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KML and KMZ Files

KML Files:

  •  Keyhole Markup Language

  •  KML is text only, and cannot contain actual image files.  However, it can contain links to images online.

  •  KML files are XML files and can be directly edited with a text editor.

  •  KML files can be renamed as XML files and opened with programs such as Excel.

 For example, a file named myplaces.kml could be renamed as myplaces.xml and opened in Excel.  Either file could be opened in a text editor.

 KMZ Files:

  • Keyhole Markup Zip file

  •  KMZ files are KML files that have been compressed into ZIP files.

  •  KMZ files can contained image files.

  • KMZ files cannot be directly edited with a text editor.

  •  KMZ files can be renamed as ZIP files and decompressed.

For example, a file named myplaces.kmz could be renamed as myplaces.zip and unzipped in windows.  Inside the zip file would be a file called doc.kml and a folder called “images,” if the file has images associated with it.

If you just have a collection of placemarks, you can save these as a KML file.  If you want to include images or overlays, or if your file is very large, you may wish to save it as a KMZ file.

Other Files:

Google Earth can open GPX and LOC files.  These files are usually generated by importing data from a GPS unit and will contain only latitude and longitude data.  There will be no descriptions in the placemarks. GPS routes and track logs are displayed as a Google Earth Path.

Google Earth files may be shared with others online through Google Maps even if others do not have Google Earth installed.  Simply go to Google Maps at http://maps.google.com and enter the URL for your KML or KMZ file into the Search box. Your Placemarks will be loaded into Google Maps.  This method does not work well with dynamic data.