Presenting Tree Inventory Tomislav Sapic GIS Technologist Faculty of Natural Resources Management Lakehead University
Suggested Options 1. Print out a Google Maps satellite image of the inventoried block and inventory the trees by writing a mark on each tree on the printout and describing the trees in a tally sheet. i. Create the tree points in Google Maps and finalize the map in Google maps, or preferable option. ii. iii. Create the tree points in ArcMap (by displaying the background image) and finalize the map in ArcMap. Alternatively, create the tree points in Google Maps or ArcMap and then export the points into a KML file to transfer them over to Google Earth. 2. Collect tree points directly into Google Maps opened on a smart phone. 3. Collect tree points with a GPS unit and bring the points into either Google Maps or ArcMap to add tree attributes and create the map there. 4. Use some other mapping app.
Creating a Tree Inventory Map in Google Maps At this point you presumably have your trees marked on a map printout and described in a separate tally sheet. 2) Click on the table of content list. 1) Go to your Google (Lakehead) account and click on Maps. 3) Click on Your places. 4) Go to MAPS. 5) Click on Create Map at the bottom of the window. A new map is opened in a new browser tab.
Creating a Tree Inventory Map in Google Maps (A mock situation, most of the presented mapping data are made up.) 1) Name the new map and the layer that will contain tree points. 2) Open the Data Table for the layer and insert additional column(s). Set the data type (text?) for the new column. 3) Switch to a satellite image base map. 4) Start adding points and entering their attributes. Switch between the columns as you are entering the attributes.
Creating a Tree Inventory Map in Google Maps 5) Style the layer (symbolize points) by the tree species names (make sure there a tree species attribute is written the same way for all trees of that species!). Consider whether to use labels or not.
Creating a Tree Inventory Map in Google Maps 6) If you have uploaded tree images to your Flash account, enter their Image URL in the appropriate box in the image window, opened by clicking on the camera icon (you will need to make your tree pictures smaller see the next slide).
Creating a Tree Inventory Map in Google Maps If the picture is larger than 200 x 200 pixels, and thus too large to be nicely displayed in Google Maps, Microsoft Office Picture Manager (or any other adequate software) can be used to resize the picture to up to aprox. 200 x 200 pixels.
Creating a Tree Inventory Map in Google Maps 7) Set the sharing of your Google map to Public on the web and store the link to share. An option is to have the map embedded in a website.
Creating a Tree Inventory Map in Google Maps 8) Preview the map.
How to Create a Tree Inventory Shapefile and Display It in ArcMap or Google Maps (Earth) This approach is an alternative to the, preferable, Google Maps approach. Use this, Google Earth, approach, only if personally interested in it. 1. Download the points from the GPS unit to a shapefile. 2. Create a copy of the shapefile in ArcCatalog and leave it as a backup. 3. Make sure that the shapefile represented by the layer is either in UTM or the GCS map coordinate system with either the NAD83 or WGS84 datum. If it is not, project it into one of these projections. 4. Delete all unnecessary fields in the shapefile i.e. everything except the IDENT field -- and make sure the file contains only the points that represent the trees in the inventory. Use Delete Field in ArcToolbox >Data Management T ools>fields to delete multiple fields and editing in ArcMap to delete extra points.
How to Create a Tree Inventory Shapefile and Display It in ArcMap or Google Maps (Earth) 1. Add new fields for inventory attributes. Start Editing and enter all attributes. 2. If wanting to display pictures associated with the features, upload the pictures to a web server (e.g. Flash) and create a new field (e.g. named picture ), at least 100 characters wide. Start editing the layer and enter pictures web locations within this syntax (pay attention to spaces): <img src="picture_web_location" /> For example: <img src="http://flash.lakeheadu.ca/~forspatial/temp/tree1.jpg" />
How to Create a Google Earth (KML/KMZ) File in ArcGIS If the picture is larger than 200 x 200 pixels, and thus too large to be nicely displayed in Google Earth, Microsoft Office Picture Manager can be used to resize the picture to up to 200 x 200 pixels.
How to Create a Tree Inventory Shapefile and Display It in ArcMap or Google Maps (Earth) 1. Add a server based basemap to check points positions and change them if needed. 2. Once all of the points are placed in their proper positions and attributes entered, either create an ArcMap map or create a KMZ (Google Earth) file.
How to Create a Google Earth (KML/KMZ) File in ArcGIS 3. Sort the fields in the order you would like them to be displayed in Google Earth and turn-off the fields you don t want to be displayed. 4. Set the display field, the values from which will be used to label the features in GE.
How to Create a Google Earth (KML/KMZ) File in ArcGIS 7. Use the Layer to KML function to create a KML (KMZ) file. 6. Assign symbols based on a table field of your preference. These symbols will show up in Google Earth. Use simple symbols (circles, squares, triangles, etc.) only. Use a scale that is appropriate for the area covered by the points. 5. Make sure the HTML popup box is checked-off.
8. Open the KMZ file from Google Earth (File -> Open) or by double-clicking on the file Make sure Google Earth is installed on your computer if it s not, go to Google Earth on the web and install it. Find in Windows Explorer the kmz file you created and double click on it. Click on the points to see their attributes. The points show up in the geographic display and in the legend. If the points need a spatial or attribute correction, that will need to be done in ArcMap and a new KMZ file created again.
How to Display KMZ File in Google Maps ArcGIS creates KMZ files, which are compressed KML files. KML files can be imported into Google Maps and KMZ files can be converted into KML files by first opening them in Google Earth and then saving them as KML files. This approach, GPS > ArcMap > KMZ > Google Earth > KML > Google Maps, is the least advisable and will probably require additional modifications once the points are displayed in Google Maps.