Direct to Digital Mapping with Google Earth Desktop

Part 1: Learn how to use Google Earth to map places of cultural and environmental importance discussed during a field interview. We’ll cover the basics of how to create all the feature types - points, lines, and polygons - for mapping Indigenous knowledge and traditional land use using the Direct-to-Digital method. You’ll also learn how to add further detail to mapped sites using text and images. Finally, we’ll discuss methods of sharing your map with others.

Part 2:

Learn how to use Google Earth to map places of cultural and environmental importance discussed during a field interview. In Part 2, we’ll focus on the methodology and best practices of mapping Indigenous knowledge and traditional land use using the Direct-to-Digital method. You’ll learn how to plan your interview, what questions you might ask, what equipment you’ll need to bring and more. Then we’ll practice Direct-to-Digital interviews in pairs.

View and download slide deck here.

Download Google Earth Pro before the session here.

• Use the Search panel in the upper lefthand corner of Google Earth to search for your home.

• Zoom in and out with any of the following techniques:

  • • Click the + and - buttons in the zoom slider. You can find the zoom slider on the right. If you don't see anything, check your settings to ensure it's set to visible (View > Show Navigation > Always).

    • Click the + and - buttons on your keyboard.

    • Use your mouse scroll wheel.

• Move north and then south with any of the following techniques:

  • • Click the arrows in the navigation control with the hand symbol.

    • Click the arrow keys on your keyboard.

    • With your mouse, click an area to the north and holding down the mouse button "pull the area toward you" to move north.

• Look around with any of the following techniques:

  • • Click the arrows in the navigation control with the eye symbol.

    • On your keyboard, hold down the Control key and click the arrows (PC) or hold down the Command key and click the arrow keys (Mac).

• Tilt and rotate the Earth's surface with the following technique: On your keyboard, hold down the Shift key and click the arrows.

1. Find the area where you live (see above for some navigation techniques you could try).

2. To find out the date a satellite image was taken, look at the bottom center of the Earth viewport. If you don't see a date, zoom in a little further and make sure Earth has fully loaded (the little circle at the bottom righthand corner should stop churning).

3. To find out if there is historical imagery in the area, click the clock icon in the toolbar. Click the arrows in the time slider that appears to see if there are historical images.

1. Create a new folder by clicking the menu option Add > Folder. Type "My Journey" in the field next to Name.

2. Add a placemark on your home. Give it a title and description and pick an icon.

   1. Find your home in Google Earth.

   2. Click the placemark button on the tool bar. Click on the placemark that appears on Google Earth and drag it to the right location.

   3. Type a title and description into the pop up.

   4. Click on the icon button at the upper righthand corner of the pop up. Choose a new icon and click "OK". Then click "OK" again.

3. Add a placemark(s) to mark your journey to this workshop. Give the placemark(s) titles and descriptions and pick icons. (repeat Step #1 for each placemark you add).

4. Draw a line between your home and this workshop. Give it a title and description, and change the color and width.

   1. Zoom out so that you can see all your placemarks in Google Earth at the same time.

   2. Click the path button on the tool bar. Click on the map to draw your line, starting at your home and ending at the workshop.

   3. Type a title and description into the pop up.

   4. In the pop up, click on "Style, Color" and then click on the box next to the word "Color" to change the color. In the box next to Width, type a different number.

   5. Click "OK".

5. Save your work by right-clicking on the "My Journey" folder, clicking "Save Place As.." and save it as a KML file your computer.

Note: If you need to edit a point or line you already created, open it back to edit mode by right-clicking on the feature in the Places Panel, then selecting "Properties" (PC) or "Get Info" (Mac).

1. Create a new folder called “Interview”.

2. Find a partner.

3. Interview your partner about their journey to the workshop. How did they get here? What stops did they make?

4. While interviewing, map their journey on Earth Pro using points, lines and polygons.

5. Organize the points, lines and polygons into folders and save your work.

Add an image to a placemark.

1. Open the placemark back to edit mode by right-clicking on the placemark in the Places Panel, then selecting "Properties" (PC) or "Get Info" (Mac).

2. Click the "Add Local Image" button in the pop up (use "Add Web Image" if adding an image hosted on the web (such as an image on a webpage or online photo album).

3. Search for the image on your computer and add it. You should see an HTML snippet appear in the description field of your pop up.

4. Click "OK".

5. Click on the placemark to see your image in the infowindow.

Add a custom icon to a placemark.

1. Open the placemark back to edit mode by right-clicking on the placemark in the Places Panel, then selecting "Properties" (PC) or "Get Info" (Mac).

2. Click on the icon button at the upper right of the pop up.

3. Click on the "Add Custom Icon" button at the bottom right of the icon pop up.

4. Browse to find the icon image on your computer or you can use an icon hosted on the web, such as an icon from the UVic Ethnographic Mapping Lab Indigenous Mapping Icon Set. Then click "OK" 3 times to close the pop ups.

Note: To add an icon from UVic, go to the webpage and find an icon you'd like to use. Right-click on the icon and copy the "image address" or "image URL". Go back to Google Earth and paste the URL in the custom icon field.