Today I Learned: Creating Links to Google Earth Web Maps

I found a workaround for providing links to Google Earth web maps. Up until this morning, to share a map with you like the following from Google Earth:

I would have had to point you at the associated kml file on Google Drive, and then instructed you to open it by clicking on the 'Projects' menu in Google Earth, then clicking on the 'New Project' button, selecting 'Import KML from Google Drive', and then pointing it at the kml I mentioned above.

So, instead, I just linked—embedded actually—shared QSO maps from Google's almosot forgotten—in some circles—but still very functional MyMaps site. Here's the map on MyMaps:

Today while I was looking at a map to embed for my Mt. Davidson SOTA earlier this week, I noticed that there's a link to view the map in Google Earth.

I clicked it, and sure enough, the map appeared in Google Earth. I then copied the resulting, final, link into an icognito window, and got back a Google Earth map of the same area, but with none of the kml details. When I tried the process again, I noticed that the first URL to appear in the browser window after clicking 'View in Google Earth' disappears quickly to be replaced by the non-functioning address. Grabbing the first address resulted in a fully populated map! (.... this may still be evlovling; now if I give the window long enough, I get an address that just works...)

Here's the address:

https://earth.google.com/web/@43.042051,-100.2430105,759.12128611a,4193629.80604034d,30.00000003y,0h,0t,0r/data=MigKJgokCiAxNjJmVFZ6bGd5U2liWk9CZkFjdjVFX05zTS1vV3J6WSAC

It doesn't work in an iframe yet, but you can at least get straight to an interactive map on Google Earth!

Looking at the address more, details begin to pop out. The @ argument is the position the map will be centered on. As far as the d, y, h, t, and r argument? A little plunking around, has so far shown that the 't' argument is related to the 'flying in' tilt of the earth when the map opens.

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