Download Google Earth Super-Overlay Tool (GEST)

Export full spatial resolution imagery to a Google-Earth-friendly format

***GEST only works in ENVI Classic (for now)***
The Google Earth Super-Overlay Tool (GEST) allows you to take an image displayed in ENVI and view it at full spatial resolution in Google Earth. There is no limit on image size or type. As long as you can load your image to a display in ENVI, and that image has an associated map projection, you can use this tool.
To install GEST, place the gest.sav file in your save_add directory and restart ENVI. To use:

1. Load an image to a display and apply any desired contrast enhancements. 
2. From within the display window, go to File->Save Image As->Google Earth Super-Overlay. 
3. Select a folder where you want the output to go. It is recommended that you set up an individual folder for each image you want to process. 
4. Provide an output KML filename. IT IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED THAT YOU PLACE THIS FILE IN THE SAME DIRECTORY SPECIFIED IN STEP 3. 
5. Specify an image subset, if desired. 
6. Select the desired Google Earth Tile Size. The default is 512x512. 
7. Click Process. 

download
If the image you provided has RPC/RSM projection emulation turned on, GEST will automatically perform a baseline orthorectification to Geographic Lat/Lon. If the image has a standard projection, but it is not Geographic Lat/Lon, GEST will automatically perform a rigorous reprojection. The conversion process may involve building several pyramid layers, so please be patient. When the process is complete, you will see many KML and PNG files in the output folder you specified. THE ONLY FILE YOU HAVE TO INTERACT WITH IS THE KML FILE YOU PROVIDED THE NAME FOR IN STEP 4. Open that file in Google Earth and you will have access to your entire image. Limitations: GEST does not currently export annotations, ROIs, or vectors--just imagery.  FYI:  GEST does *NOT* in any way involve or reference the C# code listed in the comment tied to this contribution, which isn't very accurate or flexible.
New version uploaded on 08/09/09:  (1) Image backgrounds are now transparent in Google Earth.  (2) An easy-to-use procedural API for batch image processing is now available.  A .pro file with a documented example of using the API is packaged in the zip file.  This includes the ability to specify the stretch you want to apply to the image--without having to first display it in ENVI.  (3) If your image has an RPC or RSM sensor model and you've associated a DEM with it to increase ortho accuracy, that DEM is now honored during the superoverlay creation process.
New version uploaded on 11/11/09:  You can now supply a DEM directly to the procedural API instead of having to manually associate it with the image first.  This makes batch ortho-to-Google-Earth processes a lot easier and more accurate.

Difference Between KML and KMZ

KML vs KMZ

Both KML and KMZ are file extensions used in Google applications, most specifically Google Earth and Google Maps. A person who uses these two Google applications can encounter a lot of file formats, and KML and KMZ file formats are included in the list of file formats honored by the applications.
Both KML and KMZ files are compatible and can be opened by Google Earth and Google Maps – two Google applications that deal with geographic images.

KML is an acronym for “Keyhole Markup Language” that Google and Keyhole, Inc. developed. It is a geographic Information system format. KML contains a lot of graphics and features that can include placemarks, images, polygons, 3D models, textual descriptions, and others. A KML file can be created using Google Earth. If the said Google application is not downloaded or installed, it is impossible to create this type of file. A user can set the longitude (the Earth’s imaginary lines that runs from north to south) and latitude (the same imaginary lines that runs from east to west) on the Google Earth application, and it can create the KML for that user.

After creating and saving the KML file, it can be compressed. The compressed file is now called a KMZ file. Since most of the map images can be large in terms of file size and can take a lot of file space, a KMZ file has all the information that a KML file has with a little difference in size and more ease in data transfer.

If KML files deal with a lot of graphics and features, KMZ deals with placemarks. Placemarks or special pointers indicate the existence of special locations. Special locations can include museums, shopping areas, famous landmarks, or leisure places among others. Both extension files are used to store images and data during other types of navigation purposes. This is often the case. Users can easily do this by entering the area location into Google Earth and saving the data and image as a KML or KMZ file. The file is then transferred or uploaded into a mobile phone wherein Google Maps, another Google application, is also installed. The file is then download into Google Maps which reads the saved file in an online interface. The user can now use the saved information, like specific instructions on how to navigate and travel to a certain area.

It is often advisable to use KML files instead of KMZ files. Google Earth and Google Maps will have no problem recognizing the two files, but some programs might not be compatible and will not be able to read the KMZ file. The KMZ file can be imported but with significant errors. Though KMZ is much preferred due to its lower size and faster download and upload time, the information will be meaningless and useless to the user if the file cannot be recognized and opened.
If this problem occurred, a KMZ file can still be reverted back to a KML file by the use of a file expander or any program that unzips or decompresses compressed files.

Summary:

1.“KML” stands for “Keyhole Markup Language” while “KMZ” stands for “Keyhole Markup Language Zipped.”
2.The KML is the file extension for the unzipped file, and KMZ is the zipped file of the KML.
3.KML is used to save and store map locations in general while KMZ is used in the same capacity for more specific locations like placemarks.
4.KML has a larger file space and longer data transfer compared to KMZ. As a compressed or zipped file, KMZ has a smaller file space and size.
5.KML can be read and recognized by many geobrowsers or programs that run maps and images like Google Earth and Google Maps. This sometimes does not hold true for KMZ.

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Download Google Earth KML and KMZ to SHP converter

Need of transferring Google Earth Data to a GIS? Kml2shp transforms KML 
files into ESRI Shapefiles.

The KML file could contain Points, Paths and Polygons. When creating SHP 
files the information is separated into thematic layers.

For each shapefile (shp), an attributes table (dbf) and index file (shx) are 
created.

The kml to shp conversion consists of three steps:

1) Open KML file
2) Choose Shape Type
3) Select output Shapefile name

Optionally, you can change from WGS84 to a local datum and from Lat/Lon to 
UTM.

Also, Kml2shp can export to AutoCAD (DXF) and GPS (GPX)


Download a very useful and simple software to convert your KML or KMZ file (From Google Earth) to Esri   Shapefile (SHP)

Download here



Convert Google Earth data to a Shapefile

Tested with:
Firefox 3.5 (Windows, Linux and MAC OS)
Safari 4 (Windows, MAC OS),
Google Chrome (Windows, MAC OS)

SHP Files created by this tool work properly with ArcGIS

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