Shape2Earth: Shapefile to KML Writer

[Sabin21]

Shape2Earth Version 1.0 is available for download HERE

Shape2Earth is a .NET application that converts shapefiles to KML without the need for additional software packages such as ArcGIS. It takes advantage of freely available GIS software for re-projecting shapefiles, cartographic rendering, and shapefile editing and authoring prior to KML conversion.

Shape2Earth is intended for people who would like to view any of the thousands of freely available shapefiles available today in Google Earth, but should also be very useful to GIS professionals.

Shape2Earth

[Sabin21]

Here is a quick sample of some of the data that can be viewed in Google Earth using Shape2Earth.

Attached is a small sample of an extuded building footprint shapefile from MassGIS created using MapWindow GIS and Shape2Earth.

TB
http://www.interactiveearth.blogspot.com/

[xav]

Hi Sabin,

this sounds VERY interesting. My daughter is studying geography and cannot afford the commercial Packages from ESRI.
But: I tried to download MapWindow GIS from www.mapwindow.org on different days at diffent times and I always got a server not found error for gisci.isu.edu.
Is the software still available? are there other download sources? or is this only a temporary problem?
If I am successful in downloading the MapWindow program, I would like to try out your software.

Thanks

xav

[Forkboy2]

Finally.....thanks, looks great.

Matt

[Sabin21]

I have also had some problems downloading MapWindow from their home page at http://www.mapwindow.com. I’m not sure what the issue is. I have a couple of different versions that I have used for testing. I would like to post them elsewhere to make sure people have access to the software. I have been investigating free storage areas on the Web that would work. Looks like there are plenty of options. Does anyone have advice on free on-line storage for access by multiple users?

TB

[Forkboy2]

If you don't find a good free one, I have a server with plenty of space and bandwidth available.

Matt (mat...@starstream.net)

[xav]

I finally managed to download MapWindow GIS.
It was a nameserver. My provider coluld not resolve the gisci.isu.edu (sub)domainname. So if found out the IP-Address ( 134.50.100.100) and substituted it for the name.
The download link that worked is http://www.mapwindow.org/download.php?fi...ails=1&dl=2

xav

[Christopher_Michaelis]

Hi there everybody,

I'm Christopher Michaelis, the lead software engineer for the MapWindow project. I just wanted to assure everybody here that the MapWindow project is very much alive and we're not going anywhere -- we're very actively developing the software, and we have some extensive plans for the future. As it stands we're operating along with Idaho State University, which is why the *.isu.edu links come into play with our software.

The software is open-source under the MPL, so it's not "owned" by Idaho State University in any way - but most of the active core developers for the project are students and/or employees of the university.

It seems that some places in the world are not able to resolve the isu.edu addresses. For this reason I've just altered all of the download links to go through mapwindow.org instead of the isu.edu address (even though they're the same box, the *.isu.edu link doesn't resolve for some users it seems).

Thanks - I'll get off my soapbox now, I just saw the "Is MapWindow still alive" comments above and wanted to soothe any fears that the project may be outdated or dead.

Thank you,
Chris Michaelis

PS - If anybody out there is still running into any problems trying to download the software, or if you have any other questions, please let me know (cmichaelis <at> happysquirrel.com).

[Sabin21]

It's great to hear that MapWindow GIS is going to keep improving. I see that there are a lot of analytical functions being built as plug-ins. I think that this will make an application like Shape2Earth an even bigger value for visualizing GIS derived data.

Thank you very much for making it more accessible.

TB

[Sabin21]

This image (and the attached KMZ) was created using freely available shapefiles and GIS software available over the Internet.

Shape2Earth converted these data into KML for viewing in Google Earth.

Since Shape2Earth was released as a beta, I have received some fantastic feedback, and have viewed some really neat KMLs.

I'm looking forward to hearing back from more people over time!

TB

For more information on Shape2Earth, go to Interactive Earth .

[Sabin21]

Feedback has been coming in from the people who have been kind enough to test Shape2Earth Beta 1. So far, I have been quite pleased with the results. One of the ideas that came back has me currently intrigued. It deals with being able to query data in Google Earth.

I have been implementing this capability in Shape2Earth Beta 2. It allows people to query shapefile attribute data, and then zoom to selected features in Google Earth.

I have place a description with graphics at Interactive Earth

TB

[Sabin21]

There are a number of nice enhancements added to the Shape2Earth Beta 2 release.

Optimized Speed
Shape2Earth has been optimized and is much faster when writing KML.

Query Attribute Data
Users can query GIS attribute data using keyword inputs, can sort fields, and can zoom to selected features in Google Earth. This is very helpful for large datasets, and for polygons that are not selectable in Google Earth.

On-The-Fly Reprojecting
Users no longer have to reproject their data to WGS84 before converting. Shape2Earth can now re-project on the fly from the original projection to Google Earth’s projection.

Enhanced Point Options
Users have a better selection on which graphics to use to represent point features. They also have the option of changing the size and color of a point when the mouse hovers over it in Google Earth. Similarly, users can set up the KML so that the attribute used to name the feature is only visible when the point is hovered over (see below).

Improved Interface
The Shape2Earth interface has been compacted, with tools being moved from the Form to a toolbar on the top. This helps when people want to interact with Shape2Earth and Google Earth at the same time. The ability to keep the Shape2Earth Form on top of Google Earth all of the time has been added to the options menu.

[akanemaru]

When I can get this converter?

P.S.
Same Conversion, R for Windows shapefile2KML
http://virtual.haru.gs/data/2005/11/19.html#003343
http://www.okada.jp.org/RWiki/index.php?GoogleEarth%A4%C8R


Akanemaru@GE Maniacs
http://virtual.haru.gs/

[Sabin21]

For those of you who have been kind enough to test Shape2Earth Beta 2, and those of you interested in good open source GIS packages, the MapWindow GIS development team released a new version of MapWindow on May 25 that works exceptionally well. It can be downloaded from http://www.mapwindow.com/.

TB

[Sabin21]

Shape2Earth Beta 2 has expired.

Shape2Earth Version 1.0 is available for download HERE .


See how Shape2Earth works at this Users Blog .


More information is available at Interactive Earth .

[pcutter]

Many thanks for the great tool Tim!

After trying it out a bit, here are a couple of comments/wishlist items for future versions (I acknowledge that any/all of these could be insurmountable from a coding perspective...):

** I had a coverage of contiguous polygons (landuse map) and was able to display all types as different colors without borders in MapWindow. However, when I exported to .kml, the borders appeared. As I don't know how to deselect all borders without selecting "share style" in the GE editor, I ended up cahnging all those nice colors to a single color...Any way to export without boundaries showing?

** Option to save legend as a graphic component of exported kml file so it can be displayed in the GE window.

** Option to show all polygons but group them by a selected attribute.


Thanks again!

[Sabin21]

Shape2Earth appears to works fine with the new Google Earth 4.0 Beta. I am hoping that continuous development of GE eventually leads to a more robust API.

[Sabin21]

These draft instructions have been replaced by this Online Users Blog

http://shape2earth.com

[Sabin21]

Sorry to be very late on updating Shape2Earth. It has been a very hectic summer. I hope to be able to make a number of improvements towards the end of the year.

[Sabin21]

For anyone using Shape2Earth. There has been a new release of MapWindow (4.2). Shape2Earth does not currently work with this version of MapWindow (Some Classes have been renamed). An update will be available later.

[divedog1001]

Can anyone help me with shape2earth? It seem i am very close to converting a shape file to kml. When I have everything the way I want it and try to save I notice the save button has no icon but when I click on the spot it should be I get the error there is no projection associated with this project, when I try to use the projection tab everything is blank. Any help would be appreciated.

[Sabin21]

Currently, the Projection Tab in Shape2Earth only shows you what the projection currently is. If it is blank, then there is no projection associated with the shapefile.

To set the projection in MapWindow, select ‘GIS Tools’ from the main menu, then select ‘Vector’ and ‘Assign Projection to Shapefile’. This will open a form that lets you select the projection.

This will need to be the projection information that the data is currently in. Shape2Earth will convert it to WGS84 during the KML conversion process.

[crispyjones]

I am looking for any tips that would allow me to label polygons. Is there some way in MapWindow to associate a point with a polygon that would then allow labelling in Shape2Earth? Am I missing a function of Shape2Earth that might do this for me? I have a lot of polygons so adding points by hand would be rather labor intensive.
I would like to end up with something similar to the "parks" native GE layer, that shows a polygon but also has a point with a tree icon and a name, much easier for the user to determine what they are looking at.

[Sabin21]

There is no current way to associate points with polygons in MapWindow. In the future, a centroid function may be used to create points from polygons that can act as placeholders for labels.

[tekgergedan]

Inserting description to the Model placemark should do that. Ctrl-click is the trick.

[Sabin21]

I have recently been able to start work on Shape2Earth Beta 3. Work so far has focused on:

Better 3D options, including Z values.
Better handling for zero geometries.
Better sorting of features based on an attribute.
Better control the symbology of the features.
A centroid function that creates a ‘center-point’ for polygons for labeling.
Instructions on how to make sure that the shapefile is projected properly.
Ability to export a subset of the features in the feature class (such as only those in the current view, or those that have been selected).
Ability to export the view as a PNG overlay image.

I am also doing some experimenting with collada models. This can be used in conjunction with the new features found in KML 2.1 to display features at different distances as different symbols (a generic circle at a great distance would be displayed as a model when the user gets close enough to see the model appropriately).

Another interesting thing that I have been poking around at for some time is the ability to read ESRI Access Personal Geodatabases directly from their binary representation without the need for ArcObjects. The trickiest part of this was having to interpolate curves. I have this working to a reasonable degree.

http://interactiveearth.blogspot.com/

[sqlwiz]

Shape2earth beta 2 has expired as of 11/25/06. I'm currently using this to publish subsets of GIS data.
Please let me know if you are going to extend the beta period, release beta 3, or if I have to start over with other software.
Thanks for making such a useful program.

[Sabin21]

Download Shape2Earth Version 1.0.1 here.

Shape2Earth leverages freely available GIS software to allow the general public to cheaply and easily convert shapefiles into KML for viewing in Google Earth.

Shape2Earth is Shareware. It will run in a limited demonstration mode until purchased.

Shape2Earth requires:
Google Earth Version 4.x
MapWindow GIS Version 4.3 ( MapWindow43SR.exe )

See how Shape2Earth works at this on-line users blog

Check this site for Known Issues with Shape2Earth.


If you have any previous Beta versions of Shape2Earth, you will need to un-install them before installing Version 1

http://shape2earth.com

[Forkboy2]

Thanks Tim. Here is another example that I did this evening. It is the Physiographic Regions of the US. Very easy to do.

Matt

[Sabin21]

Iv'e had a couple of people ask me how well the KML generated from Shape2Earth works in Google Maps. I'm attaching a US Map to see just how well it does work.

[Sabin21]

Iv'e had a number of requests to add overlay exporting to Shape2Earth. I'm hoping to have this working by the release of MapWindow 4.3.

[reeljustice]

I am attempting to locate the SHP files for all the state and federal public lands in the US and create the collection in GE.

I spoke with the gentleman at Gerogia DNR responsible for their GIS. He directed me to Georgia GIS Clearinghouse to the State Land Conservation Layer, Run Search on all and then select "Free" to download the "DNR Managee Lands" SHP files for the Georgia Wildlife Management Areas and State Partk lands.

When I open the SHP file in MapWindow GIS I can see the filled polygons for all the DNR managed lands, BUT, when I convert to KML with Shape2Earth I lose everything except a few of the north Georgia polygons.

I have similar problems with other files I am attempting to convert. I suspect I am doing something wrong but could you please run a test on those files and let me know what I may be doing wrong?

Thank you for your assistance.

Joel

[Sabin21]

Shape2Earth is shareware and runs in a limited demonstration mode until purchased. My descriptions of this are not as clear as they should be. I will be adjusting all of my links to Shape2Earth, and will be making alterations to other Shape2Earth information to make this more clear and easier to understand.

Currently, Shape2Earth will only export 45 features at a time when it is not purchased. I will be changing this soon to a much higher number that will work for a week so that people can use Shape2Earth on their data before making a decision on purchasing.

Thanks for the input.

[Sabin21]

Shape2Earth has been updated to work with MapWindow Version 4.3.

[Sabin21]

***************************************************************************************
SHAPE2EARTH - KNOWN ISSUES
***************************************************************************************

There are currently two known issues with Shape2Earth.

1. Users with German based operating systems may get coordinates that use a comma as a separator rather than a decimal. These KML files will not display appropriately.

2. Users with operating systems that use non-ASCII characters in their computer name (such as Japanese) are experiencing an error reading the Shape2Earth license file.

Solutions for both of these issues are in the works.

[lucidwave]

Every time I try to use this program, it only export one of my polygons into Google Earth. e.g. if I try to convert the "states" shapefile into kml, it will only export Alabama instead of all 50 states. Does anyone know why it is doing this? Am i missing something important?

thanks very much in advance and sorry if this is a silly question.

[Forkboy2]

Quote:

---

Every time I try to use this program, it only export one of my polygons into Google Earth. e.g. if I try to convert the "states" shapefile into kml, it will only export Alabama instead of all 50 states. Does anyone know why it is doing this? Am i missing something important?

thanks very much in advance and sorry if this is a silly question.

---

Are you using the paid version or free version? Free version only exports a small # of polygons. And each state is probably made up of multiple polygons, so you may be reaching the limit.

The US States in KML have already been posted to the BBS. Do some searching and you should be able to find them.

[Chris_Hagwood]

I have installed both MapWindow GIS, and Shape2Earth eval version. I'm trying to export a polygon shapefile to KML, but I always get this error with any polygon:
Could not load type "PartBounds" from assembly 'MapWinGeoProc, Version 1.0.2350.29003, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null'

I have successfully exported points and lines, but not polygons. Is this a problem with my polygon shapefile or the software?

[Chris_Hagwood]

Quote:

---

I have installed both MapWindow GIS, and Shape2Earth eval version. I'm trying to export a polygon shapefile to KML, but I always get this error with any polygon:
Could not load type "PartBounds" from assembly 'MapWinGeoProc, Version 1.0.2350.29003, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null'

I have successfully exported points and lines, but not polygons. Is this a problem with my polygon shapefile or the software?

---

I had the wrong version of MapWindow installed.

[Sabin21]

This error is due to a conflict between different versions of some MapWindow dlls.

To fix this, make sure that you are using the latest version of Shape2Earth and MapWindow. Then uninstall MapWindow and Shape2Earth. Delete the MapWindow folder (C:\Program Files\MapWindow) to completely remove any dll interop assemblies. Then reinstall MapWindow and Shape2Earth. This should fix things up.