The Earth Project :: Part The First

Okay, after a lot of browsing forums and tutorials and sites, I’ve decided that the next step is to create a small app that handles the KML files (KML Tutorial. It will run as an editor. New, Open, Save, Save As …

There is a lot I have no clue about yet. I need to examine more closely the dll’s in the Google Earth folder. Check out the functions in them, see what can be manipulated.

Also, I’m still not quite sure about what limitations the different versions hold. You can create whatever KML files you want, but I guess the ability to read all the parts of those files relies on the version of Google Earth you have. Version might not be the right word … as they’re all Version 2.0 (eg) … I guess the "Edition" maybe. Anyway.

Not that this is an impedance for the first stage of The Earth Project.

A KML Editor. It’s been done, no doubt. But I’ll do it again.

The Earth Project

Have decided to blog the latest crazy project my brain has latched onto.

Google Earth (the beta) has been out for a while now. Risk via Google Maps has been slashdotted. It’s a basic, but pretty cool, implementation showing what you can when scratching the surface of GEarth. GEwar is found at Google Earth Hacks. The game itself requires registration.

But anyway … on to the purpose. These, and other news, prompted my interest to expand. What can be done with Google Earth? Or indeed, with any other api’s from the Big Gurus … Microsoft, Yahoo, … There is a wealth of possibilities, but there needs to be direction, as always.

In the particular industry I’m thinking of, Google Earth has massive potential. Both Google Maps and Google Earth, although I particularly like the idea of being able to control Google Earth within your own application, but not sure if that’s possible yet. Ideally you would use both, to full advantage. Having both would maximise "viewership".

Anyway, will be charting the progress of this project. It may never fly, but if it does, it’ll be blogged here.