Current Version: v1.0, released 1/22/08 (Download Now )

Download on SIPRNET at http://gis.geoint.nga.smil.mil/GoogleEarth/googleearthpilot

Download on JWICS at http://gis.geoint.nga.ic.gov/GoogleEarth/googleearthpilot

Latest News: Major changes!  I have been selected by the Olmsted Foundation as an Olmsted scholar to Amman, Jordan in the class of 2009.  I will spend the next three years learning Arabic and studying at a Jordanian university.  This is an exciting opportunity for me, and I hope to give back to the DOD by developing innovative ways of teaching language and culture.  I'm already planning future software projects along those lines.  However, I will be out of the cockpit for three years and will not be able to continue work on PFPS Google Earth Tool.

To keep this project alive, I have decided to release my source code as open source.  It is now available on the "Downloads" page of the website.  I hope other innovative users will find ways to build on my research.

I am also designating Warfighter's Edge at the US Air Force Academy as the official custodians of PFPS Google Earth Tool.  They have a team of programmers researching and developing new mission planning and briefing technologies, and are already advancing my research in ways I could never do alone.  Visit them at the USAFA Website or at Mission Planning Central.  You can e-mail them at help@WEdge.hpc.mil.

What Is PFPS Google Earth Tool?

PFPS Google Earth Tool is a free conversion utility that interfaces between US military Portable Flight Planning Software(which includes CFPS and FalconView), and Google Earth.  With this utility, users can convert the following types of data into Google Earth with just a few clicks:

  • FalconView Drawing (.drw) Files
  • FalconView Local Point (.lpt) Files
  • FalconView Threat (.thr) Files
  • CFPS Route (.rte or .crd) Files

Users can also use the utility to create and edit waypoints, threats, and five different kinds of airspace.  These objects are organized in a file folder and saved as a Google Earth Tool project file.  With a single click, the entire project is converted into a .KML that can be loaded in Google Earth.  An example output is shown at the right.

This tool allows pilots to quickly and easily visualize their flight-plan routes in Google Earth.  It can also be used for airspace management, threat plotting and avoidance, and target/drop zone visualization.

 

Version 1.0 Features (* indicates a new feature from v0.5):

  • Import PFPS .rte files directly -- conversion to .CRD files no longer necessary*

  • Create/edit 5 kinds of airspace: circular, elliptical, rectangular, wedge-shaped (radial/DME-defined), and polygonal

  • New support for airspace floors*

  • Define polygonal airspace regions using PFPS route files

  • FalconView Drawing Importer--a few clicks will generate a 3D visualization of your draw file*

  • FalconView Threat Importer*

    • Probability Ellipses

    • Detection/Engagement Rings

    • Uses FalconView Icons

  • FalconView Local Point Importer using FalconView Icons*

  • Organize your projects in a file folder hierarchy*

  • Cut/copy/paste and drag-drop support*

  • Icon Libraries support FalconView, Google Earth, and NGA Tower/Vertical Obstruction icons*

  • User-selectable icons as part of customizable styles*

  • Timespan support for animating your .KMLs*

  • Launch your .KMLs directly into Google Earth from within the program*

  • Tested for SIPRNET compatibility*

 

 

   

 

About the Author:

PFPS Google Earth Tool was privately developed by Capt Mark Jacobsen, a C-17 pilot with the 10th Airlift Squadron at McChord AFB.  I was inspired to write the software while on an OEF deployment, when our squadron used Google Earth for visualization of airdrop run-ins in Afghanistan.  I've since met many other pilots who use Google Earth to supplement their flight planning.  I decided the demand was certainly there for a quality software product that would integrate well with PFPS and would streamline the flight planning process in Google Earth.

The program is now maintained by the Warfighter's Edge (WEdge) team at the US Air Force Academy's Institute for Information Technology Applications (IITA).

 

Thank you to:

 Baseops.net for listing this website as a resource!

Jim Bellenger at the NGA for hosting this website on SIPRNET/JWICS

 

 

Please send feedback, suggestions and bug reports to:

help@WEdge.hpc.mil

 

You can reach Mark, the program's creator, at:

info@googleearthpilot.com