GeoRGE (GeoRSS to Google Earth)

What is GeoRGE?

GeoRGE is an interoperable webservice to convert GeoRSS Newsfeeds into Google Earths Keyhole Markup Language (KML).

Until now there were no possibilities to "read" a GeoRSS Newsfeed in Google Earth. So I analysed the different technologies to get an overview about what is possible. I find out that Google Earths KML supports all kind of geometries that GeoRSS can provide. Of course, they didn't use the same encoding format, so I had to figure out how to fix this. The service works like that:

- Send an AddFeed request with the URL of your favorite newsfeed to GeoRGE

- Save the returning file

- Open this file in Google Earth and there is your newsfeed.

You don't have to send the URL again to GeoRGE, because the file contains only a NetworkLink back to another function of GeoRGE. This function retrieves the actual feed and convert it into KML!

How can I use GeoRGE?

GeoRGE is an interoperable webservice which will answer to HTTP GET and HTTP POST requests.

The GET requests will work as KVP encodings and the POST request have to be send as XML requests. The XML schema will be soon available here.

These functions are available:

Function	Description	KVP	XML
GetCapabilities	This request allows you to gather more information abaout this service and lists the already stored newsfeeds	http://mars.uni-muenster.de:8080/GeoRGE/GeoRGE?request=GetCapabilities&service=GeoRGE Capabilities	http://mars.uni-muenster.de:8080/GeoRGE/GetCapabilities.htm Capabilities
AddFeed	This request ask GeoRGE to add a new newsfeed. You have to enter the URL of the feed and get a file that can be opened in Google Earth	http://mars.uni-muenster.de:8080/GeoRGE/GeoRGE?addFeed=http://feed.xml	http://mars.uni-muenster.de:8080/GeoRGE/AddFeed.htm AddFeed
GetKMLFile	If you have deleted your KML file or found in the capabilites another intersting feed, use this request with the feedID to get the KML file	http://mars.uni-muenster.de:8080/GeoRGE/GeoRGE?getKMLFile=2	http://mars.uni-muenster.de:8080/GeoRGE/GetKMLFile.htm GetKMLFile
GetKMLContent	This function is normaly called from Google Earth and generates the KML syntax	http://mars.uni-muenster.de:8080/GeoRGE/GeoRGE?getKMLContent=2	http://mars.uni-muenster.de:8080/GeoRGE/GetKMLContent.htm GetKMLContent
RemoveFeed	This request allows the user to remove a feed, but you have to enter a password
EditFeedProperties	This request allows the user to edit some feed properties like the title or the URL and needs a password

What action has to be done to use GeoRGE?

1. Copy the URL of your favorite GeoRSS Newsfeed.

2. Go to http://mars.uni-muenster.de:8080/GeoRGE/AddFeed.htm

3. Paste the URL of the GeoRSS Newsfeed into the form at the bottom of the page, in fact replace the text for the element http://www.yourfeedurl.com

4. Send the request and save the file as your favorite name and in your favorite folder.

5. Open Google Earth and load the saved file.

6. That's it, you should now be able to see the entries of the Newsfeed at the specific locations.

Notice that you have to use the XML document if you want to use a newsfeed where the URL contains "&". The Servlet will interpret the "?" as an seperator for a new Servletparameter

Is there any possibility to get the already stored newsfeeds?

Yes, there is! Go to the http://mars.uni-muenster.de:8080/GeoRGE/GeoRGE?request=GetCapabilities&service=GeoRGE Capabilities page. This XML file contains a list of already stored GeoRSS Newsfeeds and provides an ID, a feedID, a title and a feedURL of every feed. Notice the feedID of your favorite feed. Now you've got two possibilities to get the feed.

1. Go to http://mars.uni-muenster.de:8080/GeoRGE/GetKMLFile.htm and enter your favorite feedID into the element feedis and send the request to GeoRGE. The result will be a file. OR

2. Open Google Earth, create a NetworkLink and type in http://mars.uni-muenster.de:8080/GeoRGE/GeoRGE?getKMLContent=1 as the URL. Change the feedID to your favorite feedID, e.g. 3

Google Maps

Maybe you have noticed that Google has upgraded Google Maps to support GeoRSS (see the blog) too. That shows me that Google has realized how important GeoRSS Newsfeeds are and I think that it is only a matter of time, that Google Earth supports GeoRSS internaly. The advantage of using Google Earth to visualise GeoRSS instead of Google Maps is, that you can use/ read/ see more than one feed. In Google Maps you can only add one feed to the map. If you want to watch more feeds, you have to combine these feeds before watching.

More GeoRGE

On the http://mars.uni-muenster.de:8080/GeoRGE homepage of GeoRGE you can find more information and programms. You will find an Java Applet of the Java Swing GUI. Also you can download a Java library to create and parse GeoRSS.

Sample feeds

http://incubator.52north.org/twiki/bin/viewfile/SensorWeb/GeoRGE?rev=1;filename=Wetter_MS.kml Weather feed from the weatherstation of the Institute for Landscape Ecology, University of Muenster

-- Main.dennisdahlmann - 27 Apr 2007