Are you wondering on MODIS products' naming convention? Don't worry !!. This is the time to dig out MODIS names. Let's say you have few MODIS products.
Nadir BRDF-Adjusted Reflectance (NBAR): MCD43B4.A2000185.h25v03.005.2006299173851.hdf
MODIS Land Surface Temperature Products: MOD11A2.A2002241.h12v02.005.2007222102136.hdf
MCD43B4 or MOD11A2- MODIS Product Short Name
A2000185 or A2002241 - Julian Date of Acquisition (A-YYYYDDD)
h25v03 or h12v02- Tile Identifier (Tile location- horizontalXXverticalYY)
005 - Collection Version
2006299173851 or 2007222102136- Julian Date of Production (YYYYDDDHHMMSS)
The YYYYDDD of above products equivalent to 2006299 and 2007222, which means Year:2006 Day of Year:299 (OCT 25, 2006) & Year:2007 Day of Year:222(AUG 09,2007)
hdf - Data Format (HDF-EOS)
Cheers !!
Monday, November 28, 2011
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Instructions for Creating KMZ Image Overlays from ArcGIS in Google Earth and Google Map
Creating a kmz image overlay
1. Make sure the dataset you are working with has a geographic coordinate system (unprojected) with WGS84 as the datum. If not, you will need to reproject your data. If the coordinate system of your datasets is defined you can change the projection “on-the-fly”. To reproject on-the-fly, go to Layers then Click Properties and specify geographic with WGS84 datum as the coordinate system. However, I recommend reprojecting the actual GIS datasets (shapefiles, grids, etc.) because project-on-the-fly is not always very precise, particularly when dealing with datum transformations.
2. Switch to the layout view. Select a layout that matches the dimensions of your map as closely as possible. To keep the file sizes of your images small, try to leave as little empty space around the edges as possible. Right-click on the layout and select Page and Print Setup to change the layout size.
3. Right-click on the map and select Properties. Go to the Size and Position tab. Under Size, set the Width and Height to exactly match the Width and Height of your layout. Under Position, set X and Y both to zero. Go to the Frame tab and make sure that Border is set to .
4. Zoom and pan in the layout so that you have as little empty space at the edges as possible.
5. Right-click on the layout and select Properties. Go to the Data Frame tab. Under Fixed Extent, you will see the latitudes for the top and bottom of the current layout, and the longitudes for the left and right sides of the current layout. Write these numbers down or cut and paste them into a file. Do not change them!
6. Go to File then Click Export Map. Export the tile as a PNG image. Select the Resolution (in pixels per inch). Depending on the amount of detail in your map and the size of your layout, you may need to experiment with a variety of resolutions to achieve a good balance between image quality and image size. 200 pixels per inch is often a good place to start. On the Format tab set Color Mode to 24-bit True Color, set the Background Color to white, and set the Transparent Color to white as well. If you have white in your map, you may need to choose a different shade (perhaps grey) for both the Background Color and Transparent Color. Do not check Clip Output to Graphics Extent. Click Save to export your file.
7. Open Google Earth
8. Select Add then Click Image Overlay
9. In the New Image Overlay box, type in a name for your overlay and use the Browse button to link to the image that you exported. You can use the Transparency slider to adjust the opacity of the overlay. Add a Description if you like.
10. Go to the Location tab and type or paste in the boundary coordinates of your layout that you saved in step 5. Be sure to include the negative sign for west latitudes. Click on OK.
11. You should see the name of your new image overlay under your Places in Google Earth. Right-click on it and select Save Place As… to save it as a kmz file. Once you have saved the kmz file, you can delete the temporary image overlay. You can double-click on your kmz file to open it in Google Earth,or use File then Click Open from the Google Earth menu.
Modifying a kmz image overlay
1. You can use a program such as 7-zip to open the kmz archive. Inside you will find a KML file entitled doc.kml, and a subfolder that contains your image. You can open the KML file with a text editor. Note that there are just a few tags here that tell Google Earth what to do with your image. There is a tag. The tag has a code that specifies the amount of transparency in the overlay. The tag identifies the image to be overlaid. Thetab identified the bounding coordinates of the image.
2. You can create new kmz files by modifying this existing file. You can make a copy of the existing KMZ file, use 7-zip to remove the image1.png image and replace it with a image2.png image, and then use a text editor to modify the and tags in the kml file. Even if you have a new image has different bounding coordinates, you can edit them directly in the kmz file rather than using the New Image Overlay tool in Google Earth.
3. You can also add a legend or other graphics as screen overlays that are attached to a particular location on the screen (for example, the lower left corner) rather than a particular geographic location on the Earth’s surface.
4. There are various ways to export a legend from ArcGIS to a PNG file. One approach is to export the legend as part of a larger map graphic and then clip it out using a graphics program. Alternately, you can “trick” ArcGIS into letting you export the legend directly. Make sure your map symbology is set up the way that you want it displayed in the legend (it should match the map graphic that you have already exported). Set up your layout dimensions to match the size of your exported graphic (e.g., 1.5 x 1.5 inches). It can help to Insert then Click Legend into your layout first to get an idea of its dimensions. Your legend should fill up the layout and leave minimal whitespace at the edges. Right-click on the legend and choose Convert to Graphics. Then you can uncheck the map layers in the Table of Contents and you will only see the legend. You can now export the layout to a PNG file like you did with the map image. The only difference is that you should set the Background Color to white and the Transparent Color to No Color.
2. Switch to the layout view. Select a layout that matches the dimensions of your map as closely as possible. To keep the file sizes of your images small, try to leave as little empty space around the edges as possible. Right-click on the layout and select Page and Print Setup to change the layout size.
3. Right-click on the map and select Properties. Go to the Size and Position tab. Under Size, set the Width and Height to exactly match the Width and Height of your layout. Under Position, set X and Y both to zero. Go to the Frame tab and make sure that Border is set to .
4. Zoom and pan in the layout so that you have as little empty space at the edges as possible.
5. Right-click on the layout and select Properties. Go to the Data Frame tab. Under Fixed Extent, you will see the latitudes for the top and bottom of the current layout, and the longitudes for the left and right sides of the current layout. Write these numbers down or cut and paste them into a file. Do not change them!
6. Go to File then Click Export Map. Export the tile as a PNG image. Select the Resolution (in pixels per inch). Depending on the amount of detail in your map and the size of your layout, you may need to experiment with a variety of resolutions to achieve a good balance between image quality and image size. 200 pixels per inch is often a good place to start. On the Format tab set Color Mode to 24-bit True Color, set the Background Color to white, and set the Transparent Color to white as well. If you have white in your map, you may need to choose a different shade (perhaps grey) for both the Background Color and Transparent Color. Do not check Clip Output to Graphics Extent. Click Save to export your file.
7. Open Google Earth
8. Select Add then Click Image Overlay
9. In the New Image Overlay box, type in a name for your overlay and use the Browse button to link to the image that you exported. You can use the Transparency slider to adjust the opacity of the overlay. Add a Description if you like.
10. Go to the Location tab and type or paste in the boundary coordinates of your layout that you saved in step 5. Be sure to include the negative sign for west latitudes. Click on OK.
11. You should see the name of your new image overlay under your Places in Google Earth. Right-click on it and select Save Place As… to save it as a kmz file. Once you have saved the kmz file, you can delete the temporary image overlay. You can double-click on your kmz file to open it in Google Earth,or use File then Click Open from the Google Earth menu.
Modifying a kmz image overlay
1. You can use a program such as 7-zip to open the kmz archive. Inside you will find a KML file entitled doc.kml, and a subfolder that contains your image. You can open the KML file with a text editor. Note that there are just a few tags here that tell Google Earth what to do with your image. There is a tag. The tag has a code that specifies the amount of transparency in the overlay. The tag identifies the image to be overlaid. Thetab identified the bounding coordinates of the image.
2. You can create new kmz files by modifying this existing file. You can make a copy of the existing KMZ file, use 7-zip to remove the image1.png image and replace it with a image2.png image, and then use a text editor to modify the and tags in the kml file. Even if you have a new image has different bounding coordinates, you can edit them directly in the kmz file rather than using the New Image Overlay tool in Google Earth.
3. You can also add a legend or other graphics as screen overlays that are attached to a particular location on the screen (for example, the lower left corner) rather than a particular geographic location on the Earth’s surface.
4. There are various ways to export a legend from ArcGIS to a PNG file. One approach is to export the legend as part of a larger map graphic and then clip it out using a graphics program. Alternately, you can “trick” ArcGIS into letting you export the legend directly. Make sure your map symbology is set up the way that you want it displayed in the legend (it should match the map graphic that you have already exported). Set up your layout dimensions to match the size of your exported graphic (e.g., 1.5 x 1.5 inches). It can help to Insert then Click Legend into your layout first to get an idea of its dimensions. Your legend should fill up the layout and leave minimal whitespace at the edges. Right-click on the legend and choose Convert to Graphics. Then you can uncheck the map layers in the Table of Contents and you will only see the legend. You can now export the layout to a PNG file like you did with the map image. The only difference is that you should set the Background Color to white and the Transparent Color to No Color.
Friday, November 18, 2011
A 'mesmerizing' view of Earth from an orbiting space in HD
Shooting locations in order of appearance:
1. Aurora Borealis Pass over the United States at Night
2. Aurora Borealis and eastern United States at Night
3. Aurora Australis from Madagascar to southwest of Australia
4. Aurora Australis south of Australia
5. Northwest coast of United States to Central South America at Night
6. Aurora Australis from the Southern to the Northern Pacific Ocean
7. Halfway around the World
8. Night Pass over Central Africa and the Middle East
9. Evening Pass over the Sahara Desert and the Middle East
10. Pass over Canada and Central United States at Night
11. Pass over Southern California to Hudson Bay
12. Islands in the Philippine Sea at Night
13. Pass over Eastern Asia to Philippine Sea and Guam
14. Views of the Mideast at Night
15. Night Pass over Mediterranean Sea
16. Aurora Borealis and the United States at Night
17. Aurora Australis over Indian Ocean
18. Eastern Europe to Southeastern Asia at Night
Music: Carbon Based Lifeforms - Silent Running
Editing: Michael König | koenigm.com
Image Courtesy of the Image Science & Analysis Laboratory,
NASA Johnson Space Center, The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth
eol.jsc.nasa.gov
Enjoy the Images :)
Thursday, November 17, 2011
How to retrieve WMS GetFeatureInfo from Openlayers & Geoserver
map.events.register('click', map, function (e) {
//alert(map.getExtent().toBBOX());
x1=parseInt(e.xy.x);
y1=parseInt(e.xy.y);
var url = layerhost
+ "?REQUEST=GetFeatureInfo"
+ "&EXCEPTIONS=application/vnd.ogc.se_xml"
+ "&BBOX=" + map.getExtent().toBBOX()
+ "&X=" + x1
+ "&Y=" + y1
+ "&INFO_FORMAT=text/html"
+ "&QUERY_LAYERS=" + layername
+ "&LAYERS="+layername
+ "&FEATURE_COUNT=50"
+ "&SRS=EPSG:900913"
+ "&STYLES="
+ "&WIDTH=" + map.size.w
+ "&HEIGHT=" + map.size.h;
window.open(url,
"getfeatureinfo",
"location=10,status=10,scrollbars=1,width=600,height=150"
);
});
I got X and Y points due to floating point error while retrieving GetFeatureInfo . In order to prevent those errors I parse e.xy.x and e.xy.y values into integer, and it works for me.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
DIVA GIS
Today, I was working on Shapefiles from Australia and Nepal for my biodiversity research. I found DIVA GIS is useful for the scientist and students who can't afford ESRI's ArcGIS suite. DIVA-GIS is particularly useful for mapping and analyzing biodiversity data, such as the distribution of species, or other 'point-distributions'. It reads and write standard data formats such as ESRI shapefiles, so interoperability is not a problem. DIVA-GIS runs on Windows and (with minor effort) on Mac OSX.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Google Earth Engine API : An ambitious Project
Currently, this project is in testing phase with limited access to few groups of partner including CLASlite and IMAZON. Let us wait and see how far they can go !!!
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Cloud-based GIS application : ESRI Community Analyst
Community Analyst includes demographic, health, economic, education, and business data variables to help users develop informed strategies for policy creation and critical resource allocation. Decisions such as matching health care clinics to areas with the greatest need or allocating infrastructure funding for maximum community impact can now be made and supported using customizable reports and maps more.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Custom Google Maps Style
From last couple of days I was busy on Google custom styling like http://maps-api-tt.appspot.com/apilite/styled/styled.html .
Fortunately, I found a good tutorial to share to carry out such custom styling. Check it out @bestfromgoogle
Fortunately, I found a good tutorial to share to carry out such custom styling. Check it out @bestfromgoogle
Friday, June 3, 2011
875 Tornado hit USA in April 2011
This animation shows the GOES-East infrared imagery from April 1-30, along with the locations of each tornado that formed during the time (symbolized as red dots). Though tornadoes cannot actually be seen by GOES, these satellites are instrumental in being able to detect the conditions associated with their formation. As the resolution of GOES has increased with each successive satellite series, so have the warning times for tornadoes. The future GOES-R satellite will provide even higher resolution and storm prediction capability, especially with the use of the Geostationary Lightning Mapper sensor. The actual tornado locations are acquired from the Storm Prediction Center, which uses both NEXRAD radar and ground reports to generate a detailed database of tornadoes in the U.S.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Choropleth mapping techniques for Web2.0
For my recent project, I have to display county wise time series data of disease pattern in web map for the conterminous United States for 20 years. In addition, I have to use Google maps as base layer and should overlay images on the top of it. The concept sounds easy, and it was also similar with choropleth or thematic mapping. However, it should be in the Web 2.0.
I tried to figure out what are the possible ways to achieve this, I tried and few of them. Here I am going to share the pros and cons of these methods in a real quick and dirty style.
1) Google Fusion Tables
Pros:
Easy, No understanding of computer programming needed. Upload small or large data sets from spreadsheets or CSV files. Visualize your data on maps, timelines and charts. Pick who can access your data; hide parts of your data if needed. Merge data from multiple tables.
Cons:
Not much flexible and you can’t tweaks easily according to your needs.
2) Cartographer.js and Google API
Pros: It generates choropleth maps directly from database or other standard data handlers. Fast for small area mapping.
Cons:
Understanding of JavaScript is needed. It supports only US (County and State level data). I got performance is worst if we map entire 50 states. I recommend it to use to map few states only. Although cartographer.js's documentation claims browser friendly, it is horrible with IE, works so so with Firefox and chrome.
I tried to figure out what are the possible ways to achieve this, I tried and few of them. Here I am going to share the pros and cons of these methods in a real quick and dirty style.
![]() |
Choropleth with GFT |
Pros:
Easy, No understanding of computer programming needed. Upload small or large data sets from spreadsheets or CSV files. Visualize your data on maps, timelines and charts. Pick who can access your data; hide parts of your data if needed. Merge data from multiple tables.
Cons:
Not much flexible and you can’t tweaks easily according to your needs.
![]() |
Choropleth with Cartographer.JS and Google API |
Pros: It generates choropleth maps directly from database or other standard data handlers. Fast for small area mapping.
Cons:
Understanding of JavaScript is needed. It supports only US (County and State level data). I got performance is worst if we map entire 50 states. I recommend it to use to map few states only. Although cartographer.js's documentation claims browser friendly, it is horrible with IE, works so so with Firefox and chrome.
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