Google Earth Adds Outdoor Layer
Hiking, Biking, Running and Backpacking Trails with GPS Content
Trail information with the click of a mouse from Google Earth and Trimble Outdoors and content from Backpacker, Bicycling and Mountain Bike magazines.
The ubiquitous Google has teamed up with Trimble Outdoors to add an outdoor adventure layer to their popular software program Google Earth. This is a multimedia GPS content layer for outdoor adventure seekers that allows Google Earth users to view a variety of information about routes, GPS points, areas of interest, directions, descriptions, photos and even video and audio clips from the trail.
Usage is easy:
1. Start Google Earth
2. Go to "Layers" in the Sidebar on the left.
3. Expand the "Featured Content" folder under "Primary Database".
4. Click the "Trimble Outdoors Trips" checkbox and click as many details as you wish to view.
5. In the main window, pan and zoom into the area of interest to you until you see red lines and dots indicating Trimble Outdoors trips.
6. Continue to zoom in until you see little "Green Hikers".
7. Click on the Greek Hiker and a pop-up window will appear with a wealth data.
For instance, I decided to check out the Suwannee River Trail near White Springs, Florida. It's a trail I have thought about hiking on a future camping trip. Clicking on the Green Hiker icon gives me this information:
Contributed by: Backpacker Magazine
State: Florida
Length: 4.44 mi.
Activity:Backpacking
Difficulty: 5 / 10
Hike easy on a rolling 4.5-mile loop through bluffs and ravines to an oak hammock above this gorgeous riverway in northern Florida.
To Trailhead: Take I-10 W to US 41 N. After 8.5 miles, turn L onto Adams Memorial. Go .3 mile; trailhead is on R.
It also provides me with the option of sending the information to a GPS enabled cell phone, e-mailing the information to a friend (or myself), contributing my own hiking information on this trail (such as photos, videos or audio files) or viewing more information online. The more information online feature provides details such as where fences might cross the trail, where certain plant life may be found and exact GPS coordinates for each description given.
As always, on a Google Earth map, the lower left hand corner provides the GPS coordinates and the elevation of the location where the Green Hiker icon is located.
This Outdoor Adventure layer addition to Google Earth will allow hikers, backpackers, mountain bikers and running enthusiasts to access a wide variety of information on a new (or even a familiar) trail before ever stepping out the door.
