I have made some exciting progress recently in converting my DeLorme Topo USA® data for use with Google Earth®. This will allow anyone willing to download a free copy of Google Earth® to view all of the reports I have geolocated. Previous discussion is here. Attached is an up to date Google Earth .kml file of BFRO reports of creature sightings. Clicking on a place mark icon for a report on the Google Earth map will reveal a hyperlink to the BFRO report.

I have also created separate files for BFRO track sign reports, and auditory reports. The idea behind segregating the report is to minimize the screen clutter when viewing any one type of report, and to allow the viewer to turn on / off the report files to combine as needed in Google Earth.

I hope to have these files and others showing reports from other research orgs such as TBRC available on my BigfootMaps page shortly, but I am experiencing some web hosting issues so please be patient.

[edit]Apparently I am not allowed to upload a .kml file. Moderator help please?[/edit]

Sweet! :new_thumbsupsmileyanim:

Downloaded the file from your site. Awesome! For some reason, though, I can't click on the URLs in the placemark balloons. Must because I'm running the Mac beta.

Great work!

Thanks. More progress as I learn my way around Google Earth.

First, I figured out how to consolidate multiple .kml files into one compact .kmz file.
Second, that file has now been hosted at bbs.keyhole.com.
You can download it here. The link from my web site will also work.
Third, the file now includes up to date reports from TBRC.

I will be adding my remaining data to the Google Earth file as time permits.

OK, I am on a roll. Have now added all of my data to the file. Please beware though, that there is a lot of data available for display and it may be a little taxing for computers with modest graphics processing power.

Awesome! Thank you for the effort.

Great work mangami, makes mine look amateur. :laugh:

Awesome.

Great Job

Ken Ken Yielding

:new_thumbsupsmileyanim:

Thanks for the positive feedback. It's really nice to hear that my effort is appreciated by others.

For casual readers who may not comprehend what we have here, it may be worth noting that that the file includes over 3,000 mapped reports and that I have invested well over a thousand hours of my time on this project.

So I think those who haven't seen the result yet are likely to be surprised. Google Earth really is a slick tool for this sort of thing. But for best results it will help if you have a fast graphics card and large screen, so "your mileage may vary" somewhat if you do not.

Also I'll take this opportunity to mention that there are still untapped sources of reports online and elsewhere which could be added to this project. Please let me know if you are working on any of them and are willing to share your work, so we do not duplicate the same effort.

You should get a Bigfoot Researchers Award - also known as a "Footie". I printed off your maps a couple of weeks ago and it still is on my computer table. Great work and we all appreciate your effort.

I just checked out your Google Earth link and really appreciate your efforts in this matter. Great job.

Thanks for listening, I'm glad you were able to pull it off. I wasn't able to convert any of your files to google earth, and had given up on it. I was just going to start from scratch. This is great, thanks a lot. As I've said in other map threads. If someone else has data in google, it's easy to share and combine, making a standard map really possible.

Nice work mangani, persistance pays off.

That is some serious work you guys have put in

Great job!!! It's very interesting to see all that you have inputed on Google map. Thanks for all your work...

Just downloaded your database. Very nice work!!! Thank you for your efforts!!!

Nice job Mangani... I just downloaded Google earth about three weeks ago. It has
consumed my spare time ever since. The first placemark I wanted to make was the
Patterson Gimlin film site. I was all over the net using this forum and other websites
to find it's exact location. I believe that I found the GPS coordinates on Bobie Short's
Bigfoot encounters. It was a great exercise in patience. I have a small understanding
of what you went through to accomplish your sighting library. I would encourage
everybody who has enough computer capacity to download this free software. It has
taken my curiosity for bigfoot to another level. THANKS for your efforts.
I would be willing to help with future cataloging if I got some coaching and tutoring.
You can reach me through PM.

Galahad

Thanks Galahad.

Unfortunately, Bobbie Short's Bigfoot Encounters is one of the more obvious report sources that I have not gotten around to mapping yet. You may be very tactfully pointing out that the coordinates she provides for the Patterson film site are about two miles from the ones I used. There was some logic behind the location I chose, but since I did not record the specifics at the time, I am going to take Bobbie's word as gospel, and change my data. The change will be reflected in the next version of the Google Earth file.

Now is a good time to say that I totally welcome corrections such as this. While I believe I have made a solid effort to locate reports correctly, the result is only as good as my assessment of the information at my disposal and there is almost always room for error.


I tried to PM you, Galahad, but
I suspect the moderators may not have given you PM priveleges yet.

Dear Mangani,
I got your post and have researched your conclusion that I cannot receive PM.
Must post a few more times. Maybe a moderator can intercede. It is ok with me
if you send me a PM.

You have done a magnificient job of identifying sites. I was trying to relate how
difficult it was for me to locate the Patterson / Gimlin sighting. The process is
tedious and I respect your efforts. I used Bobbie Short's information because it
was the first GPS coordinates I could find. I do not know her sources but she
does seem to do due diligence.

I would like to help with sightings in the Pacific Northwest, my particular area
of interest.

Keep up the good work. I hope to hear from you.

Galahad

Tell you what, it would be simpler if you PM me after they turn on that feature for you. Then I will know when you have PM access.

I guess I better get busy and write some more posts.
does this reply count??

Galahad

Yep! I think you have to get to 15 in order to PM someone...

Excellent work Mangani! Thank you so much for sharing your hard work with us all! :appl:

Outstanding! Thanks.

Google Earth is a great great program. It is probably the best computer application to come along in the last 5-10 years.

By-the-way, to solve the upload attachment problem, you could probably just change the extension to txt or jpg, then the person that downloads it change it back to the kml extension. You got that problem solved anyway, but just a thought.

Appreciate the feedback. I am currently working on adding more data from the International Bigfoot Society site. So stay tuned.

I agree that Google Earth is an absolutely superb application. IMO it is reason enough, all by itself, for anyone still using a dial up connection to upgrade to broadband.

With all the consistently positive comments on this thread, what more does it take to get a few stars for a topic on this forum? :new_whistle: Seriously, a little more recognition wouldn't hurt, as there are probably lots of members here who haven't yet realized what this project is about and what a slick tool it can provide for them.

Mangani,

Excellent work! I just downloaded Google Earth and have started playing around with your file. I didn't know the extent of the sightings in my neck of the woods. The shear magnitude of work you have done is amazing.

I had a couple of questions as I was reviewing the reports. They are:

1. Is there a way to sort by date meaning month or year?

2. Is there a way to classify and sort the reports similar to what the BFRO does A, B, C..

GoodScience

Good questions, GoodScience.

1. Yes, but not within Google Earth. The date field, while text, is formatted in a year, month, day sequence to make it easily sortable. However, to do so you would have to convert the Google Earth data to another format such as .txt or .csv to import it into a database or spreadsheet application where you could sort and divide it into subsets which could then be exported as separate files for reconversion back to Google Earth for display.

2. Yes and no. I chose to classify the data into three buckets, but they are not the same ones used by the BFRO. The three I chose are: creature sightings, track signs, and auditory reports. You can selectively display these within Google Earth by clicking on the "arrow head" next to the Bigfoot Reports folder, then "drilling down" into each of the research organization subfolders and selecting only those subfolders you wish to view by clicking their check marks on or off. You could also reorganize the subfolders by classification bucket by creating new folders and dragging the appropriate subfolders into them.

Unfortunately with either DeLorme Topo USA or Google Earth we are not working with analytical databases with unlimited multiple data fields and sorting capabilities, so "work arounds" are required to do very much analysis.

Mangani, I am still here and have finally reached enough posts to PM. You are absolutely
right. I can not get enough. I am not fluent in googleeze but I am willing to learn. My main
focus would be Washington State. The sky is the limit with the amount of information
we might share if more people would understand what a tool google earth is. Send me
a message

Galahad

Excellent work Mangani...

Using your map I visited my sighting location as posted on the TBRC...you were right on target.

Much Obliged for a job well done....I've been browsing on and off all day....lots of good information here....lots of BS too.....hopefully we can chat later this evening.

Question for the forum....what if the big monkey...ain't a monkey...nothing monkey or apelike about either of my sightings....to all you gun nuts....it will take something heavier and hotter than a 220 grain 30-06 round to bring down what I saw....a .41 Mag is a rare pistol caliber that would just piss off an adult unless your trembling hand got very lucky...JMHO

I've rescued large breed dogs for over three decades....a Fila, Presa, Pit or any other personal protection dog would be a terrible field companion choice...my Rotties stay home...when I go in the field....JMHO

seeing is believing...

ole bub and the dawgs

This is great stuff! I appreciate your work on this!

Google Earth is a lot of fun - I like going from one location to another...like being on a gigantic pogo stick! :happy:

Thanks for the continued positive feedback.

Members might be interested to know that I have completed mapping reports from the International Bigfoot Society (IBS credibility ratings of 1, 2, and 3 only.) There are now 3,944 mapped reports in my data base. Data files for both DeLorme Topo USA and Google Earth are available for download via links at my BigfootMaps page.

I have also recently upgraded to Topo USA 6 and used this version to revise and expand the sample maps on the web page.

Comments and suggestions are always welcome.

This is awesome!

First and foremost Bravo Zulu on your hard work. :icon14:

Secondly, does the main bigfootreports.dmt file include all of the subfiles, or does a person need to download each seperate file in order to have them all?

1. Thanks. Also nice work that you are doing.

2. The .dmt (which stands for DeLorme Map Transfer, as I recall) file is essentially a container file that is used to transfer multiple data files, so it does contain all of the DeLorme Topo USA data files in this project. And the same applies for the .kmz file for Google Earth users.

The separate text files linked to on the web page are not needed by anyone using either Topo USA or Google Earth. I originally included them for folks to import the data to other mapping software, but they are probably no longer necessary and I may stop publishing them before long.

Thank you for all of your hard work it is truly impressive. :new_thumbsupsmileyanim:

Mangani or any Google Earth Guru's out there,

Is there a way to isolate a specific geographic area using the bigfoot reports kmz file on Google Earth? I would like to pin down a region for some field work and have so far been unable to find a way to do this and ended up starting to enter the data manually.

I noted that lat/long for some reports from IBS is a general area, example: 5 reports with an identical lat/long with report giving description/directions within a 10-20 mile radius. The lat/long is identifying the closest town.

Thanks Mangani for all your hard work and effort, it's truly awsome.

There is a way to do almost anything, but in this case I can't think of an easy one. The only way I know of would be to extract all the data into a database application and filter out the records with latitudes and longitudes that fall outside of the target area, then recompile the remaining data into whatever format you need. In short it would be a fair amount of work. There may be some geographic systems software applications out there that could accomplish this with a click of the mouse, but if there are I don't know about them. Belemnoid may have some further insight. If you want to do this yourself and know something about database or spreadsheet software and are up to figuring a lot of it out on your own I can probably point you in the right direction.

Thanks Mangani, I am familiar with Spreadsheets and Database Software, yet, was hoping that I wouldn't have to resort to a manual compilation, perhaps this winter when the snows are deep :wink: I have already begun to enter the data manually in Google Earth. Thanks for the response. If I do work out a database solution that allows geographic filtering using the GE software, I will post it.

I can probably help you....but I don't completely understand your question. If you are just looking for a specific area can't you just view the data in google earth?
If you give me a detailed description of your query I can probably run it in ArcGIS.

Also, you shouldn't have to enter the data yourself - I think that Mangani still has text files on his site that I was using to bring the data into GIS.

wow, this is amazing, actually something to make Me download GE lol, thanks alot for this amazing piece of work, now hopefully I will be able to answer some questions I have been asking myself for awhile regarding reported sightings and their correlation with some major hiking trails.

Sweet and Awsome

Nice info. :new_thumbsupsmileyanim:

All you long time Google Earth users make sure to download the latest upgrade - there's lots of of great new imagery available.

IMPORTANT

Please use some common sense with these maps.

I have already tried to make it clear that the locations are approximate. The coordinates are only my interpretation of general verbal descriptions found in the source reports. There is a margin of error of one mile or greater. But at least one person has apparently missed that point causing consternation for a landowner.

Please do not assume that because an icon on the map is on a particular piece of private property that it represents the actual location of the encounter and please do not inform a landowner that there is a report of an encounter on their land.

If you want me to continue to make this resource available please respect all property rights and do not annoy landowners.

I have found the markers are in the same general area as mine, and I spent a great deal of time finding the closest reasonable location to place my markers. Because I have some that I marked myself with google earth, most markers (both mine and yours) are adjacent to each other with little margin for error, so I'd say they must be accurate. I can understand how some reports can only have their location guessed within 3, maybe 5 miles, others have more detail and are deadly accurate.

Hi Roadrunner, just for my own piece of mind, you are talking about the US here & not markers in the UK where we're from aren't you ???

correct.

I do the best I can to make the location of the reports accurate, given the information I am working from. But that certainly does not mean that the locations are precisely accurate. Rather there is a significant margin of error or lack of precision.

Unfortunately there are people who do not understand this distinction. Apparently they see the placemarks on a highly detailed map and assume because the map is highly detailed that the placemark is accurately located with the same degree of precision as everything else on the map. And this most certainly is not the case with this project.

Yes I agree, as far as ther being a significant margin for error. I did not place mine with the notion that it is the exact location of an encounter, this is ridiculous, only the witnesses themselves know this information. However, it could be agreed upon that the marker represents a general area of encompassing between 0-10 miles in circumference.

I've been using Google Earth, a free application from Google, to search out likely squatching areas around Coos Bay Oregon, and I got to thinking...

Google Earth has a community database, where users can pinpoints locations anywhere on earth and add their own notes. Why hasnt anyone added a sasquatch community database to this thing?

Anyone know a bit more about this application and how it works? Maybe we can get something started.

Google earth is a great Application, and if your graphics card is fairly modern, it works 1000% faster than using google satellite maps on the google website.

You can get it free at the following link, however I recommend that it be only used by those who have: dsl or better, 256 Mb or more of RAM, and at least 1 GB Processor.

Download it Here.

http://www.bigfootforums.com/index.php?showtopic=14228

Here we go my Friend !! :wink:

Why limit things to Google earth only?

THIS is a pretty cool app that opens up a number of Mapping platforms/protocols...

Here's a nice example that shows the USGS topo and the Google maps protocol platform - but you can then select different platform/protocols from the drop down to look at the same waypoints...