KML Mashup Experiment
by KUMIKO YAMAZAKI on August 24, 2008 • google maps: kml mashup • COMMENT
Here’s a KML experiment I did over the weekend — annual precipitation of California, 1961-1990.
Some tweaking and headaches involved but I’m satisfied with the result. Rule #1 as a cartographer is to make every map created here look pretty.
The data was originally for the entire U.S. which bloated into a 22 MB kml file. Rather than simplifying and sacrificing such good data, I clipped out California. The kml is currently at 2.4 MB and still loads a bit slow but at least I now have a better understanding of how well Google Maps handles data.
(Not great, though it sure looks nice!)
Editing DBFs on a Mac OSX
by KUMIKO YAMAZAKI on August 21, 2008 • apps: dbf open office • COMMENTFree open source GIS applications are often excellent viewers, but have only limited capabilities when editing data. For example, merging and analyzing multiple datasets are basic functionalities to GIS, yet, many do not support such features.
A common workaround is to dive directly into the database (the .dbf file) and edit it using a spreadsheet application. Excel can easily handle this but Excel is not free, and this website? It’s all about FREE.. unless I say otherwise. And be warned, I found out last night that Excel 2007 can no longer save as .dbf files.
So when expensive proprietary software can’t get the job done, turn to Open Office. From here, you can merge/copy/add data to your existing table and create your final database.
The next step is to inform Open Office which cells need to be saved. Highlight only the cells you need and go to Insert -> Names -> Define. Call it Database and hit OK.
Save as a .dbf file and write over the previous version. If everything was done correctly, the newly edited attribute table should be available for your geowebbing pleasure. I skipped through some steps so please don’t hesitate to ask questions!
Starting mapkist
by KUMIKO YAMAZAKI on August 18, 2008 • general: intro • COMMENTSo much I hope to do here — designing maps using various platforms, sharing, coding, networking, and most importantly, learning!
