Kruger National Park Google Earth layer May 25, 2008
Posted by Ralph Pina in : Conservation, News, Safari, Tourism, ecotourism , trackback
ecoAfrica has launched a Google Earth layer for the Kruger National Park (2MB .kmz file; requires Google Earth), in the context of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park. Our layer includes:
- Lodges, camps, restcamps and trails camps (book online)
- Transport: roads, distances, routes, gates, airstrips (plan a trip)
- Ecology: rainfall, biomes, wildlife census - all graphically represented
- History: how Kruger evolved and its borders expanded since 1884
- National park, transfrontier park and game reserve boundaries
So there’s something there for the traveller and visitor, as well as the scholar.
Travel layer: lodge and camp locations
Travel layer: game lodge information
Ecological layer: animal census
Ecological layer: biomes
Transport layer: roads, gates , airstrips, routes, distances
Comments»
This is WONDERFUL. Actually that doesn’t fully describe the amount of work and care that went into this.
We, 7 of us, are going to be there for almost three weeks this October. I have been carefully transferring Lat/Long from Google Earth to my trusty Garmin 60Cx so I know the time it takes. There is so much more here to add to my posits that I’ll need the next three months to do it.
Is this a “work in progress” and, if so, is there anything we can do while we are there to assist in this venture?
Art
Thanks Art. We’re glad that it is of value to you. Yes, it is a “work in progress”. We haven’t thought about how visitors could collaborate in making it better - yet, but we’re open to ideas!
We do want to add a layer of recommended routes and itineraries though.
Art G, you might try GPSBabel (http://freegeographytools.com/2007/importing-gps-data-into-google-earth-ii-gpsbabel-and-gpsvisualizer) for converting a Google Earth KML file into GPX file which you can import into your Garmin 60Cx. I haven’t tried it myself, but they claim that it is possible.
AJK,
Thanks for the info and, as the saying goes, “now you tell me”. Only kidding. I am downloading it right now. We have been researching sites for positions for almost a year. Having spent most of my adult life at sea I am a stickler (my wife say I am a body part) about accuracy. It is amazing to see how many sites there are with Lat/Long and the disparity between them.
This site is amazing. We spent a few hours going over it and will probably be changing some of our trips accordingly.
Again, thanks for the info.
Art
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