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The best of Zonum for CAD / GIS

Zonum Solutions is a site that offers tools developed by a student at the University of Arizona, who in his free time was dedicated to coding topics related to CAD tools, mapping and engineering, especially with kml files. Perhaps what made it popular was that they were offered for free, and although some of them that ran on desktop had expired, others only run with previous versions of Google Earth, some are still valid and of course, those that work online are completely available.

Here I display a summary of the nearly 50 applications available on Zonums.com, although it is somewhat difficult to categorize some, since they apply to more than one of the divisions that I have established, it is an attempt to summarize everything that is on that site.

Kml shp dwg dxfTools for Google Earth and Google Maps

  • Csmell-it: Allows theming on Google Maps, a country or area of ​​choice. You can define colors by administrative division, centroid, and contour thickness, and then download the kml to open it in Google Earth (in OpenGL mode). In most of my tests I found a bug that doesn't change the selection of a US state.
  • DigiPoint: With this tool, you can draw on Google Maps, a layer of points. The type of view can be chosen, as well as if we want to visualize the points in lat/lon or in UTM coordinates; also configure the type of icon, color, name of the layer and if we want it in 2D or 3D. Then the file can be exported to kml, csv, kml, gpx, dxf, txt, bln or tab.
  • E-Query: Extract elevations from coordinates in the Google Earth base.  Kml shp dwg dxf To do this, if we have a list of coordinates, either in lat/lon or in UTM, we enter them by importing the file or via copy/paste. Then, we define the type of separator (comma, tab, space), and by pressing the elevation search button, the system goes to the Google Earth database and obtains the respective z coordinate. Then you can download the file in gpx, csv, txt or tab format.
  • A great tool, which can be useful to create a terrain model based on the elevations that Google Earth has, zonum google earth variouscalculate the elevation of a route for which we only have the xy coordinates or convert any 2D layer to 3D.
  • gpxviewer: This is a very practical tool that displays a file taken with GPS in GPX format on Google Maps.
  • epoint2GE: This tool works at the desktop level, and converts coordinates from an Excel file to a kml that can be read by Google Earth. The most valuable thing about this application is that it allows you to choose the range of cells, the order in which the coordinates are found, accepts that they are geographical (decimal) or UTM and symbol. Of course, the data must be in WGS84, since it is the one used by Google Earth. Although this app is no longer available, you can use this Geofumadas template which generates a kml from UTM coordinates.
  • GE-Census Explorer: zonum google earth various This tool sticks to the US Census database and makes it easy to create 2- and 3-dimensional thematic layers. It only works with this database, but it's an example that someone with knowledge of code can use to stick to another online database.
  • GE-Extent: This is associated with a routine that, by associating a PHP address with a kml, captures the extent displayed in Google Earth and returns it as detail. It could be very useful, such as to combine with Stitchmaps or when we are going to capture screens to then georeference them respect the coordinates of the corners; pretty similar to what you do gps visualizer.
  • GE-UTM: This tool is similar to the previous one, both in operation and construction. With the difference that what it raises is the UTM coordinate of a specific point.
  • Kml shp dwg dxf MapTool: This is a set of tools concentrated in an online viewer that allows you to choose the type of display in one click, including the “fly to” option, through which you can go to a specific UTM coordinate or a geographic region.
  • Among the available options are the display of lat/lon data both in degrees, minutes and seconds as well as in decimals and UTM.
  • Calculation can also be done with different units of distance in a straight line, in polyline and area of ​​a polygon. It also calculates the route between two directions and displays the elevation of a specific point in meters and feet.

Conversion of kml files to other formats.

  • These are four loose tools that allow you to convert kml files to dxf, shp, txt, csv, tab and gpx. The last one works online.zonum google earth various
  • km2CAD (km to dxf)
  • km2shp
  • km2Text
  • km2x

Other or outdated tools working with older versions of Google Earth

The following ones do not run with the latest versions of Google Earth, but we mention them for the creativity they have, in case someone wants to use them in compatible versions or simply to generate ideas for someone who is working on a similar tool.

    • GHG: This is not a tool, but a graphic that shows us all the symbols used by Google Earth, with their numbering. Ideal for customizing kml files without battling what identifier and image they have.
    • zonum google earth variousGE-Symbols: This one is similar to the previous one, with the difference that it works inline, and when pressing the button they execute a script that shows the code. Lately I've seen this routine is down.
    • Mapplets: These are xml descriptions of the code that can be applied to things like specific coordinate display or peer input to Google Maps. In practice I have not succeeded in getting such mapplets to display by entering the url in Google Maps.
    • ZMaps: This is a collection of links to different Zonum tools. Almost the same ones summarized in this section.
    • ZGE-Toolbox: This was a complete set of tools developed on top of the Google Earth API, unfortunately it was not updated for the DirectX of the current versions. However it is worth knowing that it did things like: circle drawing, section cutting, copy/paste, export and other ways of digitizing directly into Google Earth.

    Tools for cartography and CAD files

    These solve some normal data transformation routines and interaction between dxf files and coordinates.

    • cotrans: Online coordinate conversion.
    • ectrans: Conversion of coordinates from tables.
    • GVetz: This was never built.
    • CAd2xy: Extract properties from a dxf file.
    • EPoint2Cad: Export points from Excel to AutoCAD.
    • Xy2CAD: Create a dxf from xy coordinates, online.

    Tools for Shape files

    The following are tools that convert shp files to different formats, including txt, dxf, gpx, and km. Most allow you to configure the type of units and characteristics of the destination file, it is required that the files with the extension .shp, .shx and .dbf be present at least.zonum google earth various

  • Shape2Text, Shp2CadShp2GPX, shp2kml.

Tools for Epanet

Of this they had already spoken once, at least those related to Google Earth, but there are more according to this list.

  • epa2GIS: Export from Epanet to Shapefile.
  • EpaElevations: Assigns elevations to nodes in a network.
  • EpaMove: With this option, which works online, you can move a complete network from a point of origin and DeltaX / DeltaY. The rest is calculated automatically.
  • EpaRotate: Similar to the previous one, but what it does is rotate the network. Ideal for systems that were not georeferenced.
  • EpaSens: This is for network calculations, being able to play with the diameter of the pipe and demand to see its impact on the different nodes.
  • EpaTables: This creates a report csv file with respect to an Epanet file. Details quantity of valves, tanks, piping, etc.
  • Excel2Epa: This is an Excel VBA macro, which exports points with coordinates to an .epa file
  • gpx2epa: With this routine, a file taken with GPS can be converted to Epanet in gpx format.
  • MSX-GUI: Another smoke.
  • Net2Epa: This is part of a tool described above, where you can mark points on Google Maps and download them to Epanet format.
  • Zepanet: This tool is not developed.
  • epa2kmz: Convert Epanet files to Google Earth.
  • Epanet Z: This is the best, it allows you to load the Google Maps, Yahoo or Bing maps layer in the background in Epanet.
  • EpaGeo: This allows transformations to Epanet files in aspects such as units and coordinate system.
  • shp2epa: Converts shp files to Epanet.

Miscellaneous Tools

These are useful for hydrologic design under some US standards and unit conversion.

  • curve number: This solves for any of the variables in the equation used to calculate the SCS.
  • LNP3: Solves for the probability of a point x in a Natural Log regression.
  • PChartz: Psychrometric chart to calculate variations in temperature, relative humidity and other herbs also smoked.
  • ucons: This is a great tool for Engineering students. Converts various units including mass, pressure, time, temperature, power, etc.
  • zucons: This is the same tool as above, but it operates online.

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Definitely a great job, for being free. Although some are not current, it is worth give him back a couple of cents in gratitude.

Golgi Alvarez

Writer, researcher, specialist in Land Management Models. He has participated in the conceptualization and implementation of models such as: National Property Administration System SINAP in Honduras, Management Model of Joint Municipalities in Honduras, Integrated Cadastre-Registry Management Model in Nicaragua, Territory Administration System SAT in Colombia . Editor of the Geofumadas knowledge blog since 2007 and creator of the AulaGEO Academy that includes more than 100 courses on GIS - CAD - BIM - Digital Twins topics.

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2 Comments

  1. I would like to know if there is any script to automatically create the meridians and parallels in Autocad

  2. Greetings, could you tell me what type of coordinates EPANET uses? are X, Y, but which one: UTM, geographic-decimal, Cartesian, which one. THANK YOU SO MUCH…

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