How do I choose, Google Earth or Google Maps?
Installing Google Earth
How do I install Google Earth?
Version 6 settings
Using Google Earth
Learn more about Google Earth
Keyboard shortcuts
Using Google Maps
Learn more about Google Maps
Using Earth Point
Is there a fee for using Earth Point?
Icons and colors
Save the real estate listings
Boise, Idaho Real Estate Listings
Use a Google Earth aerial view as an MLS picture
How do I list my house for sale on Google Earth?
Parcel numbers
Enter the correct county
Virtual tours
Is Earth Point available in other cities?
Township and Range
Texas Land Survey
Coordinate Grids
How do I choose, Google Earth or Google Maps?
If you have a newer computer and a faster internet connection, then try Google Earth.
The interface is incredible. Google Earth is a 3-D experience. You can
look at features from any angle and you can zoom in and out with ease. Google
Earth is free software that is downloaded to your PC. Google Earth must run
on a newer computer and you need a DSL or cable modem internet connection or better.
Google Maps is a 2-D experience. It uses the same satellite images as Google
Earth, but you can't tilt or rotate the perspective. Google Maps is viewed
from the web browser. No additional software is needed. Google Maps
can run on older computers and with a slower internet connection.
How do I install Google Earth?
This link takes you to Google Earth's
install page. If you already have Google Earth installed,
the installation program will update you to the latest version. Google recommends
a computer that is no more than four years old (two years for a laptop) connected
to the internet with a DSL or cable modem or better. A dial-up connection
is too slow.
Recommended settings for version 6
I recommend the following settings for Google Earth version 6. From the Google
Earth menu, click on "Tools", then "Options". Then
1.
|
On the "3D View" tab, you might like an "Elevation Exaggeration" of 1.2 or 1.3
However, if you are in a mountainous area viewing one of the Earth Point grids (Townships
and Range, UMT, MGRS, etc.), then you might want to turn the elevation off.
The reason is that the grid lines follow the mountain terrain, and looks distorted.
|
2.
|
Click on the "Navigation" tab. Under "Mouse Wheel" click "Invert mouse wheel
zoom direction". Under the "Navigation" section, click "Do not automatically
tilt while zooming". Also select "Gradually slow the Earth when rotating or
zooming".
|
3.
|
Click on the "General" tab. Put a check mark next to "Show web results in
external browser" Set the "Email Program" as desired.
|
Learn more about Google Earth
Read the
help file
that comes with Google Earth
Read the
Google Earth
Basics article at
Google Earth
Blog.
Read the
Google Earth Blog,
the definitive Google Earth blog site.
Read the forums, such as
Google Earth Community (also available from the Google Earth
help menu)
Google Earth in the classroom.
Google Earth Lessons
Juicy Geography
How stuff works -
Google Earth
Search
Google
for Google Earth topics....
Keyboard shortcuts
Use "control" and "shift" together with the arrow keys.
Press the left mouse button and drag the mouse.
Spin the mouse wheel.
Some folks like to press down the mouse wheel and drag the mouse.
With any of the above, press "alt" to slow down the movement.
Function
|
Keyboard Shortcut*
|
Mouse Shortcut*
|
Zoom in and out
|
ctrl-up and ctrl-down cursor key
|
- mouse wheel, or
- right-click and drag mouse
|
Spin left
|
shift-right cursor key
|
- ctrl-mouse wheel, or
- press mouse wheel and drag mouse
|
Move left, right, forwards, and backwards
|
cursor keys
|
- left click and drag the mouse
|
Spin right
|
shift-right arrow keys
|
- ctrl-mouse wheel, or
- press mouse wheel and drag mouse
|
Tilt up and down
|
shift-up and down cursor keys
|
- ctrl-mouse wheel, or
- press mouse wheel and drag mouse
|
*If the "alt" key is also pressed, then these actions slow down, which can be handy.
Learn more about Google Maps
Read
Google Maps Mania, the definitive
Google Maps Blog
Is there a fee for using Earth Point?
While many features are more convenient if used with a subscription, all of the
utilities will work without one.
- There is no charge for the real estate or property search features, which cover
the Boise, Idaho area.
- A subscription is best for those utilities that display a grid on Google Earth,
such as Township and Range, Texas Land Survey, and the Coordinant Grids. Without
a subscription, these utilities display a pop-up message every ten minutes, asking
you to purchase a subscription. After one day, the grid is deactivated, but
continues to display pop-up messages. At this point, the user should remove
the grid from Google Earth.
- No subscription is needed for the one-time lookups, such as the Township and Range
"Fly To" buttons, or the single Coordinate Conversions.
- The Excel To Kml utility is limited to 200 rows of data with out a subscription.
If a subscription is utilized, tens of thousands of rows can be mapped.
- Polygon area is limited to five polygons.
- Batch Convert is limited to five rows of data.
Icons and colors
Each price range has a separate icon color. Each listing type has its own
icon shape and its own property line color.
Listing Type
|
Price Range
|
Property
Line
Color
|
$0 to
$100,000
|
$100,000 to
$200,000
|
$200,000 to
$300,000
|
$300,000 to
$400,000
|
$400,000 plus
|
Residential
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Land
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Farm and Ranch
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Residential Income
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Business Commercial
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
New Listings of any type
|
|
|
|
|
|
As above
|
Save the real estate listings
Initially, the real estate listings are placed in the "Temporary Places" folder
of Google Earth. When you exit Google Earth, there will be a message.
Click "Yes" so that these items will be there when Google Earth is restarted.
That way, your listings will be refreshed every day.
Table of Contents
Home
|
Homes and property for sale mapped onto Google Earth and Google Maps.
|
Intro
|
Illustrates the features of Earth Point and includes screen shots of properties
and listings on Google Earth.
|
Q & A
|
Questions and answers.
|
Property Search
|
County-wide address lookup and mapping, includes assessor's data.
|
County GIS
|
Interactive roof-top address and data browser. Draws property lines as you
move about in Google Earth.
|
Township & Range
|
Displays the United States Public Land Survey System on Google Earth.
|
Around Town
|
Schools, traffic cameras, webcams, historical sites.
|
Press
|
Google Earth Blog, Inman news, Idaho Statesman, Kuna Melba News.
|
Blog
|
Updates, news, topics of interest.
|
About
|
Earth Point.
|
Two Steps
1. Install Google Earth. The
Q & A page
links you to it.
2. Download the listings. Enter the search criteria, click the "View on Google
Earth" button.
|
Once downloaded, the listings are automatically updated every day. Included
are the cities of Boise, Caldwell, Eagle, Garden City, Greenleaf, Kuna, Melba, Meridian,
Middleton, Nampa, Notus, Parma, Star, and Wilder.
|
How do I use a Google Earth aerial view as an MLS picture?
Open Google Earth. Zoom to your listing property. Frame the view as
you want it to appear in MLS. On the Google Earth menu, click "File", then
"Save Image". The view will be saved as a "jpg" file, which is perfect for
uploading to MLS. In accordance with the Google Earth copyright agreement,
do not trim Google's name off of the picture.
If you would like to include property lines in the Google Earth view, then first
go to the Earth Point
Property Search
page. Enter the parcel number or numbers, click the "View on Google Earth"
button, and proceed as above.
If the listing is already in MLS, another method is to go to the Earth Point
Home
page. Uncheck the "Residential" listing type. Enter the MLS number.
Click the "View on Google Earth" button.
How do I list my house for sale on Google Earth?
Earth Point gets its listing data from Intermountain Multiple Listing Service, which
is the database realtors use. So long as your realtor enters a correct parcel
number or numbers, your listing will appear on Google Earth. If Initial Pointe
Realty is your realtor, no worries, the listing will appear! Otherwise, your
realtor can read the following or give me a call.
- The property must be in Ada or Canyon counties, Idaho.
- The listing must be entered into the Intermountain Multiple Listing Service database.
- The correct parcel number or parcel numbers must be entered. In Canyon County,
please use the account number. Multiple parcel or account numbers can be entered
so long as they are separated by spaces or commas. For "Land" listings, parcel
or account numbers can also be entered into the "Additional Parcel Numbers" field.
Parcel numbers
This information is for realtors who enter your listing into the MLS system.
The best advice is to enter the parcel number with care and to make sure it is correct.
The correct format for a parcel number is R1234567890. That is, a letter followed
by exactly ten numeric digits. In Ada County, the letter can be "R", "S",
or "O". In Canyon County, the only letter used is "R". If the number
you are using has any other format, then it is not correct.
Parcel numbers do not start with "5" or "6". Parcel numbers do not contain
dashes or spaces. To repeat, parcel numbers start with a letter, and are followed
by exactly ten numeric digits.
Sadly, the complicated part.
It is not easy to get the correct number in Canyon County, because two numbers and
several formats are in use. Let's use the Canyon County court house as an
example.
Address: 1115 Albany Street, Caldwell
Account Number: R0502100000
Parcel Number: C1210031001A
In Canyon County, always use the account number, "R0502100000". The parcel
number is obsolete.
Incorrect practices common in Canyon County include:
- If the last five digits of the account number are zeros, they are dropped - "R05021"
- A year designator is added to the beginning of the account number - "6R0502100000"
or "5R0502100000"
- The obsolete parcel number is used - "C1210031001A"
- The obsolete parcel number is used, and "5R" or "6R" is added to the beginning -
"6RC1210031001A"
- Punctuation is added to the account number - "R05021-00000"
- Any and all combinations of the above.
Earth Point will try to work around these errors. However, to ensure that
a Canyon County listing is correctly displayed on Google Earth, please enter a correct
Account Number. That is, the letter "R" followed by ten numeric digits, no
punctuation, no letters.
Problems with the Canyon County obsolete parcel number.
- The obsolete parcel number does not always identify the correct lot.
- If road runs through the property, then there could be two separate lot lines in
the Canyon County mapping file. Both lot lines will be displayed only if the
listing uses the Account number. If the obsolete parcel number is entered,
then only one of the lot lines will be displayed.
Enter the correct county
Enter the county for which taxes are collected. If the incorrect county is
entered into IMLS, the property will not display on Google Earth. Data entry
errors sometimes occur for properties located close to the Ada-Canyon county line.
A property can have a mailing address that indicates that it is is one county, but
it is really located in the other. For example, some Ada county properties
have Nampa addresses, but Nampa is in Canyon County. Always enter the county for
which the property is taxed.
Virtual Tours
Earth Point recognizes and links to the following virtual tours:
Please let me know if your listing uses a tour that is not on the list.
Is Earth Point available in other cities?
Exclusive licenses and technical assistance are available.
Most larger cities have the necessary elements.
- High-resolution Google Earth imagery.
- Mapping files (called shape files. as provided by the county assessor's office or
provincial office. These files define the property boundaries of each lot.
- Access to the IDX data files provided by the local MLS organization.
Just like houses, Earth Point applications are built one at a time. This is
because each county assessor's office has its own way of organizing its property
data, each MLS has a different format for the IDX data, and each broker has their
unique vision of how Earth Point should be implemented.
Township and Range
Here are the detailed set-up instructions for Township and Range. The Texas
Land Survey and the Coordinate Grids are set up in the same way. Please call
anytime if I can help you set up your computer. (208) 860-6311 I am
happy to give you a tour of Earth Point features anytime.
If you are getting pop-up messages in Google Earth asking you to purchase an Earth
Point subscription, then the first step is to delete the offending links from Google
Earth. Once this is done, sign into your Earth Point account and load a new
Township and Range grid into Google Earth.
If you are getting pop-up messages, delete the offending links.
- On the left side of the Google Earth screen is a window called "Places", which is
a folders view of the files in Google Earth. If you don't have a "Places"
window, then from the Google Earth menu, click "View", "Sidebar".
- Find all folders with the words "Earth Point" in them, especially "Earth Point Trial"
and "Earth Point Please Delete".
- If you have trouble finding these folders, press the ctrl-F keys on your keyboard,
a small "Find" utility is displayed at the bottom of the places window. Search
for "Earth Point".
- Right-click these folders (ctrl-click on the Mac).
- Select "Delete" from the pop-up menu.
- Repeat until they are all gone.
- Press ctrl-F again to hide the "Find" utility.
Get the Township and Range Grid from Earth Point.
- Go to the Earth Point Townships page at www.earthpoint.us/Townships.aspx
- Make sure you are signed in. Look in the upper right corner of the web page.
If you see your email address, then you are signed in. Proceed to the next step.
Otherwise, click the "Sign In / Buy Subscription" link. Enter your email address
and password. On left side of the web page, under "USA Utilities", select
"Township & Range" from the menu.
- Find the heading "BLM Township, Range, and Section". It is next to the picture,
just down from the top of the page.
- Below that, click the "View On Google Earth" button. This loads the township
and range grid onto Google Earth.
- If prompted, you want to "Open" the file, not save it.
Hints:
How to save the grid permanently in Google Earth. By default, Google Earth
will delete the townships grid when Google Earth closes. If this happens,
then you have to keep getting new grids from the Earth Point web site. However,
if you save the grid, then it will always be there when Google Earth is opened.
- To save it permanently, right-click the folder "Earth Point Townships" (ctrl-click
on the Mac).
- From the pop-up menu, select "Save To My Places".
How to turn the grid on and off.
- To the left of the folder name "Earth Point Townships" is a check box.
- Click the check box to turn the grid on and off.
Texas Land Survey
Here are the detailed set-up instructions for Texas Land Survey. Township
and Range and the Coordinate Grids are set up in the same way. Please call
anytime if I can help you set up your computer. (208) 860-6311 I am
happy to give you a tour of Earth Point features anytime.
If you are getting pop-up messages in Google Earth asking you to purchase an Earth
Point subscription, then the first step is to delete the offending links from Google
Earth. Once this is done, sign into your Earth Point account and load a new
Texas Land Survey grid into Google Earth.
If you are getting pop-up messages, delete the offending links.
- On the left side of the Google Earth screen is a window called "Places", which is
a folders view of the files in Google Earth. If you don't have a "Places"
window, then from the Google Earth menu, click "View", "Sidebar".
- Find all folders with the words "Earth Point" in them, especially "Earth Point Trial"
and "Earth Point Please Delete".
- If you have trouble finding these folders, press the ctrl-F keys on your keyboard,
a small "Find" utility is displayed at the bottom of the places window. Search
for "Earth Point".
- Right-click these folders (ctrl-click on the Mac).
- Select "Delete" from the pop-up menu.
- Repeat until they are all gone.
- Press ctrl-F again to hide the "Find" utility.
Get the Texas Land Survey Grid from Earth Point.
- Go to the Earth Point Texas Land Survey page at www.earthpoint.us/TexasLandSurvey.aspx
- Make sure you are signed in. Look in the upper right corner of the web page.
If you see your email address, then you are signed in. Proceed to the next step.
Otherwise, click the "Sign In / Buy Subscription" link. Enter your email address
and password. On left side of the web page, under "USA Utilities", select
"Texas Land Survey" from the menu.
- Find the heading "Texas Land Survey Abstracts". It is next to the picture,
just down from the top of the page.
- Below that, click the "View On Google Earth" button. This loads the Texas
Land Survey grid onto Google Earth.
- If prompted, you want to "Open" the file, not save it.
Hints:
How to save the grid permanently in Google Earth. By default, Google Earth
will delete the land survey grid when Google Earth closes. If this happens,
then you have to keep getting new grids from the Earth Point web site. However,
if you save the grid, then it will always be there when Google Earth is opened.
- To save it permanently, right-click the folder "Earth Point Texas Land Survey" (ctrl-click
on the Mac).
- From the pop-up menu, select "Save To My Places".
How to turn the grid on and off.
- To the left of the folder name "Earth Point Texas Land Survey" is a check box.
- Click the check box to turn the grid on and off.
Coordinate Grids
Here are the detailed set-up instructions for Coordinate Grids. Township and
Range and Texas Land Survey are set up in the same way. Please call anytime
if I can help you set up your computer. (208) 860-6311 I am happy to
give you a tour of Earth Point features anytime.
If you are getting pop-up messages in Google Earth asking you to purchase an Earth
Point subscription, then the first step is to delete the offending links from Google
Earth. Once this is done, sign into your Earth Point account and load a new
Coordinate Grids into Google Earth.
If you are getting pop-up messages, delete the offending links.
- On the left side of the Google Earth screen is a window called "Places", which is
a folders view of the files in Google Earth. If you don't have a "Places"
window, then from the Google Earth menu, click "View", "Sidebar".
- Find all folders with the words "Earth Point" in them, especially "Earth Point Trial"
and "Earth Point Please Delete".
- If you have trouble finding these folders, press the ctrl-F keys on your keyboard,
a small "Find" utility is displayed at the bottom of the places window. Search
for "Earth Point".
- Right-click these folders (ctrl-click on the Mac).
- Select "Delete" from the pop-up menu.
- Repeat until they are all gone.
- Press ctrl-F again to hide the "Find" utility.
Get the Coordinate Grid from Earth Point.
- Go to the Earth Point Coordinate Grids page at www.earthpoint.us/Grids.aspx
- Make sure you are signed in. Look in the upper right corner of the web page.
If you see your email address, then you are signed in. Proceed to the next step.
Otherwise, click the "Sign In / Buy Subscription" link. Enter your email address
and password. On left side of the web page, under "Worldwide Utilities", select
"Coordinate Grids" from the menu.
- Click the button corresponding to the grid you wish to view. This loads the
grid onto Google Earth.
- If prompted, you want to "Open" the file, not save it.
Hints:
How to save the grid permanently in Google Earth. By default, Google Earth
will delete the grid when Google Earth closes. If this happens, then you have
to keep getting new grids from the Earth Point web site. However, if you save
the grid, then it will always be there when Google Earth is opened.
- To save it permanently, right-click the folder "Earth Point Grid" (ctrl-click on
the Mac).
- From the pop-up menu, select "Save To My Places".
How to turn the grid on and off.
- To the left of the folder name "Earth Point Grid" is a check box.
- Click the check box to turn the grid on and off.