Atoll

RF Planning & Optimisation Software

Export to Google Earth

Add-in User Manual

v e r s i o n 2.0

ADD_GE2_E0
 Export to Google Earth Add-in User Manual

Contact Information

Forsk (Head Office) 7 rue des Briquetiers  www.forsk.com Web

31700 Blagnac  sales@forsk.com Sales and pricing information
France  support@forsk.com Technical support
 +33 (0) 562 74 72 10 General
+33 (0) 562 74 72 25 Technical support
 +33 (0) 562 74 72 11 Fax

Forsk (USA Office) 200 South Wacker Drive  sales_us@forsk.com Sales and pricing information
Suite 3100  support_us@forsk.com Technical support
Chicago, IL 60606  +1 312 674 4846 General
USA +1 888 GoAtoll (+1 888 462 8655) Technical support
 +1 312 674 4847 Fax

Forsk (China Office) Suite 302, 3/F, West Tower,  www.forsk.com.cn Web
Jiadu Commercial Building,  enquiries@forsk.com.cn Information and enquiries
No.66 Jianzhong Road,  +86 20 8553 8938 Telephone
Tianhe Hi-Tech Industrial Zone,  +86 20 8553 8285 Fax (Guangzhou)
Guangzhou, 510665, +86 10 6513 4559 Fax (Beijing)
People’s Republic of China

Export to Google Earth Add-in User Manual Release ADD_GE2_E0

© Copyright 1997 - 2010 by Forsk

The software described in this document is provided under a license agreement. The software may only be used/copied
under the terms and conditions of the license agreement. No part of this document may be copied, reproduced or
distributed in any form without prior authorisation from Forsk.

The product or brand names mentioned in this document are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective
registering parties.

About the Export to Google Earth Add-in

This document describes the Export to Google Earth add-in developed by Forsk using the standard Atoll API. The add-in
can export sites, transmitters, microwave links, their parameters, and coverage prediction plots to Google Earth.

This document covers the installation process and working of the add-in.

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 Table of Contents

Table of Contents

1 Export to Google Earth Add-in ............................................................................................ 9

1.1 Installing the Export to Google Earth Add-in ............................................................................................ 9
1.1.1 Installing the Add-in............................................................................................................................ 9
1.1.2 Repairing the Already-Installed Add-in ............................................................................................... 9
1.1.3 Uninstalling the Add-in ..................................................................................................................... 10
1.1.4 Managing the Add-in in Atoll ............................................................................................................ 10
1.2 Using the Export to Google Earth Add-in ............................................................................................... 11
1.3 Advanced Configuration......................................................................................................................... 14

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Chapter 1
Export to Google Earth Add-in
This document covers the installation process and working of the add-in.

Atoll
RF Planning & Optimisation Software
Export to Google Earth Add-in User Manual

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 Chapter 1: Export to Google Earth Add-in

1 Export to Google Earth Add-in

The Export to Google Earth add-in can export items such as sites, transmitters, microwave links, their properties, and
coverage prediction plots from Atoll to Google Earth.
The Export to Google Earth add-in is developed by Forsk using the standard Atoll API. It is available on demand and can
be used with Atoll version 2.5.2 and later.

1.1 Installing the Export to Google Earth Add-in

1.1.1 Installing the Add-in
To install the add-in:
1. Double-click the setup icon to run the setup program.
2. Specify an installation folder for the add-in.
It is not necessary to install the add-in in the Atoll installation directory.

3. Specify whether the installation should only be performed in the current user profile or for all users.

Figure 1.1: Add-in Setup Wizard Figure 1.2: Destination Folder Selection Dialogue

4. Click Next to start the installation.

Figure 1.3: Installation Confirmation Dialogue Figure 1.4: Installation Progress

5. Click Close to exit the setup once the installation is complete.

1.1.2 Repairing the Already-Installed Add-in

The setup program allows you to repair the already-installed add-in by re-installing it using the installation parameters that
you defined when installing it the first time. To repair an installation:
1. Double-click the setup file icon to start the setup program.
2. Choose Repair Export to Google Earth add-in for Atoll.
3. Click Finish to repair the installation.

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Export to Google Earth Add-in User Manual

Figure 1.5: Repair Installation Dialogue

1.1.3 Uninstalling the Add-in

To uninstall the Export to Google Earth add-in:
1. Double-click the setup file icon to start the setup program.
2. Choose Remove Export to Google Earth add-in for Atoll.
3. Click Finish to uninstall the add-in.

Figure 1.6: Uninstallation Dialogue Figure 1.7: Uninstallation Progress

You can also uninstall the add-in through Windows Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs.

1.1.4 Managing the Add-in in Atoll

Once installed, the add-in is available in the list of add-ins installed with Atoll.
To manage the add-in in Atoll:
1. Select Tools > Add-ins and Macros from the menu bar. Te Add-ins and Macros dialogue appears.
2. The GoogleEarthAddin Class check box should be selected by default in the Add-ins and Macros dialogue.
3. Click Close to exit the dialogue.

The Export to Google Earth add-in icon is available in the Add-in Toolbar.

You can deactivate add-ins in the Add-ins and Macros dialogue. For example, if you clear the GoogleEarthAddin Class
check box in this dialogue, the Export to Google Earth add-in icon will no longer be available in the Add-in Toolbar.

Figure 1.8: Add-ins and Macros Dialogue in Atoll

You can also verify the installation details of the add-in by clicking the Infos button in the Add-ins and Macros dialogue.

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 Chapter 1: Export to Google Earth Add-in

1.2 Using the Export to Google Earth Add-in

Once the add-in is installed, the Export to Google Earth add-in icon will be available in Atoll. You have to install Google
Earth before using the Export to Google Earth add-in in Atoll.
Note:
• The Terrain layer should be active in Google Earth. Otherwise, the height information
exported by the Export to Google Earth add-in will not be correctly interpreted by Google
Earth.

To run the Export to Google Earth add-in:

1. Click the Export to Google Earth add-in icon in the Add-in Toolbar. The Export to Google Earth dialogue
appears (see Figure 1.9: on page 11).

Figure 1.9: Export to Google Earth Add-in Dialogue

2. Select the items to export to Google Earth:

- Sites: Select this check box to export the site locations and heights to Google Earth.
You can export other site properties to Google Earth as well. For more information, see step 3.

You can choose to export the site altitudes as Absolute values or Relative to the Ground.

- Transmitters: Select this check box to export the transmitter heights, azimuths, antenna beamwidths,
mechanical tilts, and activity statuses to Google Earth.
You can export other transmitter properties to Google Earth as well. For more information, see step 3.

Note:
• When you export site altitudes as relative to the ground, the altitudes of transmitters are
also exported as relative to the ground and, therefore, depend on the topology of the map.

- Microwave Links: Select this check box to export the microwave link heights and activity statuses to Google
Earth.
You can export other microwave link properties to Google Earth as well. For more information, see step 3.

You can select the Fresnel Ellipsoid check box if you wish the add-in to generate and export Fresnel ellip-
soids to Google Earth for the exported microwave links.

- Coverage Plots: Select the coverage prediction plots to export to Google Earth. The list contains all the plots
available in the Predictions folder for the current Atoll document.
3. Select site, transmitter, and microwave link properties to export to Google Earth:

a. Click the Browse button ( ) next to the Properties box corresponding to Sites, Transmitters, or Microwave
Links. The Selection of fields dialogue appears (see Figure 1.10: on page 12).
b. Select the fields you want to export.

- To select a field to be exported, select the field in the Available fields list and click to move it
to the Selected fields list.
- To remove a field from the Selected fields list, select the field and click to remove it from the
Selected fields list.

- To change the order of the fields, select one or more fields in the Selected fields list and click or to
move it up or down in the list. The exported properties will be sorted in the order of the fields in the Selected

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Export to Google Earth Add-in User Manual

fields list, from top to bottom.

Figure 1.10: Selection of Fields to Export to Google Earth

c. Click OK to close the Selection of fields dialogue.

4. Next to Save as, specify a name and location for the Google Earth export data storage file created by the add-in.
Note:
• KMZ files are compressed archives that include the KML file containing site, transmitter,
and microwave link data, as well as the coverage prediction plots exported in PNG format.
You can open KMZ files and access their contents in most compression/zip utilities.

5. Click OK. The selected items are exported to Google Earth.

The Export to Google Earth add-in automatically runs Google Earth if installed and sets the focus on the location of the
exported items. The selected properties are also exported to Google Earth and can be displayed in tool-tips inside Google
Earth by clicking the desired item in the Places window, or by pressing and holding the Ctrl key and clicking the desired
item on the map.
The following figures show examples of the export using the add-in.

Figure 1.11: Sites, Transmitters, and a Signal Level Coverage Prediction Plot

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 Chapter 1: Export to Google Earth Add-in

Figure 1.12: Site Properties

Figure 1.13: Microwave Link and Fresnel Ellipsoid

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Export to Google Earth Add-in User Manual

1.3 Advanced Configuration

Some options may be configured through the GoogleEarth.ini file. This file must be located in the Export to Google Earth
add-in installation folder. The following options are available in the [Options] section:
• Automatically launch Google Earth after exporting data
OpenDocument = 0 or 1 (default value)

• Default name and storage location for the file created by the add-in
DefaultStorage = "C:\TEMP\Atoll.kmz" (example)

If you do not specify any name and location in the .ini file, files created by the add-in will be stored under the default
name and location: "%USERPROFILE%\Application Data\Google\GoogleEarth\Atoll.kmz".

• Do not draw tower graphical details representing sites in Google Earth

SimplifyTower = 0 (default value) or 1

• Radius (in metres) of the polygon that represents transmitters in Google Earth
TransmitterSize = 50 (default value)

• Expansion value for Fresnel ellipsoids in Google Earth

EllipsoidFactor = 1 (default value)

• Width and height of the maximum texture size supported by Google Earth (see About box in Google Earth)
MaximumWidth = 2048 (default value)

MaximumHeight = 2048 (default value)

• More accurate export of coverage plots (coverage prediction overlays in Google Earth might have some overlap)
UseAccuracy = 0 (default value) or 1

• Width and height of the tile used for the accurate coverage plot export
TileWidth = 128 (default value)

TileHeight = 128 (default value)

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© Forsk 2010 ADD_GE2_E0 15

Export to
Google Earth
Add-in
User Manual

version 2.0
ADD_GE2_E0

February 2010

 Head Office
7, rue des Briquetiers
31700 Blagnac - France
Tel: +33 562 747 210
Fax: +33 562 747 211

 US Office
200 South Wacker Drive - Suite 3100
Chicago, IL 60606 - USA
Tel: +1 312 674 4846
Fax: +1 312 674 4847

 China Office
Suite 302, 3/F, West Tower,
Jiadu Commercial Building,
No. 66 Jianzhong Road,
Tianhe Hi-Tech Industrial Zone,
Guangzhou, 510665, P. R. of China
Tel: +86 20 8553 8938
Fax: +86 20 8553 8285

www.forsk.com