well as in the listing beneath Temporary Places. If your data does not contain a Name field, the first
available field that contains text is used as the label for data.

The rest of this section covers the following topics:

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Using third party vector data

●

Using generic text files

that contain tab- or comma-separated point data. Only users of Google Earth

EC or Google Earth PRO can import GIS vector data files. However all Google Earth versions can
import generic text files

●

Importing imagery

●

A brief discussion of projections and datums

Using Third Party Vector Data

Google Earth EC and Google Earth PRO users with the data import module can import the following vector file
formats:

●

MapInfo (TAB) - Required files include:

❍

MAP ID

❍

DAT

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ESRI Shape (SHP) - Requires SHX Projection information, which can either be built into the SHP file or
defined in a separate file with a PRJ extension DBF (for viewing field data)

Most third-party GIS vector data comes as a collection of related files that operate together to produce all the
vector data you see in Google Earth. Be aware that if expected data does not display in the 3D viewer, it might
be due to missing support files. Those vector file types that require additional support files are indicated in the
list above.

Note - You can also use generic text files to create your own point data for use in Google Earth. This feature
is also available to Google Earth Plus users.

Using Generic Text Files

In addition to importing vector data in SHP, TAB, and other formats, you can define your own point data and
import it into Google Earth.

Note - Only point data can be created and imported using generic text files.

Generic text files need named columns whose values are separated either by commas, spaces, or tabs. Do
this by creating your data in a spreadsheet application such as Microsoft Excel and then saving the file as
either CSV or TXT format. Alternatively, you could use a programmatic method to extract data from a database
and produce a final output file in either CSV or TXT format.

Note - If you attempt to import more than 5000 features (i.e., 5000 point data lines) into Google Earth, this
process can take a long time.

For more information on using generic text files, see:

●

Required Location Fields

●

Optional and Descriptive Fields

Required Location Fields

At minimum, generic text file that you import must contain one or more fields that specify the location of the
point on the earth in order for the data to be correctly positioned in the 3D viewer. This can be specified either
with address fields or with geographic coordinates.

Note - You cannot use a mix of geographic coordinates and address fields in a single file.