Overlay GPS Positioning Over Radar/Google Maps

[Tony Laubach]

All:

I've seen this in numerous videos done in various ways/formats, but was curious about the process as I would like to utilize this in some video work I am going to undertake in the not-too-distant future.

I am using Delorme as my primary mapping software while on the road. I have been able to convert that into a file that can be overlayed to Google Maps, so I think I can convert it to whatever I need. My primary radar program I use is GRLevel3.

1) Is there a combination of GPS/radar I should look to use to simplify this process? What should I use to create the GPS/radar video?
2) Is there a mapping software I can use to display my GPS onto the map?
3) Is there software that does this?

Any tips would be greatly appreciated! Mega thanks!

 

[B. Dean Berry]

I've seen @Skip Talbot do this in his videos.

 

[Drew Terril]

As Dean said, Skip is likely the best option for this, as he did quite a bit with compiling all the El Reno stuff. I'm hopeful that he chimes in with a suggestion.

 

[adlyons]

All:

I've seen this in numerous videos done in various ways/formats, but was curious about the process as I would like to utilize this in some video work I am going to undertake in the not-too-distant future.

I am using Delorme as my primary mapping software while on the road. I have been able to convert that into a file that can be overlayed to Google Maps, so I think I can convert it to whatever I need. My primary radar program I use is GRLevel3.

1) Is there a combination of GPS/radar I should look to use to simplify this process? What should I use to create the GPS/radar video?
2) Is there a mapping software I can use to display my GPS onto the map?
3) Is there software that does this?

Any tips would be greatly appreciated! Mega thanks!

Tony, I have long wondered the same thing and after years of searching, I can say the answer to your questions is: No, for now... As others have said, Skip Talbot has made many videos doing what you have talked about using custom software he created. (Pecos) Hank Schyma and others have reproduced this effect through stacking videos of archive data from GR2 and the NOAA Viewer, but Skip is the only person I know of to have a custom solution. I was frustrated by the lack of availability and also ended up building my own software a few weeks ago. I may release a much more polished and user friendly version publicly some time in the future (I have a million other things going on), but for now you're going to have to make something on your own.

 

[Skip Talbot]

Yeah, I had to code it up myself after I couldn't accomplish what I needed in GrLevelX and various mapping programs. Unfortunately I don't have this in as a shareable solution. I run it straight from the compiler and write custom code for each of those animations I make.

Buuut... if you want to attempt to do this using off the shelf stuff. I'd get Franson GPSGate. Add a Recorder output so that your GPS position is saved while you chase. Really, every chaser should be doing this in some form. Having your GPS position archived for future use is absolutely invaluable. Delorme's logs are doing this for you too, but I've found Franson's logs to be a more robust and complete format. The Franson software then allows you to playback a GPS log file. GrLevelX, Street Atlas, Streets and Trips or whatever will see this as a regular GPS output. You can play it back in real time, or speed up the playback rate, and then watch your position change in GR or Street Atlas. Then you'll want to load in the archived radar set into GrLevelX and I guess use the arrow keys or toolbar buttons to try to keep the radar scan in sync with the GPS log time Franson is displaying. Then you can just record the screen.

This is a pain in the ass solution though, requiring a lot of manual effort and fuss. GrLevelX had (and perhaps still does) a limitation in the number of files it could open, so if you want to do a lengthy animation, you then have to do this process multiple times and try to stitch it together. I grew tired of this real quick, and wound up writing my own Direct3D app that overlays radar data on top of downloaded Google Maps tiles.

If you just need a scan or two, another solution would be to open the archived radar data set in the free NOAA Weather Climate Toolkit and then output it as a Google Earth KMZ/KML. Then open that in Google Earth and you'll see the radar scan on top of the satellite imagery. Use Franson GPSGate to convert your Franson NMEA or Delorme GPL GPS log into the XML based GPX format. Google Earth can open that directly and show your position at defined times. You can then record the screen again, take a screenshot, or whatever. I think you can even output a short animation sequence from NOAA WCT and it will play in Google Earth.

 

[Ben Holcomb]

I've got a live map tracker on my site and overlay my GPS tracks on each chase report I write. Probably not what you are looking for, but it's simplistic javascript code and the spotternetwork XML for the live map tracker and then just a KML file over a Google map for each chase.

Examples:
Live position
Chase Recap

 

[Tony Laubach]

Appreciate the info guys, and to you Skip for the detailed description.

I'm experimenting with a couple things, along the lines of what you were describing. It's funny to me that something like this isn't more readily available. But it is what it is, and if I had the time to create such a product, I would be all over it. But I'll keep fidgeting with what I am, and try looking into what you guys have offered.

I appreciate the help, and hopefully one day something like this is a bit more easy to work with

 

[Skip Talbot]

And correction: This is the software to use to convert GPS log files between formats: GPSBabel: convert, upload, download data from GPS and Map programs

That thing will convert every format known to man and back. I use it to convert my NMEA logs from Franson to GPX, which Google Earth can open, and what I use in my own software since reading XML is a snap.

It'll also take your Delorme GPL files and convert them to NMEA so you can play them back in Franson's recorder, or into GPX for Google Earth.

It'll also merge logs that have been split across multiple files, or trim them to certain start and stop times if you just need a segment.