Tutorial 2: NSW GlobeNext Steps

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This manual will explain how to add data to NSW Globe and use a variety of in-built tools to make the most of the information available.

You should already have Google Earth and NSW Globe installed on your computer. If not, see Tutorial 1: NSW Globe - The Basics.

Topics

• Adjusting Transparency• Using the Measuring Tool• Creating an Elevation Profile• Creating a Fly-Over• Adding Data• Other Tools

Adjusting Transparency

One of the great things about NSW Globe is that you can view historical imagery from Sydney and its surrounds, and compare it to the modern-day area.

1. Zoom in to Sydney on the map and expand the ‘History’ layer on the left, then turn on ‘Sydney 1943’ imagery layer.

2. As well as turning the layer on and off, an easy way to compare the historical and current time periods is to use the Opacity Slider. Select the Adjust Opacity Symbol on the left-hand side bar, and slide it backwards and forwards to view the changes.

Using the Measuring Tool

Measuring the distance between two places in Google Earth is very easy. First, click on the Ruler symbol in the toolbar.

1. The popup window gives you the choice of measuring between two points (‘Line’) or a series of points (‘Path’).

2. To measure a simple line, make sure the ‘Line’ tab is selected, then click on the map on your start point and end point. If you have mouse navigation activated then you can click and drag using both the mouse and keyboard space bar to reposition the map.

3. The results are displayed in the popup window, which helpfully lets you chose from a number of different measurement units. To remove the line from the screen just press clear.

Tutorial 2: NSW GlobeNext Steps

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4. Measuring a path is very similar. Click on the ‘Path’ tab then click multiple points on the map for a path you want to follow – for example, measuring a journey along a road. Double-click on the point you want to end the path. You can also alter the locations of the points you have already set by clicking and dragging over the point.

5. Save a line or a path by clicking the ‘Save’ button. Here you can choose a name for it, and also change the style and colour, if you wish.

Once saved, this appears under Places on the left-hand side. This tool can of course be used for measuring the length, width and perimeter of Land Parcel/Cadastre data. However bear in mind this will only be an approximate measurement.

Creating an Elevation Profile

The ‘Elevation profile’ tool allows you to see the height and slope profile of the land between two or more points.

1. First, draw a line or path between two or more points of interest, and then save the path – as explained in the section above. With the path selected in ‘Places’, go to ‘Edit’ in the toolbar and click on ‘Show Elevation Profile’

2. This gives you a cross section of the planet underneath the line. Simply move the mouse across the profile to see the elevation and slope at each point. A large arrow over the line on the main map shows you exactly what point you’re looking at.

3. You can also click and drag a section of the profile to get stats specific to that section.

Tutorial 2: NSW GlobeNext Steps

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Creating a Fly-Over

The ‘Record a Tour’ function is a fun and compelling way to create short videos of “fly-overs” around or between places.

1. To record a very simple tour, click on the video camera icon in the top tool bar. This opens a small recording panel at the bottom of the screen.

2. Click the record button to begin recording. Use the mouse to navigate around. Right click and drag to zoom in and out. Use the scroll button in the centre of the mouse to change the angle of view, or left click and drag to pan to a different location.

3. When you’ve finished recording your tour, click the record button again to stop recording and Google Earth will automatically begin playing back your tour. You can also fast forward, rewind, put on repeat and save, by clicking on the icons that appear in the recording toolbar. To get rid of the video, simply click the cross in the corner.

4. There are in fact a variety of different ways to create these fly-overs in Google Earth. Another way is to fly between a number of pre-set locations. Firstly, you need to pre-save these locations as ‘Places’ which will appear in the left-hand ‘Places’ pane. Search for the locations you want to include. NSW Globe gives you the option to search by Suburb or Address/Lot/POI, as well as the Google search.

5. Once you’ve zoomed to your location go to ‘Add’ and ‘Placemark’ in the toolbar. You can choose a name, style the placemark and then move the pin into place if necessary.

Tutorial 2: NSW GlobeNext Steps

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Other Tools

This manual has not covered all of the available tools in Google Earth and NSW Globe, but it should give you a good idea of what can be achieved with this fantastic data resource. Other tools that are fairly self-explanatory are ‘Email’, ‘Print, ‘Save Image’ and ‘View in Google Maps’, all of which can be found in the top toolbar.

You should now have a good understanding of how to best utilise the NSW Globe data. For help and further assistance, visit Land and Property Information’s NSW Globe webpage: http://globe.six.nsw.gov.au

When you’ve added all the places you want, move to your start location and start recording. Then double-click on your list of places to move between them.

Adding Data

NSW Globe has a huge amount of useful data itself, but you can also show other information alongside it – either your own or downloaded from the internet. This can include point, line or area data in KML or KMZ files.

To add new data to your NSW Globe, save the KML or KMZ file at a suitable location on your computer. Then go to ‘File’ and ‘Open’ in Google Earth, check the file type is set to Google Earth (*.kml, *.kmz, *.eta, *.ini), navigate to your file’s location and open it.