Google Earth placemarks.

MartinJC · Post by **MartinJC** » 03 Mar 2006 22:28

Can anyone help with any ideas for mapping of birthplaces from FH? I have manually created some of the birthplaces and saved these as a .KMZ file for viewing in Google Earth. The icons can be changed and locations can be editted in Notepad quite easliy. Is there anywhere in FH where it would be logical to store this KMZ file to save with the .GED file? I would be great to be able to have a Google session invoked from within FH when selecting the KMZ file would this be possible? Thanks Martin

ID:1404

YouTube · Post by **Jane** » 03 Mar 2006 23:15

I have not played with that, but a custom attribute would seem to be the way to go, what information do you need to put in the KMZ file?

TimM · Post by **TimM** » 04 Mar 2006 10:21

Hi,
This might help, but I'm afraid it's not quite Google Earth.
If you can extract your birth places with a query, then you should be able to populate a map (uk and most of Europe) with your birth places if you have Autoroute.
Have a look at my article in:
Articles>Editorials>Populate a map with all your 'places'.
Good luck
Tim

MartinJC · Post by **MartinJC** » 04 Mar 2006 12:42

Dear Jane, thanks. Also thanks for the suggestion about AutoRoute, except I don't have that product installed (£45). Google earth is free.
The KMZ is basically an XML typefile. That has been zipped. It has co-ordinates of place names as latitude and longitude.

Code: Select all

<Folder>
    <name>FamilyHistory</name>
    <open>1</open>
    <Folder>
      <name>Poore family</name>
      <open>1</open>
      <Placemark>
        <name>Tarrant Gunville</name>
        <descryption>Poore/Poor family location James Poor 1765-</descryption>
        <styleUrl>root://styleMaps#default+nicon=0x304+hicon=0x314</styleUrl>
        <Style>
          <IconStyle>
            <color>ff00ffff</color>
            <Icon>
              <href>images/bang.png</href>
            </Icon>
          </IconStyle>
        </Style>
        <Point>
          <coordinates>-2.104333333333333,50.90866666666667,0</coordinates>
        </Point>
      </Placemark>
    </Folder>
    <Folder>

The code is repeats of the above for each 'placemark' in Google terms.

If we could generate a shell and a set of latitudes etc for each 'birthplace' as a result of a query then we wouldn't need any other product to do a UK or Global map.
Thanks for your time and help
Martin [center][/center][center][/center]

YouTube · Post by **Jane** » 04 Mar 2006 13:55

In some ways this might be better as a Standalone program, which took a CSV file from query output, of what ever you wanted and used a look up for the places and then output the XML file.

I don't know of any UK databases for placenames with Long and Lat as both Parish Locator programs use OS references currently.

PVIT · Post by **PVIT** » 04 Mar 2006 15:15

this site may assist in convertion of place name to Lat/Long http://www.nearby.org.uk.

MartinJC · Post by **MartinJC** » 04 Mar 2006 15:25

Thanks, the nearby.org.uk does a good job or converting postcodes to long/lat etc. While I'm doing this manually it will be great help.
Martin

sihicks · Post by **sihicks** » 04 Mar 2006 16:55

Another option is to use Widows Live Local (http://local.live.com/)which has a scratch pad facility to insert pushpins with accompanying text. You can also create a 'permalink' of your map to store in Favourites or to send to someone.
Simon Hicks

MartinJC · Post by **MartinJC** » 04 Mar 2006 20:23

Thanks Simon, that looks really interesting. If I setup locations I can save the Pushpins in a permalink to keep with the GEDCOM file. I also could save a permalink in a note field for the corresponding individual and extract them with a query.
Martin

YouTube · Post by **Jane** » 21 Mar 2006 12:15

NB There is already a wish list item for
Ability to link places to latitudes/longitudes

MartinJC · Post by **MartinJC** » 21 Mar 2006 13:41

Sorry Jane, could you point me to this wish list item. I've done a search and still can't find it. Thanks

YouTube · Post by **Jane** » 21 Mar 2006 14:12

Just search for Google.

MartinJC · Post by **MartinJC** » 21 Mar 2006 16:48

Dear Jane, sorry but ther are many results for just searching for Google and none of them havenaything about saving lat/long in entries. Please could you be more specific?
thanks for your patience. Martin

YouTube · Post by **Jane** » 21 Mar 2006 17:15

Go in to the Search the wish list item on the menu and search for google, you will get just one item I think.

MartinJC · Post by **MartinJC** » 21 Mar 2006 17:52

Thanks Jane, got it now.
Martin

ChrisBowyer · Post by **ChrisBowyer** » 28 Nov 2006 15:47

If it helps, the O.S. grid origin is at N49:46:01 W7:33:25 or 49.766823, -7.557015, and grid location 1000000,1000000 (i.e. 1000 Km North and East of there) is at N58:28:21, E8:18:23 or 58.472605, 8.306411 so it shouldn't be hard to make a spreadsheet or something to convert between them.

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