Project Example - Display your cell phone images in Google Earth
Google Earth is a representation of the globe based on satellite imagery and aerial photography. It is available as a free stand alone application and as a plugin.
Google Earth offers the opportunity for users to overlay data through the use of the Keyhole Markup Language (KML). The demonstration that follows is based on a technique developed by Adam Franco which maps the geotagged images from a Flickr set to Google Earth. The images in our demonstrated where captured with an iPhone and then uploaded to Flickr. Information about Flickr is provided in Chapter 7. The Franco (use the link provided above) procedure generates a KML file and requires only that the user enter the Flickr Set identification number in the textfield on the web site and then wait to download the file that results. This KML file is then opened with Google Earth. Our demonstration shows what Google Earth then allows. This process should be relatively easy to implement and can be used to map images. We see relevant educational projects based on questions investigating the distribution of resources or problems of interest. For example, how are "full service" grocery stores and "convenience stores distributed within a community? Since full service grocery stores are assumed to provide more healthy choices, does it seem that some citizens living in some sections of a community are deprived in comparison to those living in another area?
Here is our demonstration of mapping images to locations in Google Earth (video). This video is also available in a larger size.
If would rather use our KML file than create your own, you can download the file we used to create the demonstration from our DropBox public folder.