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Google Earth for QDM and Game management

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N9BOW

New Member
Just thought I would share. I moved to Iowa last June and have been preparing our farm ground for Deer and Pheasant. I am very interested and excited about QF&GM (Quality Fish & Game Management) this include deer, ducks, quail, grouse, pheasants, trout etc... I work with engineers on a daily basis and used several Engineering and GIS tools to get a 3d representation of our ground along with the ability to create polygons to represent our management practices.

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I used to use 3dem and download free terrain models then download a high res GEO TIFF arial from the iowa graphic map server to get them arranged correctly over the terrain model.

Example Green Island
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This got me the desired 3d representation of what I wanted but in order to create the polygons I wanted, this required moving everything to another program.... Too much work.

Anyway, I had been using google earth ever since it came out to just play around and was disapointed at the resolution for most if not all Iowa rural counties, but never thought to check into it's enhanced version (translation $$$$). Well for 20 bucks a year I got everything I wanted.

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You get a set of tools with the 20 dollar a year subscription that allows you the ability to overlay arial photos as well as polygons.

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I love the ability to fly around your property in 3d. I have mapped all my management plans, deer bedding areas, stand locations.

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I even used their polygon option to build a set of wind indicators that I can toggle on and off, so I can see visually where my scent will be carried across my hunting grounds as I plan my hunt for the following day. This is really a great tool when used in concert with the weather channel's hour by hour detailed forcast that gives the wind directions. I can guage which stand will provide the best option to remain undected as far as my scent is concerned.

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Its a great way to manage your hunting ground, whether it public or private.
It has been a big help with my QDM and pheasant program for our limited acres

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again just thought I'd share. Not sur if this sort of thing has been posted in the past. Sorry if its a repeat post

N9BOW
 
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for 20 bucks a year I got everything I wanted.


[/ QUOTE ]

I paid my 20 bucks some time ago but I was dissapointed because I got no better resolution
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Some areas you can zoom in really close but mine isn't one of them.

Pretty cool stuff just the same
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I like Iowa Geographic Map Server to see a better close up...kinda neat to look at the different years and see how my habitat work has progressed
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Travis weren't you going to show us a closeup of your turnip patch...
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[ QUOTE ]
I paid my 20 bucks some time ago but I was dissapointed because I got no better resolution

Some areas you can zoom in really close but mine isn't one of them.

Pretty cool stuff just the same


[/ QUOTE ]

Ahhhh. but thats where your money comes into play.....


1) Go to the iowa graphic map server and download your favorite view (mine is the infrared). get the biggest size you need and save it to you desktop.

2)Go to the tool bar and choose "Add"

3) Then choose "image overlay" or if you are a short cut fanatic "Ctrl+Shift+O"

4) Then arrange the overlayed high res image onto the existing surface so that points line up (houses roads etc).

You may have to resize the image to take account for the distortion of the arial.

I think the professional version can use a GEOTIFF also available from the Iowa raphic map server. (these have the geographic coordinates in the header of th file and will automatically seat perfectly on the Terrain)

Hope that helps
N9BOW
 
The picture in my original post are overlays of the images I downloaded from the Iowa Graphic Map Server.

They get stored locally on your hard drive. Once you manipulate the view with polygons or image overlays you will need to choose. File -> Save -> "save my places". This will save your mods for the next time you open the program.

N9BOW
 
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With the extra $20, it enables you to accurately calculate acres?

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There is a measurement tool that lets you measure in either straight line or path format. The measuremet options you get are:

Centimeters
Meters
Kilometers
Inches
Feet
Yards
Miles
Nautical Miles
Smoot (and yes even Smoot?
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)

Yes, you can estimate acreage pretty easily. You will have to calculate the area yourself using the line tool.

For me, to calculate acreage, the line measurement in feet was simpler to to get the area in acres of a particular piece of ground. (because I new an acre was 43,560 sq ft) If you know the square yds or whatever unit of measure in the options it provides, you could use those as well if thats what you were comfortable with.

Nice thing about the measuring tool is it follows the contour of the ground unless you are in nautical miles.

On our ground, I would take irregular plots and break them up into triangles, then take the Base x Height for each triangle that made up the plot and / by 2. That would give me the area in sq ft of the triangles, then I would add those areas up and divide by 43,560 (sq ft in an acre). If it was generally a square plot I would just multiply the base times the height and divide by 43,560.

N9BOW
 
[ QUOTE ]
I am very interested and excited about QF&GM (Quality Fish & Game Management) this include deer, ducks, quail, grouse, pheasants, trout etc...

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not having any luck with the mapping overlays and all that
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....

but I like your enthusiasm for wildlife and habitat projects.

Looks like you have a great list of projects to work on
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I'm not having any luck with the mapping overlays and all that
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....


[/ QUOTE ]

After business hours I could show you realtime how to do this over the web if you were interested. You would have to load a free component viewer similar to webex in order to see my workstation.

Just a thought.

N9BOW
 
Thanks Ghost. I love the site. I have been a lurker for while. Figured I would share some info that I have found real helpful in trying to manage our new farm.

I do not farm in the traditional sense but may, if we get an opportunity to buy some additional ground. In the mean time I am Farming for Wildlife!

N9BOW
 
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I could show you realtime how to do this

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Thanks...but you know I got to thinking...(scared a that
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)

I've had my farm so long that it's a little like my wife..."I know every inch and every measurment"...
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Don't need a "map" to get around anymore
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Anymore all my fields have been measured via satellite by the NRCS and anything else I do the old fashioned way...

pace it off
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I use my GPS to mark deer sign and would love to download everything to something like Google Earth and have a square mile photo in poster size showing all the sign. Does anybody know how to do this? I emailed Google Earth this question and haven't heard anything. I figure this would be an awesome way to keep a log every year of deer sign and with crop rotation other habitat changes.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I use my GPS to mark deer sign and would love to download everything to something like Google Earth and have a square mile photo in poster size showing all the sign. Does anybody know how to do this? I emailed Google Earth this question and haven't heard anything. I figure this would be an awesome way to keep a log every year of deer sign and with crop rotation other habitat changes.

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Muddy Fork - there is a GPS option under the tools menu, once selected you can hook your unit up to the PC and if it is a Magellin or Garmin Google Earth can import:

Way Points
Tracks
Routes

you can also choose to draw Icons at track and route points, just draw lines for track and way points and it can adjust altitudes to ground height.

Hope that Helps
N9BOW


BTW - I see in your location you are from Indiana? Where in Indiana? I just moved from Parke County Last Year.
 
I too paid the 20 bucks but don't have the computer savy to figure it all out.

I use my Garmin software to add my tracks, routes and waypoints to google earth. It is fun to see were you were from above.

The 'Bonker
 
Jennings Co

I really want a poster size 24"x36" aerial photo of a square mile with all my GPS waypoints and routes.
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