites previously unknown to the attendees.
You can create a “map” on Google My Maps and then share the link of the map with other users. You can import a KML file into the map and the points should load in. Any points, lines, or polygons on your map will then display in their Google Maps app after they click on your link.
It is a bit finnicky; after a while the features from your map will stop displaying in the Google Maps app and users will need to click on your link again for them to re-appear. But in my experience this is the easiest way to share points and lines since most people already use Google Maps.
The Esri/ArcGIS Field Maps app works a bit better and has more functionality (including working out of cell service with downloaded map and features) but it requires paid subscriptions for everyone using it. You might consider this option if the entire group is employed by the same company or organization, but otherwise it’s not worth it.