Conversion of Geometries to Plots with Distance Measurement

[tekgergedan]

The tools "GE path to GPS plots" and "GE path length measurement" has,
with long-time user demands being incorporated into them, become
almost similar and are replaced by a combined new tool.*

http://www.emaltd.net/google/gec/utilities/

The new tool has more capabilities and many kml errors are being
handled by it.

Please, try the example kml** and see what it does and what types of
kml elements it can process.

Placemarks other than geometries are eliminated by the script. So, the
folder to be pasted into the tool CAN have non-geometry placemarks
(you don't have to clean them).

Informing about problems, miscalculations, bugs and wishes are, as
always, welcome.

Thanks :)
tek

*: Please, notice that the old tools are still surviving and can be
reached from a link on the left.

**: To see that kml in GE, copy the content of the box and paste into
GE.

[Will Pittenger]

Can this tool compute the area enclosed by a polygon? Also, could you
explain the various options? Finally, I like to list both English and
Metric units. It would help if I could get both at once -- and skip
showing me the length of each segment. That just clutters things up.

[tekgergedan]

1. Include altitude values
is pure trigonometry if the geometry has altitude value(s) in its
coordinate triples (not related with the terrain elevation).

2. British units
I'll add another checkbox to have the other unit being included in the
balloon.

3. Decimal point comma
is for the national systems where comma is used for decimals.

4. Include polygon ends
When unchecked, it ignores the last segment which completes the
polygon between the first and the last coordinates.

5. Distances in names
I may replace it with a listbox that will include a "none" option to
prevent the cluttering.*
The unchecked status can create empty placemark names. But, in that
case, I am not sure if every GPS device can load the kml produced.

6. Folders open
lets the folders in GE be expanded.

7. Eliminate placemark altitudes
If unchecked, it eliminates the altitude values in the coordinate
triples. If checked, the altitude of the placemarks are set
accordingly, as well as the geometry produced within the same folder.

8. Show the generated table
The table this button shows is the result of the script after it has
read the input kml/xml. In case there seems something weird, it will
help (and has helped) to find out where the bug is.

I can't promise for the area enclosed in short-term. It is not my
expertship. But I'll try.

*: You say "skip showing me the length of each segment". I am not sure
if a listbox will help. Do you mean skipping them in the generated
kml, or in the list of distances in the second page? If you mean both,
that is definitely an easy task. If not, the list would be pretty long
but might add flexibility.

BTW, do you think the four digits after the decimal point is useful? I
doubt about that.

Thanks for the ideas

[Will Pittenger]

I didn't know it could generate KML. I just wanted to list the length
and/or area in my information.

[Will Pittenger]

On Jun 7, 2:12 am, tekgergedan wrote:

> 7. Eliminate placemark altitudes
> If unchecked, it eliminates the altitude values in the coordinate
> triples. If checked, the altitude of the placemarks are set
> accordingly, as well as the geometry produced within the same folder.

Did you get "checked" and "unchecked" backwards? As I read it, you
might have.


I have renamed some of the old placemarks you have on your site. The
new names reflect their use. I have zipped them up and uploaded them
to http://will.pittenger1.googlepages.com/OldIcons.zip . However, I
don't know if I want to host them or not. They are on my personal
Google Page creator site. If you have a better location, please let
me know. The same site also hosts a variety of other stuff I wanted
available for my blog (http://wlp-ge-stuff.blogspot.com/).

[tekgergedan]

>> Did you get "checked" and "unchecked" backwards? As I read it, you
might have.

Good catch. My fault when trying to compose the list quickly.
Unfortunately, we cannot edit posts here. Maybe, an admin can correct
it.

I use Picasa for specific purposes since it also works with local
files. It can ease your works a lot, I think.

:) tek

[Will Pittenger]

I use Picasa mainly for files I don't want to share publicly.

[sgoe...@googlemail.com]

Hi!
The link seems to be corrupt... It refers to some dubious looking
"Florida Offshore Incorporation Corporation LTD." (01/07/2008)
I have used the tool before and it has worked fine.

Cheers

[tekgergedan]

Hi,

If that happens, please try again. I didn't get that screen, don't
know the reason. But there is work on the national network.

If it takes a long time, it must mean there is an update on server
components that happens approximately once in several months

:) tek

[Zamiel]

This is what happens when I try to go to
http://www.emaltd.net/google/gec/utilities/

[IMG]http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q303/jamesnesta/error.jpg[/IMG]

[Zamiel]

well, my [img] tags didnt seem to work, but you guys get the point =p

i even tried using an american web-proxy just now to no avail (i live
in germany)

tekgergedan, i'll probably post again in a day or two to let you know
if it is still acting up... and if it is, probably someone stole your
DNS name =p

[tekgergedan]

I have temporarily uploaded the files to here:
http://www.samanevi.com/google/gec/utilities/

It seems they wait for some payment.
Thanks a lot for informing :)

P.S. But because I am having problems with the registrer company, the
original domain name may depending on their reaction this time not be
available for some time because I have been asking and waiting for a
transfer of the names for one and a half year because of their
extraordinary increase in their prices without giving any reason.

[Vic the cowboy]

Thanks a lot, I was desperate to see the normal website off.

[Will Pittenger]

BTW: The new site omits all of your graphics.

[Will Pittenger]

Wishlist item: Could you add an accuracy control? Some of my polygons
and paths suffer from accuracy issues due to low resolution at the
location or image alignment problems in the GE imagery layer. In
those cases, I would like you to round the result. How much the round
would happen would depend on just how confident I felt the positions
were accurate.

Please note, stating the distance to the nearest tenth of a thousand
of a yard or meter, as you do now when those UOMs are used, doesn't
make the result more accurate. I probably never have positions
accurate enough to even be within one yard or meter.

On May 29, 9:16 am, tekgergedan wrote:

[tekgergedan]

The pages are back.

Will, thanks for that wish.

:) tek

[Will Pittenger]

Your site is down again. I am getting a 404.

On Jul 2, 1:08 am, tekgergedan wrote:

[tekgergedan]

I am just confirmed that there have been some transfer operations that
took 4 or 5 hours.
In the end, now the MIME types are broken. I am on it at the moment.

[Will Pittenger]

Your up again. Too late in one aspect. While you were done, I used
another tool. Now I see is may have given me bad results and I will
have to redo a lot of work. It did provide stuff you didn't, like
area, but I know those were horribly inaccurate -- at least for my
objects. (The ones I gave it had a length under one mile most of the
time. The areas it quoted were all over the place.)

[tekgergedan]

Hi,

If you mean rsgrillo's tool, there are three tools I know by GEC
members that make the similar job. The other is Valery's.
We don't race but cooperate. Each works different. For all of us, our
interest started just for a wonder and for some fun. Now, you are
correct on that more and more improvements can and better to be done.

On the other hand, a script working locally for area calculation is
more advantegous than a web page. True.
I try to concentrate rather on the xls2kml tool at the moment since
users' databases are growing up and needs are numerous.

> Now I see is may have given me bad results and I will
have to redo a lot of work.

Can you define? My English is not enough good to understand this.

[Will Pittenger]

The other tool I used was Zonums (http://www.zonums.com/online/
kml_areal.html). Sorry about the bad wording. What I meant was the
other tool gave me results I no longer trust. My KML folders commonly
have summaries of the stuff inside them. These summaries include
averages and min/max values. All those need to be redone.

[tekgergedan]

Sorry about that.

Can I ask if the pages are faster or slower now than before? It is a
new server and I wonder how it is abroad because there are long-time
problems in some internet connections to my country.

[Will Pittenger]

I have not yet had time for such an analysis. I obtained new
measurements, but got no further due to sinus headaches. I do know
the speed in the past has varied dramatically. Once in a while, I
would have time to play a quick game or read some news.

[Will Pittenger]

I noticed that GE had a new image for Mazda Laguna Seca which shifted
all positions slightly. I had to move all the objects I had on top of
that location myself. It wouldn't be so bad if it had been only a few
placemarks. But I had a dozen placemarks and some path/polygons.
Everything had to be moved the hard way. Would you know of something
that would help next time that happens?

[tekgergedan]

It was discussed in the past. I don't know anything done for this that
would help.
Once, when adding statistical bars into xls2kml, I tried to add a
command to move a bunch of placemarks. Both were to use partially the
same calculations and that was to make it easy. But that still stays
untouched since then.
If you decide to use the spreadsheet, I can go back to look into it
again during the other week.

[Will Pittenger]

Maybe. Would you be able to preserve all object names, descriptions,
and shift the viewpoints over?

[tekgergedan]

Worth to try. You are spending enormous time for your folders.
I'll take your bbs posts for testing.
I also think of adding an ability to the new version that will make
your work a bit easier.

[Will Pittenger]

Also, I have noticed that I can't reply to some of the posts in this
thread anymore. I hate Google Groups. Perhaps GEC would have enough
traffic to warrant enough traffic for a dedicated forum like many
Firefox extensions have. I never got any traffic, but at
http://thepriceisright.freeforums.in/index.php?sid=4e6de18eada7003b50edcad2c49565d0,
I was able to add custom tags for tables, Wikipedia links, and more.

[tekgergedan]

It is there. I hope it helps.
http://www.emaltd.net/google/gec/utilities/007.asp

On Aug 26, 3:21 pm, Will Pittenger wrote:

[Will Pittenger]

You have to sign the macros before Excel will consider them safe.

On Sep 10, 9:50 pm, tekgergedan wrote:
> It is there. I hope it helps.http://www.emaltd.net/google/gec/utilities/007.asp

[tekgergedan]

Yes, I know. But it won't be fair, or even not sure it will work,
because I am not a corporate and the tool is free, open source
frequently updated. Nothing is secret or protected. Everyone can check
the codes.

If users sign it for themselves, it won't attempt to block the
script. :)

[Will Pittenger]

Can you make it a page?

[tekgergedan]

If you mean a web page, that can take months for me. The script is so
designed to let it working if used in a web page too. But that aim
doesn't seem realizable in short term because I am doing these in free
times that are so rare.