January 2021

Geospatial Guidance Note II

Collecting spatial data using Google Earth Pro

Who is this Guidance Document useful for?

Humanitarian emergencies necessitate the fast and effective use and sharing of geographical
information. Mapping technologies are becoming more accessible and streamlined, and there is
a growing demand from humanitarian practitioners for guidance on how to use these tools in
their work.

This guidance has been developed for humanitarian workers who would like to learn how they
could use Google Earth Pro, which is freely available, to collect spatial data relevant to the NEAT+
or other humanitarian processes. The guidance is intended for beginners who are new to Google
Earth Pro. While the downloading of the software and caching of satellite imagery will require an
internet connection, Google Earth can also be used offline provided some basic set-up is
conducted first.

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Collecting additional data using Google Earth Pro 1

Who is this Guidance Document useful for? 1
Introduction: What is GIS? 3
What is Google Earth Pro and what is it useful for? 3
Using Google Earth Pro to collect information relevant to the NEAT+ 4
Navigating in Google Earth 5
Set up measurements and settings 6
Google Earth “Places” 6
Set up folders 7
Organize folders 7
How to Map in Google Earth Pro 8
Editing Mapped Data 8
Saving your Places 9
What to do with the data? 10
Caching Google Earth Imagery 10
Annex B: Additional learning resources 12

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Introduction: What is GIS?

For an introduction to GIS and list of useful data sources and platforms, see the Geospatial
Guidance Note I, provided in the NEAT+ Toolkit.

What is Google Earth Pro and what is it useful for?

Maps are vital tools for decision making, especially in emergency response and humanitarian
planning. The use of maps is not limited to the post-disaster response phase, but also a
prerequisite for understanding natural hazards and communities’ vulnerability to them.
Understanding how to access maps and collect data is becoming a valued resource in
humanitarian organizations.
Google Earth and Google Maps are widely used to explore the world’s geography. Google Earth
Pro is a free desktop 3D interactive mapping software, useful for planning, development, and
mapping. It allows viewing and exploration of the whole of earth’s surface, and other geographical
information such as settlement names, roads, and thematic information. It is possible to use
Google Earth as a platform to view and map spatial data that you collect yourself or obtain from
partner organizations in appropriate formats.
Google Earth and Google Earth Pro differ from Google Maps in that both programs are three-
dimensional, viewed in a separate application, and users must first be connected to the internet.
Google Earth is a simplified version of Google Earth Pro which is available online. Google Earth
Pro, however, offers several more advanced features such as mapping multiple points at once,
creating high resolution photos, and advanced geolocation search. It is also possible to cache
satellite imagery in Google Earth Pro for offline use, which makes it more advantageous to use
than Google Earth. You can download Google Earth Pro here:
https://www.google.com/earth/versions/
Why use Google Earth Pro:

● Collect spatial data about the area of interest

● Create maps using collected data
● Explore satellite imagery
● Designed for users who are not highly technical or map experts
● Powerful interactive tool for communicating spatial information
Beyond collecting data for the NEAT+, Google Earth Pro can also be useful for other humanitarian
work, such as collecting and displaying “who-what-where” data, obtaining and displaying
information to orientate new arrivals, display information about infrastructure, damage and
hazards, and showing possible evacuation routes.

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Using Google Earth Pro to collect information relevant to the

NEAT+
In cases where site-level information is not available, it may be necessary to conduct discussions
and interviews with host and refugee communities to gain a more integrated understanding of
the environmental history and context of the situation. Using Google Earth Pro provides an
unparalleled opportunity to conduct detailed participatory and spatially explicit discussions about
land-based practices. Basic equipment includes a laptop running Google Earth Pro (with key
imagery ‘cached’) and note-taking equipment such as paper, an audio-recorder or video camera.
It is important to note that much of the data, including imagery, roads, borders and other
information is stored on Google servers and the software dynamically downloads only the data
you are viewing. The imagery in Google Earth Pro is not in real-time. The following guidance is not
a guide to participatory mapping processes, merely to help you use Google Earth Pro as a
technical means to understand site level information. For more information about best practices
in participatory mapping, please visit http://www.ppgis.net/.
Questions that may be useful to ask that are relevant to the NEAT+ and humanitarian planning:

● What natural resources are you using for shelter and fuel? Where do you collect them and
how has this changed over time?
● Where do you conduct your livelihood activity?
● Where do you dispose of waste?
● Where do you experience natural hazards (if any) and how has this changed over time?

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The Google Earth Interface

Each time you start Google Earth Pro, the Earth appears in the main window. The area that
shows the Earth is called the 3D viewer.

1. Search panel 6. Save image/print

2. Hide/show sidebar 7. Navigation
3. Draw features (placemark, polygon, 8. Status bar
path)
4. Image overlay 9. Layer panel
5. Measure 10. Places panel

Changing the Language

You can change the language displayed in Google Earth Pro. To do this:

• Click Tools > Options > General tab

• Under the Language settings, choose the language of your choice.

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Navigating in Google Earth

To navigate in Google Earth, use the navigation tools in the upper-right corner of the
3D viewer.

● Rotate the map by clicking on the grey ring and dragging it around. To turn the
map north again, click once on the “N”.
● Move your view, or tilt the viewer and look around from a different perspective,
by clicking on the arrows around the eye.
● Move (or “pan”) around the map, by clicking the arrows outside hand.
● Zoom in or out on the map, by clicking and dragging the zoom slider. You can
also click on the zoom in the “+” or out “-“ buttons to zoom in, or double-click
these buttons to zoom in or out all the way.

Set up measurements and settings

Prior to mapping, you can pre-set how Google
Earth records your data. This can be set up
through Tools > Options.
Once in Google Earth Options, click on the 3D View
tab.

● On “Show Lat/Long,” click on “Decimal

Degrees.”
● On “Show Elevation,” click on “Meters,
Kilometers.”
● On “Terrain Quality,” adjust the slider to
“Higher.”
● Click “Apply”.

Google Earth “Places”

Use the Places panel (red box) to organize and save your data that you will create, and other
peoples’ Google Earth data that you have downloaded from the Internet. All data stored in the “My

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Places” folder will be saved for
subsequent sessions and will still
appear under “My Places” after you
exit and restart the program.
Data located in the “Temporary
Places” folder are temporary, and will
not be saved the next time you start
Google Earth again. To move data
from “Temporary Places” to “My
Places”, click and drag each item to
the “My Places” folder. Note that data
in the Places panel can only be
viewed on the computer you are
using, as the file is not online or
public.

Set up folders
To set up folders to store your data, right-click on
“My Places”.
● Click on “Add”
● Click on “Folder”
● Name the folder

Organize folders
It is extremely important to be organized with your data, especially in a participatory mapping
environment. Setting up the folders prior to discussions will ensure that capturing data will be
easier and streamlined. You can place folders by question type or participants within other folders
by clicking and dragging them into the desired hierarchy. Determine in advance what information
you need to record for each site (for example, date of data collection or site name).

If you downloaded Google Earth Pro, you can import GIS files (e.g. ESRI shape files, MapInfo,
KML/KMZ, etc.) from a variety of sources with relative ease. Once loaded, you can see the points,
lines and areas, along with an embedded table showing data from the attribute tables of the file.
You cannot edit this table in Google Earth Pro.

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How to Map in Google Earth Pro

To add features:
● Zoom into the area on the map
where you would like to add a
feature.
● Right click on the folder you
would like to add it to.
● Click “Add”.
● Click “Placemark” for a point,
“Polygon” for a polygon, or “Path”
for a line. In this example we will
create a polygon feature.
● Add a name for the polygon
feature and a description.
● At this point you can change the color and style of the polygon feature (red box). This can
also be changed later.
● Keep the dialogue open and move it to the side of the screen. Start drawing the polygon
feature, double-clicking when you are finished. If you make a mistake, right-click anywhere
in the viewer to undo the most recent portion that has been drawn.
● Click “OK” when you are finished. Your new place should appear in the folder you selected
in the “My Places” panel.

Editing Mapped Data

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To edit a placemark (point):
● Right-click on the placemark in the viewer or in the Places panel.
● Choose “Properties”.
● Click and drag the icon to change the location or edit the text and click “OK” when finished.
To edit a path or polygon:
● Right-click on the path or polygon in the 3D viewer or in the Places panel.
● Choose “Properties”.
● Click on any part of the line or polygon to select a node, then click and drag to the correct
location.
● Edit the text if required, and click “OK” when you are finished.

Saving your Places

You can save your project and places to your computer in a KMZ and/or KML file format. A Google
Earth project file is a KML file, with a filetype extension of .kml or .kmz. KMZ files are compressed
files that are smaller than KML files. Be sure to save regularly throughout any interviewing
process, as Google Earth is known to shut down unexpectedly.
To save your entire project as a KMZ file:

● Right-click on the folder you want to save.

● Select “Save Place As…” and navigate to the correct folder on your computer.
● Enter the file name and in the “Save as type” dialogue, select KMZ.
● Click Save.

If you want to save individual data as KML files, repeat the process but select KML in the “Save
as type” dialogue.

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What to do with the data?

KML and KMZ files can be imported into GIS software such as ArcGIS Pro or QGIS and
integrated into geodatabases to support planning processes for the area of interest. Sharing
information, collaborations on tasks and coordination of activities among personnel in different
organizations is an important part of successful humanitarian work. Sharing data helps to
provide near real time situational awareness and collect/display assessment data for
operations. With new data against old you can evaluate and monitor change in a situation and
transfer knowledge within a community. Some specific applications for humanitarian work have
been mentioned in the introduction to this guidance note.

Making maps
You can also create maps directly in Google Earth by clicking on the “Save Image” button in the
top toolbar (redbox), as in the example below.

Caching Google Earth Imagery

You can cache Google Earth imagery if you will be interviewing in a low-bandwidth location or in
a location with no internet.
How to cache imagery:

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1. Draw a quick polygon around what you want to cache.
2. Turn off layers in the Layers Panel (unless you need them).
3. Clear the cache (Google Earth > Preferences > Cache > Clear disk cache)
4. Fly around the area of interest, and let the imagery load and cache.
5. Turn off Wifi and test your cache.
Additional tips:

● You can cache up to 2000MB of imagery - so prioritize:

● Do a low-resolution sweep of a larger area OR do a high-resolution sweep of a smaller
area,
● Monitor how much cache space you are using as you go,
● Save cache folders of locations you frequently work in.

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Annex A: Additional learning resources

Google Earth and Participatory Mapping:

1. Google Earth Outreach:
http://earth.google.com/outreach/
a) Showcase – View KMZ files produced by others
b) Tutorials – Watch video tutorials and find helpful tools and resources
c) Community – Connect with others using Google Earth tools
d) Grants – Available for non-profits and communities
2. PPGis.net: Open Forum on Participatory Geographic Information Systems and
Technologies
http://www.ppgis.net/

Remote sensing:

1. Satellite Observations in Science Education: Principles in Remote Sensing.

https://www.ssec.wisc.edu/sose/pirs_activity.html

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