Combining Google Maps and Picasa Web Albums

Here's something thats hard, but should be easy.

You've been on a trip, long or short, and taken some photos. You've used a GPS logger, and applied the GPS data to the photos, so when you upload the photos to Picasaweb, you'd like to see them on a map, with your track. Ummm like this...


Well, no.

Picasaweb gives you the little thumbnail

and clicking on it gives you the photos arranged on a map. But your track? Well if you didn't travel on a road or recognised track, then who knows how you got from place to place?


To make the combined map, the mashup, you need to do the following.

In Picasaweb click "View in Google Earth". This downloads a .kml file, though it doesn't always have the suffix, so you might have to add it. Doubleclick it, or in Google Earth select file>open and open the .kml.

This loads


into Google Earth. Next you need to add the track.

If you use MyTracks on an Android you export the track as a .kml, and then copy it over to your computer.

Next, you need to add the GPS track kml to the photo kml.

Right click the kml (in Temporary Places), and select Add>Network Link


Click 'Browse' and select your track kml.

Straight away Google Earth adds the two


Then you can export the combined track.


and give the .kmz a name.

We now need to have this kmz available online. An easy way is to upload it to Google Sites.

While logged into Google, go to sites.google.com and either create a new Site or use an existing one. Then, create a new page of type "File Cabinet", and on that page upload your kmz.


If you right click on one of the files, you'll see it has a URL like

http://sites.google.com/site/quitetall/kmls/PhoenixTrail.kmz?attredirects=0&d=1

Copy the URL, and delete the bit from the ? to give

http://sites.google.com/site/quitetall/kmls/PhoenixTrail.kmz

Next, go to maps.google.com, and make a combined URL like this

http://maps.google.com/?q=http://sites.google.com/site/quitetall/kmls/PhoenixTrail.kmz&t=m

and , hey presto! we get our combined map

Phew!


update: this method no longer works. I have a new method I'll be putting up on this blog soon.