2 Lab 2: Digital Mapping and Building a Virtual Tour ( Winter 2025)
stuart-mackinnon and Crystal Huscroft
Geospatial information is important to anyone wanting to analyze the spatial configuration of Earth’s surface, including those features that are natural (e.g., rivers, lakes, mountains) or human-made (e.g., streets, buildings). Geographic information systems (GIS) are software programs designed to work with geospatial data. This exercise will allow you to become familiar with a couple of the most frequently used geospatial programs: Google Maps and Google Earth.
This lab provides experience in using a GIS – Google Earth (Web) to produce a digital tour of point location stops with photographs and add a path to guide a route taken on the produced tour.
Learning Objectives
After completion of this lab, you will be able to
- Create a digital map (using in Google Earth Web).
- Import and attach photographs to a digital map.
- Translate a route onto a digital path (from Google Maps into Google Earth Web).
- Exhibit a subject of interest as a digital map virtual tour (using in Google Earth Web
Introduction
In this lab, you will be producing a local visual tour of the points collected in the last lab related to a subject of interest to you. This will involve uploading the coordinates and photographs as points in Google Earth (Web). Then, you will add a path between points to reproduce the route for your tour. The lab should take 2-3 hours to complete depending on the quality of tour you would like to produce (some can get very fancy and seem like a fly-through).
This lab should be completed on the lab computers for precision..
Important websites:
Pre Lab Activities
This week, all there is to do is to
- Email yourself your field notes and all your photographs from lab one in .jpeg or .png format.
- Read the short pre-Readings for the week
- Play around with Google Earth (Web) if you are not familiar with it while watchng the video below.
Pre-Readings – Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) comprise both the hardware and software that are fundamental to the mapping enterprise, but it is increasingly common for people to use the term GIS generically in reference to the class of computer programs that are available for use. For example, Google Earth, ArcGIS, and QGIS are three of the most commonly used GIS programs, but there are several others (e.g., GRASS).
These systems are capable of storing spatial coordinates (in all their varying forms and coordinate systems) as well as any attributes associated with that location. For example, when taking a hike in the woods, you may come across an earthen mound that you suspect contains artifacts of interest to First Nations. Rather than disturb the site, you take a waypoint (i.e. the coordinates of the site) and enter a note describing the feature as an earthen mound possibly containing artifacts, then upload a photo. The note and photo are attributes rather than coordinates.
Using Google Earth (Web)
Like Google Maps, Google Earth is a GIS that was created to be very user friendly. It does not require specialized knowledge, and basic mapping functions are fairly intuitive. However, both programs have very sophisticated GIS capabilities behind them that can be used in ways similar to advanced software.
There is a traditional desktop version of the program that can be downloaded and installed on your computer (Google EarthPro, but we will be using the online version: Google Earth (Web). This does not require you to download anything; you simply need to have internet access on your computer. Although it is now possible to run the web version of Google Earth in most internet browsers, Google Chrome is the recommended browser.
Refer to Video 13.1 for a thorough, but slightly outdated, tutorial that covers all of the basic functions of Google Earth (Web).
Video 13.1. Basic functions of Google Earth (Web).
It is likely easiest to open Google Earth in Google Chrome on a computer, but then watch the video on your mobile device so you can follow along. Alternatively, a large monitor or dual monitors may allow you to split the screen and have both the video and a Google Earth window open at the same time.
Lab Exercises
EX2: Producing Your Virtual Field Trip in Google Earth
Step 1: Set up Google Earth (Web).
Even if you are familiar with Google Earth – do NOT skip this step.
Open Google Earth (Web) in your internet browser (Google Chrome is recommended) and click Launch Earth in the top right corner. If you have ever made projects in Google Earth before, you may need to press the “Explore Earth” button.
Click the three horizontal lines on the top of the left hand menu to open the primary Google Earth menu. Click Settings to open the settings menu. Scroll down and make sure Units of measurement is set to Meters and kilometers. Change to this setting if it is not. Then, change Latitude/Longitude formatting to Decimal. Click Save.
We now have Google Earth (Web) set up the way we wish and are ready to enter data.
Step 2: Create your stops as points (placemarks) and upload photographs and descriptions.
If you have not done so yet, email yourself the photographs from your field walk-around and save them on your computer. Make sure to label the photographs so you can attach them to the correct stop numbers.
In Google Earth, go to the menu bar to File and click on New Local KML file. If prompted with a pop up asking if you allow Google to save to your computer, you need to allow it. In a dialogue box you will see the project is currently named “Untitled Project”. Click the pencil icon beside this label and enter Lab 2 <your name> as your project name, then enter a short description about what your subject of interest is and the general location where you completed the project. Press Save.
Click New feature and then click Add placemark. You can loosely point to your first stop, or you can randomly select a location for now. Title this place Stop 1: <stop title> and make sure you are adding it to your Lab 2 <your name> project. Then click Edit place and a window will pop up that will allow you input your photograph, a description, and the decimal degrees coordinates your recorded from Google Maps:
- Click the icon that looks like a camera with a + on it. Drag the photograph for stop one in to the drop box (or click Select a file from your device). Your image should now appear in the edit place window.
- In the info box (text box underneath Title), type Coordinates determined from Google Maps using an <your device> and a short description of why you chose this location. Leave the Info box as Small info box(the default setting once you have typed anything into the info box).
- In Placemark, click Show Advanced Options. Replace Latitude and Longitude with the coordinates you obtained from Google Maps. Click outside of the window and your placemark should move to your entered coordinates.
- Leave Grounding as Clamp to Ground.
- Under Set view manually, click Reset to defaults. Click the back arrow at the top left of this window to return to your project.
Your placemark for Stop 1: <stop title> will now be listed in your project, and you can go back in to look at or edit anything by selecting it and clicking the pencil icon.
Note: Do not just add photos to a link on Google Drive. links get broken. Repeat this with all remaining stops. Your number of placemarks should be equal to the number of stops you made along your route. Double-check this before proceeding.
Step 3: Add a path between your stops to show the route you took.
Zoom out and pan until you can see all of your pushpins.
- In your project window, click New feature then Draw line or shape.
- Single left click at the tip of your Stop #1 placemark. This will set the first point of your route path.
- Then, place points along the path you walked until you reach Stop # 2. In other words, add enough points so that you have reasonably described the way you got to the field area. You will need to use judgement as to how many points you put in around curves. Place a point at the tip of your Stop #2 placemark.
- Continue placing points along the path you walked until you reach Stop #3. Place a point at the tip of your Stop #3 placemark. Continue doing this until you have reached and placed a point at the tip of your final pushpin.
- Click the final point a second time or press enter. Enter Route traversed as the Place title, make sure it is being saved in your Lab 2: <your name> project folder, then click save. Your path will now be listed in your project.
Step 4: Export your Google Earth output as a KML file.
Click the 3-dot icon in the top right hand corner of your project window, then click Export as KML file. This will download your project as a KML file. Navigate to your downloads folder on your computer to find the file.
Submit the KML file according to instructions provided by your instructor.
Step 5: Build a pdf with screenshots of each stop and the answers to the reflection questions.
With your project in presentation mode (press the present button), grab a screenshots of each stop displayed. Paste your screenshots in order into a document set up in landscape mode. After the screenshots, add a photo of your field notes, then your answers to the reflection questions.
Reflection Questions
- Knowing what you now know about Google Maps and Google Earth, what would you do differently if you were to do this lab again from the start? If you wouldn’t change anything, why did your approach work, and what advice would you give to another student working on this lab to help them succeed more than you did? Write 2-3 sentences.
- You have become a GIS and App development expert. A friend of yours is coming to where you live for the first time, but you just came down with cold-like symptoms and need to self-isolate from them. You decide to make the ultimate map-based digital tour of the must visit spots where you live. Conceptualize the structure of the ultimate digital tour app and describe the technical skills you would need to develop it. What functions would your App have? How would it work? Note: this question was made to help students develop creative habits of mind a 21st century skill in demand by employers.
