How to Prepare for the Workshop

We strongly recommend you bring a laptop to the workshop. We will have some spare ones, but you will likely want to be able to keep your work and any additional software you've installed and configured for your use.

We recommend that you take the following steps to prepare yourself for the workshop.

Install the proper software on the laptop you will bring to the workshop:

Install the latest version of Google Earth -- click here to download the latest version.

Explore the resources on our website:

Step 1: Go to the Google Earth Outreach homepage.

Step 2: From that page, visit the Showcase, which houses Google Earth and Maps projects from non-profit and public benefit groups from around the world.

View it now! View "Speaking for the Forests: Indigenous Communities & Google Earth Partnering in REDD" -- a Google Earth tour, narrated by Jane Goodall, which tells the story of traditional communities on two continents who are struggling to have a real say in what will happen to their homes -- the magnificent Amazon Forests and the inspiring landscapes and forests of East Africa. Click here to view in YouTube!

Step 3: Visit the Tutorials page, and view all the video tutorials on that page. After viewing a video tutorial, if you would like to learn more, click on the "View Full Tutorial" button under the video to view the step-by-step tutorial. In particular, follow along with the full tutorial:

View it now! Creating Maps Using My Maps: click here to view this tutorial now

Step 4: Visit the Community, and notice all the links to the User Communities, where you can ask questions to the Google Earth NGO community to get answers and feedback on your questions.

Optional (for programmers):

If you are a programmer or developer, you can visit the Google Geo Developers website, to learn more about the code that you will use to develop customize websites using Google Maps and Google Earth.

• KML - Create and share content with Google Earth, Maps, and Maps for mobile.
• Google Earth API - Embed Google Earth into your web page.
• Google Maps API - Integrate Google's interactive maps with data on your site.
• Google Maps API For Flash - Integrate Google Maps in Flash applications.
• Google Static Maps API - Embed a Google Maps image on your webpage without requiring JavaScript or any dynamic page loading.
• Google Mapplets - Build mini-applications to embed within the Google Maps site.
• Google SketchUp Ruby API - Extend Google SketchUp with Ruby.