James asks:
How do I convert KML (from Google Earth) to SHP (in ArcMap)?

ExpertGPS Pro can import Google Earth KML and KMZ files, and then export them in shapefile format (.shp) so you can view your data in ArcMap or other GIS software. I've written a step-by-step tutorial on converting KML data to SHP using ExpertGPS Pro.

Ray K. asks:
I have downloaded property shape files from the Montana Cadastral mapping web site and want to place them on top of the Garmin TOPO 2008 MapSource map that in in my GPS to outline the property on the TOPO map, can you help me do this?

ExpertGPS Pro will import your property boundaries from the MT cadastral Web site, and allow you to send selected parcels to your Garmin as a GPS tracklog, which will appear over your TOPO 2008 MapSource basemap. You can then use your GPS receiver to locate the property boundaries.

In ExpertGPS Pro, click Import on the File menu, and then select the parcels.shp shapefile that you downloaded from Montana's Cadastral Web site. Shapefiles from this Web site are in Montana FIPS 2500 state plane coordinates, NAD83 datum. If you haven't yet added this coordinate format to ExpertGPS Pro, follow these directions to add a new GPS coordinate format in ExpertGPS.

Once you've imported the MT cadastral shapefile into ExpertGPS Pro, you can select the property boundaries you'd like to send to your GPS (as I've done above with the parcel highlighted in yellow). On the GPS menu, click Send Selected to GPS, and ExpertGPS will re-project the MT state plane coordinates for your property outline into GPS coordinates that your Garmin (or Magellan, Lowrance, or Eagle) GPS can understand, and send it to your GPS.

Your Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx will display the tracklog representing the cadastral property boundary over the TOPO 2008 basemap. You should now be able to use your handheld GPS receiver to locate your property boundaries and corner stakes.

Robert G. asks:
I have a client who is interested in providing their trail network for users to download to their handheld GPS receivers. After searching extensively, I have not been able to find a solution to what I thought would be a simple process: How to convert existing GIS data into a format that can be downloaded onto any GPS receiver, without having to convert the data each time. Ideally, the file would be converted once (or at least once per receiver manufacturer), and provided for download via their web site.

GPX, the GPS Exchange Format, has become the de-facto standard for delivering GPS and GIS data to consumer-grade GPS receivers. GPX files can be used by hundreds of GPS receivers and mapping programs, including ExpertGPS, Google Earth, MapSource, MapSend, and MapCreate. Ten years ago, there simply wasn't a common file format, so you had to distribute different files for each brand of GPS receiver (and usually, several different formats for the GPS receivers within a single brand). GPX has changed all of that.

I happen to be one of the founding fathers of the GPX file format - I helped write the initial GPX 1.0 file format, and have written and maintained the GPX documentation since day 1. ExpertGPS, as you might expect, uses GPX as its native file format, and is widely used as a GPX authoring tool and GPX file converter.

Converting GIS shapefile data to GPX

Once you configure ExpertGPS to use the same coordinate format and datum as ArcMap, you just click Import on the File menu, and select your shapefile data. ExpertGPS Pro will convert your .shp polylines and points into GPS tracks and waypoints. Click Save to save the trail network in GPX format. Your data is ready to be distributed - anyone who downloads the GPX file from your Web site can send it to their GPS using their favorite mapping software. (If they don't have software, EasyGPS is GPS freeware that works with any GPS.

Drew asks:
Will your software convert from Garmin Mapsource GDB to ESRI SHP? I have a file with multiple routes in one GDB file and I need to convert them all at one time to a shapefile line dataset. This is not a ESRI geodatabase (GDB).

Yes, ExpertGPS Pro can easily combine your Garmin MapSource GDB databases, and convert them to a single ESRI shapefile. Import the GDB files into ExpertGPS Pro by clicking Import on the File menu, and selecting the GDB files. Now select the coordinate format and datum used in ArcView. Now click Export on the File menu, and change the file type to ESRI Shapefile (.shp). ExpertGPS Pro will convert your GDB data to a shapefile in the coordinate format and datum you selected. ExpertGPS Pro can reproject your Garmin data to UTM, US State Plane Coordinates, lat/lon, or pretty much any geographic projection used in the world today.

Arvind asks:
I have whole bunch of files in csv (or excel) similar to the one attached. How can I create KML or SHP files from here. Once imported to EXPERT GPS, can I add/edit attributes?

This is an advanced tutorial, showing several strategies you can use to manipulate just about any data in Excel or your favorite spreadsheet program (I use the free OpenOffice Calc) to get it into a standard format that ExpertGPS can import, map, and convert to KML, SHP, and/or DXF.

ExpertGPS can import CSV and text data directly - just copy and paste into either the Waypoint List or the Track List. However, the data in the file above is in a strange format - each line contains two latitude/longitude coordinate pairs - a starting point and and ending point. Each line is its own two-point line segment, and when plotted all together, they define a complete route.

Whenever I see multiple coordinates on the same line, I stop thinking about the CSV import function in ExpertGPS (which expects a single point per line) and instead start thinking about Google Earth's KML format. Basically, my strategy is to use the formulae in Excel to build up a KML file which I can then paste right into ExpertGPS.

A Bare-Bones KML File

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><kml xmlns="http://www.opengis.net/kml/2.2"><Document>
<Placemark><LineString><coordinates>-104.57638956,39.70689113 -104.56884853,39.71147660 -104.56015453,39.70639827 </coordinates></LineString></Placemark>
</Document></kml>

Above is a very basic KML file, just a line with three points. Let's call the first line the KML Header and the third line the KML Footer. The line in the middle is what we want to create in Excel - one of these for each row in the CSV file.

I used the Text to Columns command (on the Data menu in OpenOffice Calc and Excel) to split the coordinates out into four new columns, as seen above. Then I used the CONCATENATE function in Excel to build up a KML LineString Placemark for each row. IMPORTANT: KML puts longitude before latitude!

I added the KML Header to the very first line of the new column, and added the KML Footer at the bottom row.

Now I just select the entire column, copy, and paste into the map in ExpertGPS. It worked - all of the data from Excel matches up perfectly with the color aerial photos underneath. From here, I can export to ESRI SHP, to AutoCAD DXF, or edit the created tracks in ExpertGPS to add attributes prior to saving in GPX or KML format.

Need help converting a GPS, GIS, or CAD file?

The article above should give you some ideas of how you can use ExpertGPS and your spreadsheet software to convert just about any delimited text data to another GIS, CAD, or GPS format. The ExpertGPS Blog contains lots of tutorials on these sorts of conversions (most are MUCH easier than this, once you've downloaded a trial copy of ExpertGPS!). If you still need help, contact me using the Ask the GPS Expert link above - I'm always happy to help.

JC asks:
I want to download ArcMap shapefiles to a Garmin Oregon 400t, simple polygons w/IDs, lines, and points. Ideally, one or two attribute columns like vegetation type or survey number would be included. I'd then take the Oregon out and re-trace the shapefile perimeters and look for changes in the vegetation. Maybe "draw" a few more polygons using tracks and waypoints, then save and download the change data into your software, and export it as shapefiles, depending on the type of feature it is. So, import from ArcMap (or generic shapefile), download to Garmin as a layer, make waypoint "edits" then transfer back to ArcMap as shapefile. Will your software do these things?

Yes, you can do all this using ExpertGPS Pro. There are a few "gotchas". The Oregon can hold 10,000 trackpoints, and 20 saved tracklogs. That means you'll be limited to 20 polygons from the shapefile, unless you use ExpertGPS to join some of them together. You can map one of the attribute columns to the track name, and a second to the description/notes field on the track.

Once you get the data the way you want it on the GPS receiver, ExpertGPS Pro will allow you to import updates from your field survey and add the modified polygons back to your master database in ArcMap.

Dawee M. asks:
I am looking at your programme ExpertGPS. Can the programme convert a kmz file from Google Earth to a shp file to use in GIS?

One convenient use for ExpertGPS Pro is as a converter from Google Earth's KML and compressed KMZ formats into GIS shapefiles, DXF CAD drawings, and other GPS and mapping formats. For this example, I'll convert the New York City subway lines and stations in KMZ format to SHP using ExpertGPS Pro. First I import the KMZ data into ExpertGPS Pro by clicking Import on the File menu, and selecting the KMZ file I downloaded from the Internet. ExpertGPS Pro converts the placemarks for each subway station into GPS waypoints, and converts each subway line into a GPS track.

Before I export the data, I have to decide what coordinate format to use to match my ArcGIS project. ExpertGPS Pro supports lat/lon, UTM, US state plane coordinates, and the national grid formats of Britain, France, and many other countries. New York City is covered by the New York Long Island state plane coordinate system, NAD83 datum, which I've selected in ExpertGPS Pro.

To export the subway stations, I click once in the Waypoint List, and then click Export Waypoints in List on the File menu. When prompted to save the shapefile, I change the File Type in the bottom of the Export dialog to Point Shapefile (.shp). I repeat the process to export the subway lines from the Track List as a Polyline Shapefile.

After you've done this once in ExpertGPS, you'll have the coordinate format already set to match your ArcGIS project, so converting additional KMZ and KML files simply becomes a two-step process. Import the KMZ, and click Export to convert it to a shapefile.

Related Topics How to publish GIS layers to Google Earth KML More file conversions with ExpertGPS Pro

Kevin C., a hunter from South Dakota, asks:
I have a Lowrance XOG and would like the ability to save maps of Walk In Areas and School Lands from the State of South Dakota's website with the following link: http://arcgis.sd.gov/Website/sdGIS/Data.aspx
Will your program allow me to convert these maps to my XOG so I can see these boundaries similar to how I currently view park and city boundaries.
If so, could I get a step by step instructions on how to save these to a SD card? Any help would be greatly appreciated

South Dakota and many other states put their public and walk-in hunting maps, WMAs, and other vital hunting information on their state GIS Web sites. You can use the GIS import features in ExpertGPS Pro to view all of this public hunting data over topo maps, aerial photos, or your own scanned BLM or other paper maps.

Download the hunting layers you need from your state GIS Website, and make note of the projection information given for each file. In this case, the South Dakota hunting map data is projected in UTM, Zone 14, WGS84 (or NAD83) datum. You'll need to add that coordinate format in ExpertGPS if you're not already working with it. Click Preferences on the Edit menu, switch to the My Coordinate Formats tab, and add UTM, WGS84.

To import the hunting data, click Import on the File menu in ExpertGPS, and select the .shp file that you downloaded and unzipped. (You may need to change the file type selector at the bottom of the Import dialog to show Shapefiles). The Import Polygons dialog will appear - this is where you select the projection used (UTM) and specify the UTM zone (14 North). You can also choose which fields in the shapefile are mapped to the Label and Description of the tracks you create in ExpertGPS. Click OK, and you'll have all of the Walk-in Hunting areas in South Dakota overlaid on your ExpertGPS maps.

Sending Hunting Boundaries to your GPS

There are almost 4000 walk-in, public, and state-owned hunting locations in South Dakota. Your GPS doesn't have enough tracklog memory to display all of them. What you can do, is to use the topo maps and aerial photos in ExpertGPS to scout out the areas where you'd like to hunt, and send these few property boundaries to your GPS.

After you've identified a promising public hunting location, use the Select tool in ExpertGPS to click on a shaded boundary. Hold the Shift key, and keep clicking to select adjacent properties. Right-click, and click Copy Tracks. Create a new file, and Paste the tracks. Now you've got a smaller, more manageable file which you can refer to when planning your hunt. To transfer the property boundaries to your GPS, just click Send to GPS on the GPS menu. Since the Lowrance XOG stores its data on an SD memory card, ExpertGPS will prompt you to save your hunting waypoints and the tracklogs defining the land boundaries in a .USR file on the SD card. Place the SD card back in the battery compartment of your GPS, and use the menu command on the GPS to load the data from the card into the main GPS memory. (Consult your manual for the exact command - each Lowrance GPS is a bit different).

Be sure to print out a topo map from ExpertGPS showing the land boundaries and the terrain. If you print out a UTM grid over your map, and switch your GPS receiver to display its current location in UTM (rather than lat/lon), it's easy to keep track of where you are in the field by referring to the grid lines on your printed topo map.

By combining the wealth of freely-available GIS data from your state GIS and fish and game departments with the mapping capabilities of ExpertGPS Pro, you've got a powerful tool for scouting new public hunting areas and ensuring you'll have a successful hunt. Best of luck this hunting season!

ExpertGPS Pro user Suhail K. asks:
Our small company performs low-altitude, helicopter-based high-definition aerial videologging and photography for historical documentation of environmental, commercial, general municipal, and transportaiton needs. I currently use ESRI's ArcPad for navigation and data collection along with several Garmin devices. Do you have any plans of translating Garmin gps trails into Point Shp files? Many of our clients need this, so I create points in ArcGIS from X,Y coordinates and a subsequent point file. I would really like to use ExpertGPS for almost everything instead of adding addtional software to my workflow.

How can I convert my Garmin tracks to X,Y point shapefiles for ArcGIS?

By default, ExpertGPS Pro exports your Garmin tracklogs as polyline shapefiles. Waypoints are exported as point shapefiles. If we convert your Garmin track into a series of waypoints, you'll be able to use the Export command in the Waypoint List to save your GPS-recorded data as an ArcView point (X,Y) shapefile.

The Convert to Route command in ExpertGPS converts any selected track into a route, creating a waypoint at each point in your GPS tracklog. Before converting your flight track, edit the track and add a short identifier in the Track Name field. I used FLY on my track, so that the Convert to Route command would label the waypoints like this: FLY001, FLY002, FLY003...

Now select the track, right-click, and click Convert to Route. ExpertGPS will convert each trackpoint into a waypoint and string them together into a route. Switch to the Waypoint List and click Export Waypoints in List on the File menu. Change the file type to Point Shapefile (.shp), click OK, and you're done!