KEYHOLE MARKUP LANGUAGE

'KML' ('K'eyhole 'M'arkup 'L'anguage) is an XML-based language for managing the display of three-dimensional geospatial data in application programs. (The word ''Keyhole'' is an earlier name for the software that became Google Earth; the software was produced in turn by Keyhole, Inc, which was acquired by Google in 2004. The term "Keyhole" actually honors the KH reconnaissance satellites, the original eye-in-the-sky military reconnaissance system now some 30 years old.)
The KML file specifies a set of features (placemarks, images, polygons, 3D models, textual descriptions, etc.) for display in Google Earth, Maps and Mobile. Each place always has a longitude and a latitude. Other data can make the view more specific, such as tilt, heading, altitude, which together define a "camera view". KML shares some of the same structural grammar as GML[1]. Some KML information cannot be viewed in Google Maps or Mobile [2].
KML files are very often distributed as 'KMZ' files, which are zipped KML files with a .kmz extension. When a KMZ file is unzipped, a single "doc.kml" is found along with any overlay and icon images referenced in the KML.
Example KML document:




New York City
New York City

-74.006393,40.714172,0



The MIME type associated to KML is ''application/vnd.google-earth.kml+xml''.

The MIME type associated to KMZ is ''application/vnd.google-earth.kmz'' .

Contents

Geodetic reference systems in KML

Applications using KML

See also

External links

Geodetic reference systems in KML

KML unfortunately doesn't support the definition of the geodetic reference system in which the coordinates are defined so it can't be used for professional purposes in Geomatics or Geodesy.

Applications using KML

★ ArcGIS Explorer

★ Flickr

★ Google Earth

★ Google Maps

★ Google Mobile

★ Mapufacture

★ Platial

★ World Wind

★ Yahoo Pipes

See also

★ CityGML

★ Geography Markup Language

★ GPX

★ Point of Interest

★ Waypoint

★

External links

★ KML Documentation

★ Developer Knowledge Base: KML in Google Earth

★ KML Developer Support group

★ KMLImporter importing placemarks into NASA World Wind

★ Use hierarchical maps (Mindmaps) to create and manage KML files and convert Excel data to KML.

★ Google Earth Connectivity Add-on for ArchiCAD 9

★ Validate your KML (Online or Offline!), Google Maps API Blog.

★ Paste KML directly onto a Google Map