Locus Map - forum

Support => Troubles & Questions => Topic started by: kaspar42 on February 10, 2011, 15:33:23

Title: How do I import saved places from Google Maps?
Post by: kaspar42 on February 10, 2011, 15:33:23
I have been using Locus for a while now, and I just love the way you can select map sections to download.

But how I import my saved (starred) places from Google Maps? I know that there is an option to import data, but that just opens a file browser.
Title: Re: How do I import saved places from Google Maps?
Post by: Menion on February 10, 2011, 15:36:13
Hi,
  I sorry but I don't know google maps more then to view maps :). Anyone to help with this?

Anyway, to import data to Locus, I'm sure you ahve to export data from google maps to any of supported format that Locus should load (gpx, kml, loc, ...)
Title: Re: How do I import saved places from Google Maps?
Post by: cythraul on February 10, 2011, 20:09:37
!. Go to My Maps in Google Maps and open the list of places you want to have in Locus
2. Click the "View in Google Earth" link in Google Maps to generate and download a KML file
3. Copy the file on your phone
4.  Import it in Locus.

At least that's how I always do it.
Title: Re: How do I import saved places from Google Maps?
Post by: kaspar42 on February 11, 2011, 11:28:29
I am afraid that doesn't do it. I can get GM to save a kml file to my computer, and when I open it in GE, all the points are there. But when I try to import it with Locus, it says "Imported 0 points".

The kml file is actually not a list of points, but rather a long URL to maps.google.com/####, so perhaps Locus can't download the points? Any ideas how to get this to work?
Title: Re: How do I import saved places from Google Maps?
Post by: cythraul on February 11, 2011, 13:27:03
sorry I missed a step. Try copying the Google earth URL and look for the part "output=nl" and change it to "output=kml", then use that new URL to download.
Title: Re: How do I import saved places from Google Maps?
Post by: kaspar42 on February 11, 2011, 13:39:59
But it already says that. Here is the file I downloaded by pressing "view in Google Earth":

   <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<kml xmlns="http://earth.google.com/kml/2.2">
<Document>
  <name>mymap</name>
  <description><![CDATA[]]></description>
  <NetworkLink>
    <name>mymap</name>
    <Link>
      <href>http://maps.google.com/maps/[......]&amp;output=kml</href>
    </Link>
  </NetworkLink>
</Document>
</kml>
Title: Re: How do I import saved places from Google Maps?
Post by: cythraul on February 11, 2011, 16:10:52
I mean the url the "View in Google Earth" link leads to. It should be something like maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&vps=1&jsv=314b&msa=0&output=nl&msid=(....)

Right click on that link, choose copy URL, paste it to the address bar, change the part I mentioned and click Enter to download.
Title: Re: How do I import saved places from Google Maps?
Post by: kaspar42 on February 11, 2011, 18:36:46
Yes, that did the trick. Thanks!
Title: Re: How do I import saved places from Google Maps?
Post by: gonnesouth on February 16, 2011, 00:09:10
if you create an "import" folder in locus, you can drag and drop from locus to google earth, and visa versa, but you need to make sure it is a KML file when D+D from earth to locus
Title: Re: How do I import saved places from Google Maps?
Post by: one1 on June 22, 2011, 03:26:30
In a huge change in policy Google decided to develop the Google Local listings within what was referred to as Google Maps last year Google's goal was to turn into a dominant force in the world of regional directory listings, a medium that society was utilizing offline for many years mainly by means of publications like the yellow pages, more lately Yelp and Yahoo.
The main situation in this introduction of Google Places Local Listings as the big player has been reviews as ruthless organization owners have manipulated the system to get an unfair benefit, either through false negative evaluations of their competition or false positive evaluations of their own enterprise.
Title: Re: How do I import saved places from Google Maps?
Post by: ben72 on July 11, 2011, 14:48:06
Cythraul's instructions didn't quite work for me because I couldn't copy the URL given by "View in Google Earth", but the following tweak did:

1. Click "Send", not "View in Google Earth"
2. Copy the URL given after "Hi, I'd like to..." and paste it into Notepad or Word
3. If you see a ">" at the end of the URL, delete it. Then add "&output=kml" to the end of the URL
4. Copy the whole URL and paste it into your browser address bar

The downloaded file should be full of GPS points.

Good luck!

- Ben
Title: Re: How do I import saved places from Google Maps?
Post by: shuyinxiao on July 14, 2011, 03:26:50
Quote from: "kaspar42"Yes, that did the trick. Thanks!
agree with
Title: Re: How do I import saved places from Google Maps?
Post by: berkley on July 14, 2011, 07:28:03
Why don't you use built in Locus support for MyMaps? Does all the same but much easyer. And you can import your MyMaps for offline access. All within Locus. No need to do something with Google Earth and/or Google Maps!
Title: Re: How do I import saved places from Google Maps?
Post by: Gone2Plaid on December 23, 2011, 12:16:58
Quote from: "berkley"Why don't you use built in Locus support for MyMaps? Does all the same but much easyer. And you can import your MyMaps for offline access. All within Locus. No need to do something with Google Earth and/or Google Maps!

Displaying a map from My Maps works great, but I couldn't see how to save those points to a category for offline use.

So, I just clicked the "KML" link next to the name of the "My Map" that I wanted to download.  I looked at the URL, and it had the text "output=kml" already, so it's possible the Google defaults have changed in our favor.  I plowed ahead making no changes to the URL text.  The save file dialog said it was going to be a 1.4 kb file, and that made me concerned it would just be the URL that was saved.  Then to my surprise the resulting file it saved was 7.9 kb (20 points in the map) - so far so good!  I opened it up, and sure enough, it was an XML file with coordinate fields (most importantly) and others.  I moved the file to my phone, went into Locus and tried the import function.  SUCCESS!  It prompted me for a category and showed the tally climbing from 1 to 20 points as it loaded.

If there is a way to do this all internally within Locus, I'd love to hear about it, but at a minimum, the save file, transfer and import approach works perfectly.
Title: Re: How do I import saved places from Google Maps?
Post by: Menion on December 23, 2011, 12:53:18
try just click on your map in My Maps list and select "Export"
Title: Re: How do I import saved places from Google Maps?
Post by: proud on January 21, 2012, 07:25:06
i have a way. you can use this google places scraper (//http://www.alreadycoded.com/google-maps/google-maps-places-scraper.html) tool to import and export the google places data. go to the demo link and enter keyword. hope this will help?
Title: Re: How do I import saved places from Google Maps?
Post by: lomaps on August 10, 2012, 09:31:59
I can't find the KML Link in Google maps to download the starred locations.
The KML or Google Earth link apear only inside of a specific map, but all my starred location aren't in a specific map.  :cry:

Does anyone has an idea how to get such starred location from google maps to Locus?
Title: Re: How do I import saved places from Google Maps?
Post by: Menion on August 10, 2012, 13:00:08
I'm also interested in this answer, because I don't know any method and you're not the only one who ask
Title: Re: How do I import saved places from Google Maps?
Post by: tommi on August 10, 2012, 17:13:03
I think the only possiblity is to save every single one to a common map like "all my starred locations"