KML maps and related things

[Ashtagon]

KML files are the things that Google Earth, Marble, and a few other mapping apps use to draw maps. I'm making this as a separate thread from the regular maps because the techniques and skill-sets involved are radically different.

What I'm looking for a a kml file that will show latitude and longitude grid lines every 0.1 degree, in red.

Yes, I know Google Earth can display grid lines inherently, but because these get redrawn at a different scale every time you zoom in or out, and sometimes also when you simply rotate the view, they are hard to use at times. This is why I'm looking for a kml file for the job.

 

[Ashtagon]

More adventures with kml files.

To use this tool, you'll need a semi-recent version of MS Excel (yes, it could probably be adapted to work with openoffice. I'm slightly too lazy to adapt it though, and not 100% sure the formulas convert readily).

The spreadsheet consists of a single page. Enter a minimum and maximum latitude and longitude. These should cover a span of exactly five degrees each. Negative values should be used for points west or south; positive values for points east or north. The minimum values should identify the south-west corner of the square.

Once you've decided which five-degree square you want covered, copy column "D" in its entirety, and paste it into a new text file. This file will be approximately 1.6 megabytes (so yeah, pretty big). The filename can be anything you like, but the file extension must be changed to ".kml".

Open the resulting .kml file in Google Earth (hereafter GE). You should have an array of 10,000 pins placed on the map, at 0.05-degree intervals.

Why is this useful? Maybe some people like using GE to accurately draw maps. It seems especially suited for plate caree maps (my personal favourite projection).

The attached Point Test.zip contains a sample .kml file I made using this excel sheet, and the excel sheet I used to generate it.

Edit: Seems the excel file is too big. Have the generated kml file for now.

 

[Ashtagon]

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SKRJsUwZePDzhEL1VlRJQYgIuTcM1wblLIxt3r4FyK8/edit?usp=sharing

The above should be a link to a working google docs version of my overly-large spreadsheet (assuming i set it all up right). Column D is the critical column to copy in order to create your own kml files from the spreadsheet.