News update: Skyline, India, teaching resources…

  • Over on Google Earth Community, Mike points to a VBA macro application for AutoCAD Map 5 that

    writes KML from AutoCAD, “with support for lines and polylines”. Examples are provided, but I can’t test this myself, obvs. If anyone tries it, feedback is welcome.

  • 3pointD.com has an interesting idea for mashing up Second Life with Google Earth to make the latter more collaborative when it comes to local information.
  • Grade school eachers, register for free to get access to TeachingHacks blog‘s Google Earth 101 online web resource. Here’s how. (Via IMYM Tutorials)
  • DIY GPS Datalogger. Sweet.
  • What would it be like to navigate Google Earth with this UI device: the SpaceBall 5000 from 3dconnexion. (Via Spaceball77 on Google Earth Community)
  • ArcDex [GIS2.0] blog posts a tutorial on how to convert ArcMap data to KML using the Export to KML ArcScript available at ESRI.com.
  • SKMap, a Skype-Google Maps mashup, now has more refined Google Earth support.
  • Now India’s ex-defence minister, George Fernandez, is being trotted out to slam Google Earth. Fernandez is a reknown nuclear hawk who presided over India’s nuclear tests while denying their existence back in 1998: About Google Earth, he says: “It is dangerous. There is a reason to worry. This will affect our national security. I will look into it and express my concerns to the government,” But what about Iran? ‘He said New Delhi need not be bothered about “what US thinks of Iran” as India was a “major political power”. “Iran has always been our friend. We should see to it that no harm comes to it,” he said.’ Riiiight. Google Earth is dangerous. Iran is not.
  • Google Earth patent infringement update: Skyline issues a press release noting that the trial date has been set in an expedited manner, and that this “usually a strong indication that the court views the claims of patent infringement as having real substance”.
  • Regardless of whether these conspiracy theorists are right or merely barking, you can’t fault their use of Google Earth to bring the downing of TWA FLight 800 in 1996 to life. Here is the KMZ file.

Really quickly now as I have a flight to catch: