Basecamp export to KML, Google Earth chokes on it

Just experimenting, I wanted to see if I could get all my Basecamp data into Google Earth, and what Google Earth could do with it. My Alldate.gdb file is 6.7 MB, and Basecamp has no problems with a database that size. In Basecamp I used File > Export > Export "My Collection" to export to a "KML 2.2 Document, v2". The resulting KML file was 238 MB. In Google Earth, first I tried opening this file with File > Open; the waypoints/tracks etc from the KML file went into the Google Earth "Temporary Places" folder. After opening the KML file, Google Earth slowed to a crawl and I couldn't work with the data at all. Later I tried just dragging and dropping the KML file onto the "My Places" folder in Google Earth. This time the Basecamp data was loaded into My Places (not Temporary Places), but still Google Earth slowed to a crawl and was not usable. My computer has 24GB of RAM so I wouldn't think insufficient RAM is the problem.

Have any of you found a way to export your Basecamp data and then import it into Google Earth, and then actually work with it in Google Earth?

0 Jim over 2 years ago

After some further experimentation, it doesn't look like Google Earth Pro can be useful for searching or working with tracks from Basecamp. I exported a single track from Basecamp to a KML file and then opened it in GEP. The results weren't good. The track shows up in Google Earth as a folder, containing a folder named "Points" and a path called "Tracks". I don't see anywhere where the timestamp associate with a particular point is retained. In Google Earth I also tried Tools > GPS > Import from File and tried importing from a GDB file (didn't work) and then a GPX file. It imported a few thousand tracks containing something like 142,000 points. Again Google Earth is very slow. I might try exporting just one or a few tracks from Basecamp to a GPX and then try importing that into GE to see what happens. Nothing has worked well so far, so I don't expect it to work well.

0 SUSSAMB over 2 years ago

Yes, but I export individual routes or a small number of routes not a whole database.

0 Eyelet99 over 2 years ago in reply to Jim

It sounds like you have imported the data as KML LineStrings: A line of GPS data that isn’t associated with a time element and shows individual points that make up your track, when they need to be imported as KML tracks: A line of GPS data that includes a time element. If available in the source data, tracks can also store additional sensor data such as heart rate, cadence, temperature, and power.

Like SUSSAMB I have used GE Pro for many years to work with GPX tracks but only one or two at a time. Nowadays I generally export a GPX file from BC and use the nakarte.me webapp as it gives seamless access to several sources of satellite imaging so I can choose the best for the location and I can switch between topo and OSM mapping and see Google Streetview with any of them. I don’t think it will be happy trying to load thousands of tracks though.

0 Jim over 2 years ago in reply to Eyelet99

Thanks very much for that info! Very helpful. I will try importing as tracks instead of linestrings and see what looks like. I'll also try nakarte.me.