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TBC Does That: View Survey Data on Basemap

Published Date
Author Trimble Geospatial

What TBC does

TBC includes Google Earth tools that allow you to overlay your survey data on a current Google Earth basemap to create a user-friendly visualization for a project. TBC also has built-in background maps and DigitalGlobe imagery to provide a convenient verification of project location.

How this helps you

By exporting your project data from TBC to Google Earth, you can share the progress of a project with clients in a visual format that is easy for non-surveyors to recognize and understand. This added deliverable facilitates communication with your client and provides a useful context for your data. Using the built-in background and imagery offered in TBC provides a quick check to ensure you are using the correct coordinate system and you are in the right place.

How it works

To overlay your data on a Google Earth image:

  • Select “Google Earth” from the View group (you have the option of selecting specific entities you would like to view or the entire project, and several export options to ensure your orientation and altitudes will match the imagery).
  • Click “Apply” to launch Google Earth and overlay the survey data on the image basemap where your project is located

In TBC 4.00 and higher versions, a Trimble Mapview background can also be brought up showing roads and building footprints in most areas:

  • Log in to your active Trimble Connect account from the top right corner of TBC
  • Toggle the background map to “ON” from TBC's bottom status bar
  • Switch the background map type by right-clicking on your project name in Project Explorer and selecting “Properties”

For more details about combining your survey data with basemaps, go to Tip of the Week #67 and Tip of the Week #18.

 

The “TBC Does That” series, written by the Trimble Business Center (TBC) Team, focuses on the broad range of functionality that TBC delivers to you. Periodically we will release information to help you improve productivity by making the most of TBC’s built-in tools.