Navimatics has created a KML network link that overlays marine charts derived from NOAA data onto Google Earth. Coverage includes all of the US coastline for the contiguous 48 states, but not Alaska and Hawaii yet. From high altitudes, coverage areas are outline with yellow lines:
Zoom in to about the 15-mile altitude, and the charts will appear:
On my system, I get a view where the bottom half is an opaque overlay, while the top half is partially transparent with topographic contours. I don’t know yet whether it’s just a quirk in my system, or whether it’s supposed to be this way. 5/2/2009: This may be an problem with DirectX vs. OpenGL for the display. In any case, as you scroll the map, the position of the opaque layer remains the same so that you can view an area with and without it.
Navimatics also sells a line of digital marine charts for Garmin GPS units, which cover more area than Garmin’s own BlueCharts, are updated regularly, and cost less; sample maps are available for several areas.
Other posts in the Google Earth Data Tools series
- KML Editors
- Diagramming In Google Maps And Google Earth With Smoot
- Plotting Data In Google Earth Using GE-Graph
- Drawing Grids, Paths And Polygons In Google Earth Using GE-Path
- Online Google Earth Utilities For Buffering And Area Calculations
- Easy Display Of Thematic Data In Google Maps And Google Earth
- Using GIF/PNG Transparency In Displaying Raster Graphics In Google Earth
- Adding Vector Graphic Objects To Google Earth
- Animated GIFs In Google Earth
- Creating A Network KML Link To A Google Spreadsheet
- LIDAR Tools
- EarthPlot Software Tools For Google Earth
- Geographic Time Animations
- Convert TIGER Polygons To KML Files
- Putting Time Data Into A KML File
- Using The KML Time Embedder To Stamp Time Data Into A Google Earth File
- Using The KML Time Embedder, Concluded
- KML Time Embedder Improved With Hour-Minute-Second Ability
- Grid Creation And Path/Polygon Measurements: Two New Online KML Tools
- Google Earth PhotoOverlay Tool
- KML Random Placemark Generator
- Update For Online Google Earth Utilities
- KML Time Code Utility
- Screen Overlays In Google Earth
- The KML Screen Overlay Maker Utility
- KML Screen Overlay Maker Utility, Concluded
- KML Circle Generator
- Creating Google Earth Screen Overlays With EarthPaint
- Text Editor With KML Validation
- Online Spreadsheet To KML Converter
- Version 2.0 Of Google’s Online KML Spreadsheet Mapper Tool Released
- Creating Google Earth Ground Overlays From Georeferenced Images
- Google Earth Ground Overlays With GIF Transparency
- Creating "Transparent" Topo Map Overlays For Google Earth
- Using Google Earth Ground Overlays To Display Shapefile Data
- Converting 3D Objects Into Google Earth Format
- Thematic Mapping In Google Earth
- An Online KML Validator
The view I get is like your top half, just soundings and contours added to the satellite imagery. I don’t get topographic contours in my east coast area, and only on some of the west coast charts.
I don’t get anything like your bottom half. Do you have some other layers or content in Google Earth that I don’t have? And which version of Google Earth is that on?
The only layer I have turned on is the Navimatics layer, and according to them, the whole display should look like the bottom half. I contacted them with my problem, but haven’t heard from them in a while. You might try contacting them directly to see if they’ve made any progress.
Google Earth has two graphics modes: OpenGL and DirectX.
In OpenGL mode I get the soundings and contours superimposed transparently on the satellite imagery like your top half.
In DirectX mode I get an opaque recoloring of the whole background like your bottom half.
I don’t know why you get both views on the same screen.