You can specify a name and a custom icon for the Placemark, and you can also add other geometry elements to it. The simplest Placemark includes only a element, which specifies the location of the Placemark. It marks a position on the Earth's surface, using a yellow pushpin as the icon. PlacemarksĪ Placemark is one of the most commonly used features in Google Earth. Polygons can all be authored directly in Google Earth. The simplest kind of KML documents are those that can be authoredĭirectly in Google Earth-that is, you don't need to edit or createĪny KML in a text editor. If you're familiar with XML, you will also be interested in the KML 2.2 Schema.įor a discussion of how to use some of the key features in KML, see the Developer's Guide. The KML 2.2 Reference provides details about the KMLįile format. Begin by downloading that file to view the examples in Google Earth. Be sure to experiment with this feature.Īll of the examples described here are in the KML Samples file.

The visual feature displayed in Google Earth is converted into its KML text equivalent. Then Paste the contents of the clipboard into any text editor.

Tip: To see the KML 'code' for a feature in Google Earth, you can simply right-click the feature in the 3D Viewer of Google Earth and select Copy. kmz extension, Earth browsers know how to display it. The second section describes features that require authoring KML with a text editor. These features include placemarks, descriptions, ground overlays, paths, and polygons. The first section describes features that can be created with the Google Earth user interface.

If you're new to KML, explore this document and the accompanying samples files ( SamplesInEarth) to begin learning about the basic structure of a KML file and the most commonly used tags. Within a given element, tags must appear in the order shown in the Reference. The Reference indicates which tags are optional. All tags are case-sensitive and must appear exactly as they are listed in the KML Reference. KML uses a tag-based structure with nested elements and attributes and is based on the XML standard. KML is a file format used to display geographic data in an Earth browser such as Google Earth.

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