Google Earth Help

Using Style Templates

Often the data you import into Google Earth contains multiple features that are not automatically converted into a readily visible feature in the 3D viewer. For example, a shape file defining the population boundaries for a specific region might have a field that supplies the population number for each boundary defined in the data. Or, a CSV file might contain real estate listings with a field showing the square footage of each listing.

You can use style templates when importing this data in order to display fields in your data in meaningful ways.

This is accomplished by 'mapping' or connecting specific fields in your imported data to one of four template display features:

• 'Name' - By default, if a field for your data contains the phrase 'name' as its label, Google Earth maps that field to the name displayed in the viewer for your point. However, you can map any field in your imported data to the Name element.
• 'Color' - The color field applies color to your data. Icons are colored if you import point data, and shapes or lines are colored if you imported that type of data. For more information, see Mapping Color Styles.
• 'Icons' - You can use the icon display feature to select an icon from the list for your imported point data. You can select a single icon for all point data, apply icons randomly, or select specific icons for specific fields. See Mapping Icons to Point Data.
• 'Height' - The height feature generates a height for the selected column in your data. If the selected data is numeric, height values can be spread across a range of values. If the data is text, icons can be supplied to individual fields. See Mapping Height Values.

The rest of this section covers:

• Applying a Style Template
• Customizing the Value Ranges for Numeric Data
• A Style Template Example