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Purple Pen to KML

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MartinHore

Purple Pen to KML

I'm new here, and relatively new to MapRun, so I hope I'm not repeating an existing post.

I've read the post "From Purple Pen to Google Earth" on 13 May 2020.

My map file is in OOMapper 9.5 georeferenced to the UK OS Grid (EPSG 27700). I've created a course in Purple Pen (3.3.0) which I want to use as a MapRun. I've tried both methods suggested in the earlier post to create a KML from Purple Pen to open in Google Earth. The method exporting a gpx file and using the converter at https://tools.widmann.ca/ puts my course in the south Pacific. The method exporting an IOF file and converting using the o-utils tool "Convert Un-Georeferenced IOF XML Course File to KML Course Files (in a Zip file) using a matching KMZ file to provide the geo-referencing" puts my course in Russia, despite the fact that my matching KMZ map file (exported from OOM v 9.5) opens in Google Earth at the correct location.

I can produce a KML file for my course manually in Google Earth and I have checked it using Check-sites, but it would be good in future not to have to produce the course once in Purple Pen and again in Google Earth.

Hope someone can help. I appreciate that all would be simpler if the UK used the UTM system, but currently all our LiDAR data and government (OS) mapping is in ESPG 27700. So that's how our maps are geo-referenced.

Many thanks

Martin

MichaelRaz

Re: Purple Pen to KML

This post was updated on .

All these tools are a bit picky about geo-referencing. Without the actual files (which I would be happy to look at if you need more help after this), I can provide some suggestions and caveats. PP is not great at handling various EPSG setting outside the more general (UTM, 3857 ..). First thing to note (and sorry if any of this is obvious to you), is that you can peek into most of these files with a decent text editor and see what is going on. Even the ppen file is just a text file with all the information. This can be handy when troubleshooting. So...

You can change the encoding of the map in OOM. Map->Georeferencing ("On CRS changes keep:" should be geographic coordinates) so change from 27700 to UTM (whatever UTM settings are for your area). Others should work but I have found UTM is the best for PP use. If you are not aware, in OOM on the bottom right where it shows the cursor coordinates, if you right click you can change what coords are shown - handy to check if it makes sense (i.e. show lon/lat and make sure the values seem right). If I'm doing a lot of changes I often check and note the lon/lat for one obvious feature and then I can quickly double check in OOM that nothing is screwed up.

Some other things that you might want to watch depending on how you do the translation to KML:
I have found that if I add objects to OOM they tend to get shifted in PP. I believe this up for correction in PP's next release but not sure. The work around is to save the map in OCAD format within OOM and use this file for the PP map. Expect a bunch of OCAD related warnings every time you save or open an OCD file in OOM.

As I noted above, when you produce the PP IOF XML or GPX files, you can double check them with a text editor. IOF XML V3 and the GPX should be in lon/lat while the IOF XML V2 will be in UTM.
However if you are using the conversion tool that uses the IOF XML v2 course file (http://www.p.fne.com.au/rg/cgi-bin/o-utils.cgi?act=manager&keksi=), there is an issue because the PP V2 file is missing a line that designates which UTM sector it is. You need to add a line (I put it second in the file) like (without the nabble tags - only way I could get the string to show??:

<nabble_embed> </nabble_embed>

obviously adjusting the '18T North' to your location. Without this, there is no way for the converting software to know what UTM zone it is dealing with and an error will come up.

I'm sure I've missed something in all this but let me know if you get things working. I did check using one of my maps and converting it to 22700 that verified the problems you are seeing (then changed it back). I still run into some shifting issues between OOM and PP at times so always double check the resulting KMZ and KML files in google earth. The new admin page also has a function to shift all PP control locations - I have not used it but might be helpful if you have a complex set of controls already prepared but when you fix the geo issue they end up shifted.

Michael

MartinHore

Re: Purple Pen to KML

Wow Michael !

Many thanks for the speedy and comprehensive reply. I'll try out your ideas and let you know if they work.

Martin

On 27 March 2021 at 12:43 "MichaelRaz [via MapRun]" <[hidden email]> wrote:

All these tools are a bit picky about geo-referencing. Without the actual files (which I would be happy to look at if you need more help after this), I can provide some suggestions and caveats. PP is not great at handling various EPSG setting outside the more general (UTM, 3857 ..). First thing to note (and sorry if any of this is obvious to you), is that you can peek into most of these files with a decent text editor and see what is going on. Even the ppen file is just a text file with all the information. This can be handy when troubleshooting. So...

You can change the encoding of the map in OOM. Map->Georeferencing ("On CRS changes keep:" should be geographic coordinates) so change change from 27700 to UTM (whatever UTM settings are for your area). Others should work but I have found UTM is the best for PP use. If you are not aware, in OOM on the bottom right where it shows the cursor coordinates, if you right click you can change what coords are shown - handy to check if it makes sense (i.e. show lon/lat and make sure the values seem right). If I'm doing a lot of changes I often check and note the lon/lat for one obvious feature and then I can quickly double check in OOM that nothing is screwed up.

Some other things that you might want to watch depending on how you do the translation to KML:
I have found that if I add objects to OOM they tend to get shifted in PP. I believe this up for correction in PP's next release but not sure. The work around is to save the map in OCAD format within OOM and use this file for the PP map.

As I noted above, when you produce the PP IOF XML or GPX files, you can double check them with a text editor. IOF XML V3 and the GPX should be in lon/lat.
However if you are using the conversion tool that uses the IOF XML v2 course file ( http://www.p.fne.com.au/rg/cgi-bin/o-utils.cgi?act=manager&keksi=), there is an issue because he PP V2 file is missing a line that designates which UTM sector it is. You need to add a line (I put it second in the file) like:

obviously adjusting the '18T North' to your location. Without this, there is no way for the converting software to know what UTM zone it is dealing with and an error will come up.

I'm sure I've missed something in all this but let me know if you get things working. I did check using one of my maps and converting it to 22700 that verified the problems you are seeing (then changed it back). I still run into some shifting issues between OOM and PP at times so always double check the resulting KMZ and KML files in google earth. The new admin page also has a function to shift all PP control locations - I have not used it but might be helpful if you have a complex set of controls already prepared but when you fix the geo issue they end up shifted.

Michael

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MichaelRaz

Re: Purple Pen to KML

Note that I edited my original to insert the line needed in the IOF XML V2 file - it would not show up in the post until I stuck it inside the "nabble" tags.