Setting up Google Earth
After installing Google Earth Pro, if you double-click on KML or KMZ files they will be opened in it automatically.
When you first install Google Earth Pro, the default settings are not ideal for efficiently working with KML files. Go to the Tools menu and pick Options..., then click on the Navigation tab.
Slide the Fly-To Speed slider to the far-right. This will allow you to double-click on a control and immediately move to it.
You should also ensure that Do not automatically tilt while zooming is selected. Otherwise, as you zoom in and out to check points, the map will be shown at an angle and not directly from above. If you end up with the map tilted before altering this setting, go to the View menu, point to the Reset sub-menu and pick Tilt and compass.
Opening KMZ files
When checking and adjusting controls in Google Earth, you will tend to use the satellite map, not the KMZ version of the base orienteering map. This will set the latitude and longitude most accurately. The KMZ file is used when viewing tracks on the MapRun results website or if runners want to use their phones to display the map. For runners using a printed map (our recommendation), the KMZ is of little importance (and MapRun v7 and later allows you to skip adding a KMZ file). For the course to be successful, you need to ensure that the control circles are correct within Purple Pen and also ensure that the controls themselves are defined to be in the correct place in the KML file using aerial photography, not the overlaid KML version of the map.
If working with OpenOrienteeringMap KMZ files, you will generally find the alignment between KMZ and the satellite imagery is very good (plus if it is not aligned, there is little that can be done without hand-editing the internals of the KMZ file). However, if working with real orienteering maps from OCAD or OpenOrienteeringMapper, you are likely to want to check how accurate the geo-referencing is and this can be easily done within Google Earth.
When you double-click on a KMZ file to open it, it will be displayed as an overlay on the top of the satellite map. When first opened, it will be be displayed solidly and so completely hide the satellite view underneath. To adjust the transparency, make sure the name of the KMZ file is selected on the left-hand side and click on the transparency icon underneath. You can then slide the slider from left to right.