topic Re: Viewing google earth maps in labview in LabVIEW

Viewing google earth maps in labview

afallon09 — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 15:34:22 GMT

Hello

I am currently doing a project where we I need to be able to control and view google earth from labview.

I have already seen and played with the "google earth - lv" - LLB file posted on the forum, which gives me the capacity to input GPS data etc to google earth; but I also need to be able to import the real-time image back from google earth - back to labview.

The image will form a "moving map" as part of an reconfigurable aircraft cockpit simulator I am creating.

Is this possible through Active X, embedded objects etc?

I am fairly new to labview and its full capabilities so any help would be much appreciated.

Cheers

Adam

Re: Viewing google earth maps in labview

James_McN — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 14:42:47 GMT

Hi Adam,

Just to let you know I am looking into this for you. I think I am getting close but it is proving tricky. There is a way to get the OLE reference for the window and then embed it into programs. I have found an example to do this in C# and trying to convert this to LabVIEW. I think I am quite close just struggling to get the last bit working. Basically there is a type called stdole.Picture which I believe should accept the handle that GetMainHwnd and then we end up with a reference to put into an activeX image but I am struggling to get past a couple of errors at the moment but will let you know when I make any progress.

Regards,

Re: Viewing google earth maps in labview

afallon09 — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 13:46:18 GMT

Hi James

Thanks for your efforts and I look forward to hearing something from you in the near future.

Regards

Adam

Re: Viewing google earth maps in labview

James_McN — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 17:53:26 GMT

Hi Adam,

I've done it! After quite a while tinkering I have managed to get the render window to embed although it is a slight work around. Normal LabVIEW controls don't have proper Window's window handles but ActiveX controls do. By putting down an internet browser control I could then use the Windows API to access the window handle for this control through a couple of dll calls and then embed the GE render window in this This effectively just moves the display from Google Earth to LabVIEW and you will notice that it has dissappeared from the Google Earth window. This means that you simply manipulate it in the same way with the libraries you have found. The code is a bit messy and wont handle resizing and I intend to sort this out tomorrow but for the time being here it is!

Re: Viewing google earth maps in labview

thunder pro — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 23:43:48 GMT

What you have described would be very usefull for me to use in a current project. Please continue while I badger my management for an upgrade to 8.6. Meanwhile, can this be done in 8.5?

Re: Viewing google earth maps in labview

James_McN — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 12:49:58 GMT

Hi,

I have commented the code and saved it back to 8.5 for you. It should be back compatible as the clever stuff is done by the Windows API rather than in LabVIEW. The reason this was tricky is that we needed a Window's window to place the render window in. Normal LV controls do not have their own window however initialised ActiveX windows do. So I have simply placed a web browser control that creates a window whos handle we can get and place the render window inside. It may be possible to create one from scratch in code but this would require much more work.

I tried to add code so that resizing the control would resize the view but could not get this working however resizing the Google Earth window also resizes the render view.

Hope this helps. In the near future I may try and pick this up again and improve on this e.g. add mouse functions and resizing but unfortunately do not have time now. However if you do make any improvements yourself please post it here as it seems there is a lot of interest in this.

Regards,

Re: Viewing google earth maps in labview

afallon09 — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 23:53:10 GMT

James

Thanks again for the VI code. I am finally trying to integrate my cockpit together but I am having difficulty running the labview 8.5 VI.

I get the following errors:

1. Invoke Node: Invalid Method

The method selected in the invoke node is invalid or no method has been selected. Right-click the invoke node and select a method.

2. Wire: Class Conflict

u have connected a refnum of one type to a refnum of another type and both types are members of some class hierarchy, but there is neither a simple up cast nor type cast between the two classes.

3. Front panel terminal "web browser": unwired front panel teminal

Appreciate any pointers on what i need to change.

Thanks

Adam

Re: Viewing google earth maps in labview

James_McN — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 09:16:59 GMT

Hi Adam,

1 and possibly 2 sounds like you need to reselect the ActiveX class. To do this right click on the GE refnum and go to select ActiveX class >> browse. Then find the reference for GE Application. On my system I need to select Earth 1.0 from the top dropdown box and then you will need to select the ApplicationGE object that appears under this. This requires that Google Earth is already installed on the machine.

Number 3 is just a warning and will not prevent the program running.

I hope this solves the issue but let me know if not.

Regards,

Re: Viewing google earth maps in labview

afallon09 — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 11:22:26 GMT

Hi James

It seems the ActiveX was set incorrectly but I still get the same error even when I reset it.

I think that it maybe the invoke node but i dont fully understand what what its doing.

I have attached a screen shot to try and make it a bit easier to understand what is going off.

Thanks again

Adam

Re: Viewing google earth maps in labview

James_McN — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 11:47:37 GMT

Hi,

It appears you have a slightler different version of the GE initialise VI than I do as it is giving an incorrect reference type out. Please try replacing this with the one attached.

Regards,

Re: Viewing google earth maps in labview

kastillio — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 08:38:27 GMT

hello,

I am currently working on a project in which I would like to give a localisation in my front panel and visualise it on a google earth window also in my front panel. To do that, I have the Google_Earth-KH_80 library to set the geographical position and your GE embedded.VI to import the google earth window. I have tried to mix the both but I cannot arrive to visualize google earth in my front panel. I think the reason is the use of two different librabries that work on different window reference... Can you help me? Thank you very much for your advices/help/answer...

Kastillio

Re: Viewing google earth maps in labview

J-M — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:21:59 GMT

Try this (LV86).

Jean-Marc

The LLB came from http://forums.ni.com/ni/board/message?board.id=170&thread.id=217121&view=by_date_ascending&page=3

Re: Viewing google earth maps in labview

kastillio — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:06:25 GMT

Thanks a lot Jean-Marc,

It works pretty well but I still have a problem: The Vi works very fast at the beginning (I change navigate on the map very fastly) but after a few time (+- 40 sec) it becomes very slow.. Maybe this problem comes from the Stacked sequence structure, I don't know. Thanks for your help..

Kastillio

Re: Viewing google earth maps in labview

Dr Mike Black — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 21:16:05 GMT

Hi Guys,

Im working on a another project with requires GE to be embedded, and the VI posted here (8.5)version is very good....however, as a complete noob to LV i thought this would be a great way to save a bit of time in n otherwise very complex project...

Perhaps you chaps can point out the depth of my muppetry and help me try to sort this..

First GE Embedded works a treat..however, i grabbed the code whipped it into my frontpanel, and when it runs the GE starts up but refuses to show the window in my front panel, if i use the GE embe.... as posted here work great....shows where it should..

So in a fit of genious (so i thought!!!!!) i transfered the whole of my frontpanle into the GE emb.... front panel from here...... it ran!!! woohoo....

VOILA!!!! it works.....superb.....

ok so i save teh whole thing down as a new name (to incorperate the 2 VI`s) while i work another part of it...

When i re-open it the GE bit deos not display again.....'Wierd'.....so i changed the name back after a bit of head scraching....

and it works....so i resolved to call it GE Emb....... then when testing another part of teh code i built an EXE....ran that.....and my word......no display again......re-built the EXE a number of times....eetc....but still no display./...

can anyone please tell me what i am doign wrong?

Why cant i re-name GE embedded? or copy the codee into my front panel?

Why if i do will it not display? (in the window that is)

Why will the EXE of the VI`s not display GE in the window when it ran as a VI???? I have all the dependencies in including the initialise?

been working on this for a few days now and its all wearing a little thin..so i thought i would ask the people who know..

I look forward to your thoughs and help.

thanks in advance..

(oh i meant to mention that im running version 8.5)

regards ,

Mike.

Dr Mike Black

Message Edited by Dr Mike Black on 10-22-2009 10:16 PM

Re: Viewing google earth maps in labview

J-M — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 21:42:25 GMT

I think the problem comes from the function "FindWindowA". You must provide the name of the VI. If you change the name of the VI you must upgrade this string. It will better to use a property node instead of a string constant.

Jean-Marc

Message Edited by J-M on 10-22-2009 05:42 PM

Re: Viewing google earth maps in labview

Dr Mike Black — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 21:46:50 GMT

Hi JM,

Thank you, You are a star!!!

Been staring at this for days and DID NOT SEE THAT..AT ALL !!!!!!!!! lolol.......

Ok played with it and it works....thank you...

I cant open your V2 version in your last post as its a newer version of LV...than mine (8.5)

ok will soldier on....

I have another question, perhaps i can ask about that when the code is in place to test.

Many thanks again.

Re: Viewing google earth maps in labview

bmc79 — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 03:42:43 GMT

Jean-Marc,

Would you save this to LV8.5... and post it

Re: Viewing google earth maps in labview

J-M — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 13:39:53 GMT

Re: Viewing google earth maps in labview

bmc79 — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:46:34 GMT

Jean-Marc

Thank you for posting the file in 8.5....it will not let me execute in 8.5 without the following sub-vi's in version 8.5. I really woud appreciate your help!

Google Earth View Extents.vi

Google Earth - Get Co-ord from screen position.vi

Google Earth - Camera Position - Write.vi

Google Earth - Camera Position - Read.vi

Google Earth - Streaming info.vi

Google Earth - version info.vi

Google Earth - initialise.vi

Re: Viewing google earth maps in labview

J-M — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:59:44 GMT

The LLB came from http://forums.ni.com/ni/board/message?board.id=170&thread.id=217121&view=by_date_ascending&page=3

The library is available at the post 30.

Jean-Marc