Discussion: PDF georeference or not, without OCAD

What is the simplest way (assuming no access to any OCAD or other ArcGIS like software) to:
- figure out if a PDF file of a map is georeference or not
- create a kmz file from a georeferenced file
- georeference and then create a kmz file
Should be freeware so as to be accessible also to students who would want to use, e.g., MapRun6 to create training courses for themselves and peers.

I'd love to hear there's a good/easy open/free answer to the larger ask. Last I looked (last year) there wasn't yet.

++ what Clint posted for checking.

Everybody probably has Adobe Acrobat Reader, and in Measure the Geospatial Location Tool with either show latitude and longitude or it will show blank.

Other free software will also tell you (my choice in the field is Avenza Maps) whether a loaded PDF is georeferenced or not.

**Edit: MapRun now (in Beta Testing) has the ability to import PPEN files from PurplePen and claims support for any other IOF XML v3 is also intended and in Beta Testing. (Yay!)

https://console.maprun.net/#/event_create_files
On the MapRun Console, tap the "How to Use" button for instructions.

**

I got it to work once using mygeodata.cloud PDF to KML online converter (but a different time something got messed up and didn't work so I just fellback to using Condes. It was probably a coordinate reference system mismatch or something.)

@Windcrest (Michael Raz) gave some good input to Peter/PurplePen for potential feature development of KML export and said he has a method and script for converting IOF XML output from Purple Pen to an individual KML for each course (certainly simpler single-course vs. multi-course XMLs.) He edits/adjusts things with Google Earth and does a XML-KML loop until it's right. I don't know if his tool is shared or published, but he'd certainly be an expert on what you're trying to do.

(to go geekier - I started to mess with the open source GDAL libraries but had bad dependency-hell getting them on my machine and put getting them up on a Docker container on my 2do-list. If anyone has love/hate advice with GDAL ∨ OSGeo, I'd love to know.)

Thanks cmorse, bookmarked, but ... I checked on my Acrobat Reader and it says it's up-to-date, but the drop-down for file does not have "Analyze" nor could I find it in the other drop-downs :(
I am trying to find things for, e.g., cadets of some of our schools to be able to create training courses in their neighborhoods, with either PDFs they find, e.g., published in results of our club's events, or maps I have created for their schools. or of small parks.
Looks like I can georeference a PDF in QGIS, with YouTube tutorial, so I would not have to explain too much, and am now looking if I could go from QGIS to KMZ or actually maybe even directly to a KML file to be used in MapRun, as the idea is to still use the paper map so a KMZ would not even be necessary for a timed practice run
I find PurplePen a bit too convoluted to explain - @Matt-S - any tutorial videos you are aware of?

There are a few Purple Pen tutorials on YouTube. The biggest reason for bringing it up is being go-to for free course design, not as a file-type converter. If you're not using Purple Pen but are instead using Condes or OCAD, etc. those can export as KML.

If you've created the maps for their schools, etc. have you created the courses or is this for them to learn PurplePen and how to design their own training courses? Teaching them mapping and course design and MapRun so they can train is a lot...teaching them what maps are copyrighted and what are open for their use is also important.

MapRun is a lot of work for individual training and a better fit for virtual events. The only advantage might be specifically for Garmin watches or "buzzing" when you get there, usually/sometimes.

If you have a course exported as a GeoPDF and are trying to get that into MapRun, I think it gets complicated and not sure it will work. GeoPDF can present raster and vector data and the course might get lost in the map when free converters make KMLs.

Alternative suggestion, if you already have GeoPDFs of a course(s) and are printing for paper/compass training (or aren't), they can load that same GeoPDF into Avenza Maps (free app) and have the same map/course geolocated in their phone with their current location, record track, digital compass, take notes, photos, draw, export to GPX and KML/KMZ (placemarks, lines, tracks, and areas) etc. etc. (all the map functions that come free in that app.) Super fast&easy.

I think you need to be running Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is the replacement for Adobe Reader. Once you have that, there is a button labelled "Tools" which brings up a new tab. On that screen there is a button labelled "Measure", click that to enable the measuring and geospatial tools.
https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/using/geospatial-p...

Disclaimer - I didn't check the Acrobat reference since I'm not on Windows or Mac - but figured since most folks are and likely have Acrobat installed, that the reference was good. Apologies if it doesn't work.

I use OOM on Linux to output my georeferenced PDF's. And for map creation in the first place. I use QGIS, but generally only for extracting information from OpenStreetMap files (trails, roads etc) and for generating hillshades which are then pulled back into OOM.

I do course design on purple pen - mostly because it is easy to export the IOF 3.0 XML files for use on O-Range - but it is running on a remote, headless server for the few things that just aren't easy for me to do on Linux - namely PurplePen & Kartapullautin.

QGIS will do all of this, I believe (free, though not sure whether you would class it as ArcGIS-like). You can import and georeference (or use georeferenced images), and kmz export is straightforward

@origamiguy - I was running Adobe Acrobat Reader... your "Tool" and "Measure" hints did the trick - thanks

@Matt-S - now that this works I'll check out the rest and see how I can get to a KML file of just control points, whether they have a georeferenced map or not. I'll leave it up to the cadets and their leaders to check out the copyright info on a map and whether they can use a printed paper copy of a map to go out running.
I had tried Avenza - was not my favorite as I could not find a good tutorial nor was I able to explain things satisfactorily, I guess that's hard to do when not really into the App oneself. I'll give it another try - though still not a solution if the file is not a GeoPDF, which the majority are probably not.

@djalkiri... working on that right now, specifically for PDFs. For images I have the necessary info already compiled somewhere.... can't figure out yet how to create kmz or kml file, yet... you wouldn't happen to know off hand how that's done....

The MapRun console also has a tool to create kmz files from an image file by selecting points on the map and the satellite view. https://console.maprun.net/#/kmz_create

The easiest for creating kmz and kml using OpenStreetMaps with contours is probably OpenOrienteeringMap
https://oomap.dna-software.co.uk/

Lots of good suggestions and different approaches here so I’ll focus on MapRun end game.

Regarding georeferenced PDF files, I suspect it might be easier for students to just convert the PDF to an image and then re-georeference and produce the KMZ (given the KMZ will be image based anyway). This can be done in Google Earth itself, using the Maprun Console tool mentioned by TimMcl or other applications. I think it is important to remember that a KMZ is a fairly generic term for a GE compressed set of files (KML and images etc). MapRun has specific requirement for content and format such as using the bounding box format with rotation, image file naming (with or without tiling) etc. Nothing complex but you cannot assume any tool will produce a compatible KMZ. Many of the current tools now produce compatible KMZ files (OCAD, OOM,Purple Pen indirectly). Using a good app for digging into compressed files along with a good text editor is really helpful when dealing with these (in Windows I use z-zip and Notepad ++).

The MapRun console currently has the tools to make both a KMZ map from an image and a basic KML course. I’m not sure what your plan for actually setting up an event as this requires an admin so partially centralized. However Checksites can be set up by anyone and you do not need a KMZ, although Check site has limited functionality when it comes to results being shared. Alternatively, the KMZ can be blank anyway if using paper maps. Side note, the latest version of the console (not yet generally available) allows for no KMZ file being needed.

Now the damn confusing part: I’ll use OOM as openorienteering mapper – the installed app while OpenOrienteering Map is the web based “easy Street-O map” toolset.

Tim also mentioned OpenOrienteeringMap: The easy Street-O map creation tool (dna-software.co.uk) which is an updated version from the original web based application. This is a great tool to make simple maps based on OpenStreet and simple courses (both Score and Pt to Pt) all in one with all the corresponding exports for MapRun if desired. A bonus is you can use this to form a basemap for OOM if you want to do some more map adjustments. There are a couple of handy tricks to import from OpenOrienteeringMap to OOM that I can provide if needed (using a high res jpg with world file). OOM will then export a KMZ if needed (all this can be done in OCAD as well but I’m sticking to free stuff). This can also be sucked into Purple Pen for more advanced course setting if needed.

I’ll note that Purple Pen will now export the courses to KML rendering the various IOF XML to KML conversion tools less useful! Regrettably PP does not yet do the KMZ map export directly. Indirectly you can export an image along with the world file, import into OOM then produce a KMZ. I know there are other ways as well, this is just using the more standard tools. Still a bit of a pain.
As Matt said, setting up MapRun for individual training can be a bit more work than might be needed so I’m not sure if it would be better to show the students how to use OpenOrienteering Map, OOM and Purple pen. My guess is they would pick it up pretty quickly and it would provide some additional skills and enable MapRun to be used when it made the most sense.
Let me know if you want any deeper dive into the bits and pieces. I’m finding many of the tools I use (some I wrote) are becoming less useful as MapRun exports are showing up in the various free applications. Having said this, there are a bunch of sites offering various conversion tools.

A lot of great stuff in here, Thanks all!
I dug through most of it in my quest to hopefully find an easy route for, e.g., students who have access primarily to PDF files, whether georeferenced or not, do not necessarily have the time or energy to dig into OOM or free OCAD trial versions, etc. And I have already been sharing the Street-O Map creation for a number of years now with all the students or people looking for a quick map of their area. But the maps one can create in the USA are way, way simpler/less detailed than you lucky folks in the UK ;) or Europe in general.

The teaching maps (usually ISSOM or ISSprOM) I have made available are all drawn in OCAD, georeferenced and accessible to all schools and the greater MNOC community (actually, to anyone with the link). Every person that jumps into creating their own training or teaching courses and wants an App timed course (gadgets are a draw to students) is a bonus point for growth of orienteering, and being able to use any PDF out there that one is allowed to use, all the better; that is one person less having to ask someone in a club to create courses for them, and they are then hopefully sharing the new-found skill with others, too :)
So based on all the above info, here is where I am now:
1. georeferenced PDF: open layer in QGIS, one can see whether it's in UTM or not by right-clicking on layer and hovering over "Layer CRS" - Export as GeoTiff, open in GE and "Save Place As..." KMZ file, open in MapRun, plop down S1, controls, F1 and save the KML to create a training course
2. not georeferenced PDF: georeference in QGIS (good tutorial video available :), but I may have to explain how to figure out the Target CRS if not Minnesota) - Export as GeoTiff, open in GE..... same as for 1.

My hope is to cut out one step - if going the Google Earth georeferencing route, I still need to explain the step to convert the PDF into an image file; I know there are many options out there, but may need extra explanations to make sure one does not loose the georeferencing info of the georeferenced file and then have to re-georeference less accurately in Google Earth; and I still have to find a good tutorial video (I had a link years ago, but can't find again)
Or else find the way to Export a KMZ directly from QGIS, where I have the PlugIn that supposedly allows that, but am not getting anything coming out right; yet... Just downloaded the newest version of QGIS and still have to find my way around, some things have moved around in the drop-down menus.

What MapRun is concerned, I have actually run into the opposite experience, as having appeared to be more appealing than the other things I have tried to have school teams or school programs use where I created maps for them: Livelox, RouteGadget, OOM to draw maps, Karttapullautin, PurplePen, you name it I tried it. The one that actually did get used used in my experience was MapRun if they had access to a KMZ file and a printable file for the map (PDF or image), though PDF is a bit less likely to screw up the scale when printing.
Who knows, MapRun may be able to just upload a PDF or image soon, too.

It looks so darn straight forward, layer2kmz PlugIn is loaded, but I am getting a Python error on the 3.28 QGIS, but I have zero Python clue.... ;(

andreais, what is the text of the Python error? It could simply be that you are missing a package. In which case, it could be fixed simply by running pip with the name of the package.

origamiguy, went through a number of the older versions to be able to follow various tutorials: conclusion - I am not missing a package, I was just using the wrong layer (raster instead of vector) to get to a kmz file, although looking rather goofy and unusable.