Google Earth tutorial

Google Earth is a more advanced mapping tool than Google Maps. It is a separate program that opens outside your browser but it also requires you to be online since maps are hosted on the web. The download for making simple maps and viewing maps is free
Download Google Earth

A more advanced version, Google Earth Pro, allows you to develop your own layers, create complicated tours, and convert GIS SHP files into KML or KMZ to view in Google Earth. There is a program for educators that provides Google Earth Pro




Google Earth embedded into a website and viewable with your browser


If you would like to embed Google Earth into a Google Site like we have on this page follow these steps, modified from the Google Earth help website:

1. Save the KML or KMZ file to your computer

2. You need to upload the KML or KMZ file to a website:
http://earth.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=173934

When you host a KML or KMZ, you are uploading a KML or KMZ file onto a public site with a URL. Hosting a KML or KMZ file allows you to:You can host a KML or KMZ file using:In Google Sites, create a page and pick "file cabinet" as the template. You can see an example of this on our website by clicking here
  • You are now within the File Cabinet and are ready to add files. Select "Add File", click "Browse" and then locate your file from within your hard drive. Once your file is selected, click "upload." Your file is now successfully hosted on the File Cabinet within your site.

Obtaining the URL from your KML or KMZ hosted on Google Sites

In Google Sites, go to your File Cabinet page and locate your KML or KMZ file. In Firefox, right click on the 'Download' hyperlink for that file and select "Copy Link Location.” This will copy the URL of your hosted KML or KMZ to your clipboard.


3. To embed Google Earth you need to create a page in your Google Site and get into edit mode.

Click on
insert>more gadgets>
in the set up your gadget dialog box select   >add gadget by url
then paste in the url below

 http://code.google.com/apis/kml/embed/embedkmlgadget.xml

4. The gadget will have a dialog box (click "properties") that appears in edit mode where you can paste in the url you got from your file cabinet page (see steps 1 and 2 above) that hosts your KML or KMZ file.

5. To view the embedded Google Earth map in your Google Site you will need a plug-in