Google Earth as a route building tool

bfmoran · Post by **bfmoran** » Mon Jan 23, 2006 1:20 pm

Route builders might wish to look at the possibilities for acurate track work by using the 'Google Earth' programme. Most major European cities are included in high resolution and it is possible to easily see, for example, the track-work entering major stations (e.g. in London, Euston Station). Most conveniently, there is a measuring tool so it is easy, for example, to obtain the length of a platform, train shed or other major buildings. There is an option to add railway lines as a layer. Even in low resolution areas, it is possible in many cases to follow the actual line of track with the assistance of the railway layer. The latitude, longitude and height of any location pointed to by your mouse is automatically provided. so it is easy to take a 'snapshot' of a location and import that snapshot to a programme such as TS Tools or TSTF. or other marker generating programme.

Snapshots could also be converted into terrain tiles though I have not tried this myself.

There are three versions of the programme, but the basic one, which is free, is adequate for route building. You can obtain the programme from
http://earth.google.com/.

I am using this, along with DEM data (as an alternative to OS maps) to build the Dublin to Rosslare route in Ireland.

saddletank · Post by **saddletank** » Mon Jan 23, 2006 3:19 pm

Been discussed before several times. Please search the forums before posting that you have found something 'new'. It rarely is!

Martin

mikesimpson · Post by **mikesimpson** » Mon Jan 23, 2006 10:25 pm

Hi Martin,

Although it has been discussed previously, over the past couple of months, much more of the UK is now included in the high-resolution areas, so it well worth another look at for those who tried early last year and were disappointed.

Mike.

moranb · Post by **moranb** » Mon Jan 23, 2006 10:48 pm

Actually, I did a search for 'Google Earth' and got more than 1200 'hits' - or some 60 pages, the vast majority of which had nothing to do with this programme.. Normally the most relevant hits come up first in the search but in this case (as I have now discovered) they are far down the list.

I still believe that it is a more useful tool than perhaps the earlier posts had indicated.