kmlOverlay: Create and write KML file for PNG image overlay

Description

The function is used to create and write a KML file for a PNG image overlay for Google Earth.

Usage

kmlOverlay(obj, kmlfile = NULL, imagefile = NULL, name = "R image")

Arguments

obj

a GE_SG object from GE_SpatialGrid

kmlfile

if not NULL the name of the kml file to be written

imagefile

the name of the PNG file containing the image - this should be either relative (same directory as kml file) or abosolute (fully qualified)

name

the name used to describe the image overlay in GE

Value

x is a character vector containing the generated lines of the kml file

Details

The function is used together with GE_SpatialGrid to wrap around the opening of a PNG graphics device, plotting code, and the closing of the device. The computed values take account of the adjustment of the actual data bounding box to an integer number of rows and columns in the image file.

The approach may be used as an alternative to writing PNG files from SpatialGrid and SpatialPixel objects in rgdal using writeGDAL, and to writing KML files using writeOGR for vector data objects. The output PNG files are likely to be very much smaller than large vector data KML files, and hinder the retrieval of exact positional information.

Note that the geometries should be in geographical coordinates with datum WGS84.

Examples

Run this code

# NOT RUN {
opt_exask <- options(example.ask=FALSE)
qk <- SpatialPointsDataFrame(quakes[, c(2:1)], quakes)
proj4string(qk) <- CRS("+proj=longlat +ellps=WGS84")
tf <- tempfile()
SGqk <- GE_SpatialGrid(qk)
png(file=paste(tf, ".png", sep=""), width=SGqk$width, height=SGqk$height,
  bg="transparent")
par(mar=c(0,0,0,0), xaxs="i", yaxs="i")
plot(qk, xlim=SGqk$xlim, ylim=SGqk$ylim, setParUsrBB=TRUE)
dev.off()
kmlOverlay(SGqk, paste(tf, ".kml", sep=""), paste(tf, ".png", sep=""))
# }
# NOT RUN {
#library(rgdal)
#qk0 <- quakes
#qk0$long <- ifelse(qk0$long <= 180, qk0$long, qk0$long-360)
#qk0a <- SpatialPointsDataFrame(qk0[, c(2:1)], qk0)
#proj4string(qk0a) <- CRS("+proj=longlat +ellps=WGS84")
#writeOGR(qk0a, paste(tf, "v.kml", sep=""), "Quakes", "KML")
#system(paste("googleearth ", tf, ".kml", sep=""))
# }
# NOT RUN {
options(example.ask=opt_exask)
# }