While playing with the new navigation in Google Earth 4.3, noticed its not always easy to get your bearings (bad pun), also been wanting to play in PSP today, so set to do something about both. The result? A ScreenOverlay showing a compass star on the navigation control.
. Note: I do also have a network link that shows the more exact bearing as a placemark label.
(part inspired by)
Updated to add: This has inspired a similar compass that rotates, nice work Gerardo64!
Tags: bearing, compass, direction, Google Earth
GREAT addition!!! Thank you!!
Please keep up the good thinking, and work.
[...] while ago released a Compass Overlay, which (hopefully) makes reading directions of the navigation control easier. Well this new version [...]
Big help. Solar photovoltaic design tool for Google Earth.
I’m a bit confused with the numbers included on this compass. I was under the impression the angle of bearing degree was normally measured in a clockwise direction from reference N, but it appears to be counterclockwise on this model?
@Jim,
Its ‘backwards’ as the the compass doesn’t actully rotate. The ‘N’ marker moves around the circle, and continues to point towards north. So number on the compass was showing how far from north it moved. ie the current heading.
Its difficult to explain in words, better to see it in action.
Just remember the number next to N is the current heading. (rather than the numbers measuring the angle of the ‘pointer’)
@Barry – Thank you for the timely response. I guess I’m confused because when I draw a line using the GE ruler tool, for instance from point A to B in a S.W. direction, the tool reports a ‘heading’ of 227 degrees. However, this reports appears to conflict with the marks identifying heading on the compass…
Move the globe so you over point “A” and rotate the view to look towards “B”. ie so you looking down the line. And the line is vertical on screen.
Now the compass star should be reading 227 (just about)
… its not for measuring angles on screen, its for showing which direction you are currently ‘looking’
Ah-HA!! Now I get it! Thank you for explaining it to me. Neat stuff!