Use Google Earth and GPS To Find Your Destination
We were planning a visit to a relatives house, one to which we've been but I had forgotten exactly which road to turn on to get there.
We would be taking our 5th-wheel trailer, as we'd be camping at their homestead.
The Find > Address answer in my GPS was ambiguous.
I wanted solid confirmation that we would be going to the correct place.
What to do? Google Earth to the rescue! I opened Google Earth and quickly found the location.
Then, I placemarked the location.
(Add > Placemark) Once the placemark pin was inserted, I right clicked on the pin, went to Properties, and read off and wrote down the latitude and longitude.
The next step was to create a waypoint in my GPS by manually putting the latitude and longitude into the GPS.
When I arrived at the destination, a bit over 200 miles away, I drove up to the camping spot and stopped before backing the trailer into the spot they had prepared for us.
I glanced at the GPS data field: Distance to Destination: 3 feet! The combination of Google Earth and GPS can be a provide a simple, yet very high-tech, way to find practically any spot on the face of the earth.
Here are some things for which it may prove useful:
In the situations described above, the major inaccuracy will be introduced by your setting of the Placemark.
Accuracy of the GPS itself will probably be within a very few tens of feet.
Copyright 2007
We would be taking our 5th-wheel trailer, as we'd be camping at their homestead.
The Find > Address answer in my GPS was ambiguous.
I wanted solid confirmation that we would be going to the correct place.
What to do? Google Earth to the rescue! I opened Google Earth and quickly found the location.
Then, I placemarked the location.
(Add > Placemark) Once the placemark pin was inserted, I right clicked on the pin, went to Properties, and read off and wrote down the latitude and longitude.
The next step was to create a waypoint in my GPS by manually putting the latitude and longitude into the GPS.
When I arrived at the destination, a bit over 200 miles away, I drove up to the camping spot and stopped before backing the trailer into the spot they had prepared for us.
I glanced at the GPS data field: Distance to Destination: 3 feet! The combination of Google Earth and GPS can be a provide a simple, yet very high-tech, way to find practically any spot on the face of the earth.
Here are some things for which it may prove useful:
- Find campground or RV park
- Locate destination for a load of goods to be delivered
- Find a business which you need to visit
- Locate a relative's home
- Find the location of a hall or hotel where you will be making a presentation.
In the situations described above, the major inaccuracy will be introduced by your setting of the Placemark.
Accuracy of the GPS itself will probably be within a very few tens of feet.
Copyright 2007
