Google Earth Project

[TBone]

For the past few months I've been adding points of interest in google earth that pertain to hopping like yard locations and what not. You can save all the place marks to a file and email said file to whoever has information they would like to add to it and double check info already in there. We can keep it at just yard locations or as in depth as catchouts and crew changes. Other info like good places to eat, get beer or whatever else would be cool too. I have info from Montgomery up to Chicago and St. Louis west to Louisville. I would like to get a comprehensive list of other areas especially Texas, the Northwest and the east coast. Anywhere else in the country would be great too. Would anyone else be interested in helping me on this?

I attached some of what I have so far.

 

[TBone]

I couldnt attach the file so if you would like to look at it tell me and I'll email it.

 

[danvan]

that would be soo sweet

 

[Matt Derrick]

TBone wrote:

I couldnt attach the file so if you would like to look at it tell me and I'll email it.

what's the filename extension? ill add it to the 'allowed' list for attaching to forum posts.

i think this could be a very interesting project. we should definitely include nearby places to get food, water, etc. like you're saying, but my only issue is having the crew change spots on there and having this file freely distributable. it would kinda be like copying the crew change and distributing it online, which is a bad idea.

it'd be nice to have tho, especially if you travel with a gps. perhaps we can add this to the upcoming 'train directory' which ill have online soon.

actually, what we should probably do is just have the file have the yard locations pointed out, without exact locations of hopout spots. then you can point out interesting locations around the yard like you're saying. what do you think?

 

[TBone]

The extension on the file is is ".kmz".

I agree on keeping it to general yard locations, thats pretty much available online anyway if your willing to look for it. This would just be a nice organized, one stop resource for finding the info.

To keep from having alot of different versions of it floating around the best way for people to contribute to it would be I guess to email or upload a a "moderator" of it with new additions and have it centrally updated and the version kept track of.

Tell me when you get that exception put in and I'll upload the file.

Post edited by: TBone, at: 2007/01/08 04:18

 

[Matt Derrick]

k, it's set up, so you should be able to upload it to the train directory under the "Google Earth Project".

TBone, would you mind being the moderator for this? I can't set a 'moderator' per se, for a single file, but maybe we can do this:

1. you upload your google earth file.
2. anyone else can upload their google earth file to the same category (preferably titling it "Google earth submission").
3. every once in a while, you can download all the kmz files, and combine them into one file. Make sure to add a version number (i.e. "Google Earth Project v1.1", "Google Earth Project v1.2", etc) every time you update it.
4. delete the old file, and upload the new one.
5. whenever you update it, ill delete all the old "google earth submission" files you added to the new version.

how does that sound?

 

[TBone]

That will work.

 

[danvan]

arg

thats just the sweetest idea ever !!!

k i have moved my question
Post edited by: danvan, at: 2007/01/08 10:42

Post edited by: danvan, at: 2007/01/08 10:43

 

[TBone]

widerstand wrote:

I would love to help with this project but this old computer wont run google earth.

Ah man, thats too bad. I was hoping you would be able to help with the North West too.

 

[TBone]

I beleive you can register an account at google maps and save locations and link to them. You could just send me the link and I could transfer them into Google Earth.

 

[Bendixontherails]

Okay, not to be a total feeb, but where do I find the project? google earth kicks ass, but all i do is find by addresses and shit. HELP!
thanks
(never, never, n e v e r trust THEM)
Bendix

 

[Bendixontherails]

Never mind.
the smoke cleared, and I remembered how to get to the file pages. It's too early...

 

[TBone]

New file uploaded. Lot's more Chicago yards some are confusing as to who owns what because so many lines have trackage rights shared with other carriers. I added a few little yards in Terre Haute, IN

 

[Texaspurp]

great idea, my computor dosent like google earth unless im costantly conected, so i have to use a wireless connection seeing as how my computor is realy janky

 

[Mouse]

mmkay.... can someone please explain to me what this is?

 

[TBone]

Download Google Earth here...

http://earth.google.com/earth4.html

Download the project file here....
http://squattheplanet.com/index.php?opt ... Itemid=136

Open that file once it's downloaded and it will open google earth for you and you will see all the info that has been entered into this.

 

[wokofshame]

open with?

this computer opens the file with winzip....
and then i get an option of what program to open the unzipped file with......
i used i explorer and the info's all there but the format's pretty fucked up.....
tbone what program do you want to open google earth projexct with?


PS this <kicks> from what i can see

 

[TBone]

open with?

It should open in Google Earth which is a standalone program. You can download the latest version of Google Earth from the link I gave above.

Post edited by: TBone, at: 2007/02/26 07:50

 

[iamdeadnow]

open with?

I use the google maps api to plot points on my website with a custom google map, you guys should look into that so that you dont need to have a specific app [google earth] to do it -- just a browser.

 

[braille]

open with?

Thank you so much for this. I'm having trouble with some crustpunk elitism w/ regards to the newest CCG, and this has everything I need, forget the catchouts.

encyclopedic:evil: