Comments on: Recap of "Exporting Shapefiles To Google Earth" Series

By: Leszek Pawlowicz

Leszek Pawlowicz — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 03:41:30 +0000

Google Earth positions can be off by anywhere from 10-30 meters in the US from the true positions; you’d be better off using aerial imagery from the USGS Seamless Server, with 1-meter resolution and spot-on accuracy. You can load these images into a GIS program, then trace the buildings – there are posts on my sites about a number of GIS programs that can do this (try MapWindow to start).

Accurate field positions (within a meter) require expensive GPS receivers – consumer models won’t cut it.

By: Jack Erhart

Jack Erhart — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 00:09:30 +0000

I 3D model in a program called Google SketchUp, which uses information imported from Google Earth to model buildings. I would like to be able to capture the view from GE set points for the footprint of a building from that view, or add those points from field locations,(which is something else I would like to ask about, like how to simply do that.)and be able to create shapefiles from that information. Modeling from shapefiles is very accurate, and it updates current GIS information which is a benefit to our city.

Could you give me steps on how this could be accomplished? I see bits and pieces of this being answered through your posted articles, but I would like more directed way to accomplishing this.

Sure would appreciate your input.

Thanks

By: jonathan heyman

jonathan heyman — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 10:41:43 +0000

ESRI is limited in exporting attributes from what i’ve found.

By: nico

nico — Thu, 17 May 2007 17:29:14 +0000

ArcGIS 9.2 with 3D analyst can export directly to KML.

In the toolbox go to
3D Analyst Tools > Conversion > To KML -> Layer to KML

To go from KML to Shapefile use the GPS Utility

http://www.gpsu.co.uk/