Resources More Useful Links
Supplemental Site Inspection and Analysis Tools
A number of online resources can be used to prepare for, enhance, and extend the
inspection and analysis of a project site. The following resource links are provided
as a convenience and they represent some good examples of what's available today:
[If you have a site inspection/analysis resource recommendation for this page,
please
email us.]
Google Earth Pro
Access to online satellite and aerial imagery has been available via the free standard
version of Google Earth for over a decade now; however, starting in January 2016, the
advanced capabilities of
Google Earth Pro are also available for free (if a license key is requested during installation, enter
"GEPFREE"). If you have never seen this impressive virtual site inspection tool, then you
can't possibly imagine all that you have been missing. To get started, install and run Google Earth Pro,
enter a project address in the Search field then click the "Search" button; see
An Introduction to Google Earth Pro (PDF) and the
Google Earth User Guide (PDF) for detailed usage instructions.
Users of AGTEK's
PDF-enabled products
can import and display a site image saved from Google Earth (save a site image per these
brief instructions or see the steps starting at the 4:50 minute mark in this AGTEK
training video--support login required to watch the video). Import, align and display the saved Google Earth site
image in AGTEK as you would a PDF plan sheet.
Analytic Accessories for Google Earth (Install Google Earth Before Using These):
AGTEK Color Cut-Fill Map Overlay
Users of AGTEK's
SiteModel 3D,
GradeModel
3D, and Earthwork
4D products can export a plan-view color cut-fill map (and/or corresponding
PDF plan sheets) to a KMZ file which displays as an overlay layer in Google Earth
(see a PDF with
brief instructions or watch a detailed AGTEK training video for
Earthwork 4D). The KMZ export option is not available to AGTEK
Earthwork 3D users
but they can print a cut-fill map to PDF, convert the PDF to JPG then
upload and overlay
the JPG image in Google Earth.
Topographic Contour Map Overlay
Google Earth lacks a function to display elevation contours but a workaround is
to overlay a third-party topographic contour map. For a seamless overlay of
combined USGS "topo quads" for all U.S. states (and most U.S. territories), go to the
Earth Point Topo Maps on Google Earth page then click the "View
on Google Earth" button to open the EarthPointTopoMap_170102.kml
file in Google Earth (a resulting Earth Point Topo Map subfolder will be
located in Google Earth's Temporary Places folder but it can be moved
to the My Places folder for future use). For more control and
options you will prefer to use the
USGS topoView portal, which provides an intuitive map-based graphical
interface for the location and selection of individual topo quads with a choice
of topo quad edition (recent and historic) and download format--KMZ for Google
Earth and geo-referenced layered PDF/TIFF options (download a KMZ map file then
double-click it to view the topo map in Google Earth). Another topo map overlay
option is
Earth Survey QUADS. See these
interpretation resources
if you're not familiar with reading USGS topo maps.
State Plane Coordinate System (SPCS) Zone Map Overlay
Earth Survey provides access to numerous geodetic tools using Google Earth as a graphical interface,
including a tool for identifying the SPCS zone for any U.S. site location. Go to Earth Survey's
SPCS83 for Google Earth page for usage instructions and a "SPCGE" download link for the
tool's spcge.kml file (after running the KML, a SPCS83 for Google Earth folder will be located in
Google Earth's Temporary Places folder and it should be moved to the My Places folder for
future use; to display SPCS zone boundaries and shading, be sure the Zone Finder subfolder is checked).
The same SPCS zone identification information can also be accessed using the free browser-based
NGS Coordinate Conversion and Transformation Tool (NCAT) (click the "About Conversion Tool" tab
for a couple of NCAT training videos).
Locate NGS Survey Control Points
DSWorld is a free PC-based utility that makes it easy to search for NGS (National Geodetic Survey)
control points located near any U.S. site, with the results plotted in Google Earth (a 45-minute
training video covers the features and functions of DSWorld). The
Earth Survey NGSCS utility offers an alternate Google Earth interface to NGS control points.
Interactive Soil Map Overlay
Are you unfamiliar with a site's
soils and lacking a site-specific geotechnical report? Go to the California
Soil Resource Lab's
SoilWeb Apps page then click the "SoilWeb Earth" link to
open the SoilWeb.kmz file in Google Earth (a resulting SoilWeb subfolder
will be located in Google Earth's Temporary Places folder but it can
be moved to the My Places folder for future use). This soil mapping
tool is based on
USDA-NRCS soil survey data, with coverage for about 95% of the United States.
The map displays soil types in the area of interest with supporting descriptions
and, depending on location, additional details on engineering properties, vegetation,
etc. may also be included.
State Geologic Map Overlay
The USGS Mineral Resources page provides
Geologic Maps for the United States and KML/KMZ maps are available for all
states (except Alaska and Hawaii). Click the desired state kml/kmz file link
to open the map in Google Earth (a resulting state Geologic Units subfolder
will be located in Google Earth's Temporary Places folder but it can
be moved to the My Places folder for future use). The maps represent
lithology via color filling corresponding to this
interactive color legend.
Wetlands Data Map Overlay
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service provides a KML
Wetlands Data Map for the United States. Click the Wetlands-Data.kml
file link to open the map in Google Earth (a resulting FWS Wetlands & Riparian
Data subfolder will be located in Google Earth's Temporary Places
folder but it can be moved to the My Places folder for future use).
AGTEK-Readable 3D Topo Contours
Although the Topographic Contour Map Overlay options for Google Earth (see above) are used
only for a visual representation of site topography and the overlay contours cannot be imported and used
for surface modeling in AGTEK, there are a number of sources for 3D vector topo contours that can be used for surface
modeling in AGTEK. [Note: Don't expect survey-quality horizontal and vertical accuracy from these
sources (the 3D contours are typically sourced from the USGS for U.S.-located sites) but the resulting topo data may be a "good
enough" starting point for preliminary site analysis and planning uses.]
CAD-Earth Plus
CAD-Earth Plus (or CAD-Earth Premium)
(requires AutoCAD Full 2010+) provides a number of CAD/Google Earth data-interchange functions, including
the ability to capture and import a Google Earth terrain mesh (in user-defined units) and generate 3D contours
from the imported terrain mesh.
Cadmapper
The free browser-based
Cadmapper service allows users to download a DXF file containing 3D contours and 2D roadway alignments
for any site location. The spatial reference for Cadmapper's topo data is meters in UTM zone coordinates,
which is an inconvenience for most U.S. users.
USGS TNM Download
USGS Topo Map/GIS Data (The National Map viewer) corresponds to the USGS topo maps discussed under Topographic Contour Map
Overlay options for Google Earth (see above) but the GIS (Geographic Information System) data equivalents
contain 3D topo contours, newer data sets and many additional data layers in GeoPDF and GeoTIFF formats
(click here
for some training videos on various topo map data products). LiDAR and DEM data are also available. Depending on the selected format, some GIS map data may not be directly readable
by AGTEK, such as the ESRI geodatabase (GDB) format; however, GDB files can be read by
QGIS
(a free open-source GIS program) and the 3D topo contours can then be exported from QGIS to an AGTEK-readable format such
as DXF. [Tip: The layered vector GeoPDF topo maps downloaded from the site can be directly
imported by AGTEK. Although the vector GeoPDF maps contain 2D topo contours, the contours can be quickly elevated in AGTEK
and this may be the easier approach for many AGTEK users.]
Other Resources
Here are a few more resources that might be worth a look ...
