instructions for using the Rumsey Map Collection overlays in Google Earth.
I am not sure if the list allows for the sending of attachments but if
anyone wants these instructions in a word processing document, please let me
know and I will be happy to send a copy.
If anyone has suggestions on improving the instructions, I welcome the
comments.
Enjoy!
TJ
Background
Google and David Rumsey of Cartography Associates have teamed together to
provide historical map overlays for Google Earth. The overlays rely on the
Keyhole Markup Language (KML) standard for geographic information systems.
The current KML standard is KML 2.2 and is maintained by the Open
Geospatial Consortium (OGC).
Prerequisites
Google Earth 5.0 (http://earth.google.com/)
Installation of Rumsey Map Overlays
1. Launch Google Earth 5.0
2. Under the PLACES side bar menu, click Add Content
3. In the browser window in the main panel, paste the address to the Rumsey
Collection KMZ (http://www.davidrumsey.com/rumseycollection.kmz)
4. Select OPEN to import the Rumsey Collection KMZ into Google Earth
5. Rumsey Historical Maps should now be listed under Temporary Places under
the PLACES side bar menu
6. To permanently save the collection to Google Earth, click on the Rumsey
Historical Maps collection in the Temporary Places in the PLACES menu and
drag the collection to My Places in the PLACES menu
Displaying Rumsey Map Overlays
1. Connect to the Internet
2. Open Google Earth 5.0
3. In the PLACES menu under My Places, expand the Rumsey Historical Maps.
4. Select a map or maps from any of the sub menus by checking the box next
to the map name.
5. To manage the transparency of the map, use the slide bar under the PLACES
menu.
6. For additional Rumsey Map locator icons on the current map, select the
Map Finder option under Rumsey Historical Maps in the PLACES menu.
On Fri, Feb 13, 2009 at 9:04 AM, TJ Rainsford <tjrainsford@gmail.com> wrote:
> Greetings Everyone:
> As part of a recent lecture on the Age of Exploration, I utilized Google
> Earth to provide students with a sense of geographic scale comparing the
> "known world" of the Renaissance to the realities of Earth geography. While
> the integration of technology was well received by students (the WOW factor
> does have its advantages), it bothered me that I couldn't display historical
> borders showing the geo-political realities of the 16th Century world.
> Little did I know that a potential solution existed!
>
> David Rumsey, President of Cartography Associates and a fairly well known
> academic in his own right, began digitizing a sizable collection of
> historical maps about 12 years ago. The vast majority of this collection is
> available online at http://www.davidrumsey.com/ and are free for
> non-commercial use. But Rumsey has taken this a step farther. Working with
> the folks at Google, a growing number of the historical maps are now
> provided as overlays on Google Earth!
>
> Because of differences in cartography over time, the older maps don't
> always match up with the realities of modern land masses but that in and of
> itself is a great teaching aid. Using the latest version of Google Earth
> (5.0), educators can change the transparency of the overlays to move back
> and forth between the current and the historical. All of the existing
> features of Google Earth are also available even when the overlays are in
> place.
>
> If there is interest, I am happy to post the techno-babble you will need to
> set it up. As with many things Google, it is actually pretty straight
> forward and, thankfully, makes use of existing technical standards. Google
> has this nasty habit of providing these wonderful tools and not really
> advertising it...but I suppose that is to my benefit because I can look like
> the hero when I share it with others! :-)
>
> TJ
>
> --
> TJ Rainsford
> E: tjrainsford@gmail.com
>
>
>
--
TJ Rainsford
E: tjrainsford@gmail.com
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