Jun 3, 2011 - you get a scale bar in the bottom left corner of GEarth. Pulls up a grid of thin white lines that dynamically change as you zoom in and out.

• • • Keyhole Markup Language (KML) is an XML-based format for storing geographic data and associated content and is an official Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) standard. KML is a common format for sharing geographic data with non-GIS users as it can be easily delivered on the internet and viewed in a number of free applications. KML files have either a.kml or.kmz (for compressed or zipped KML files) file extension. KML can be composed of point, line, polygon features, and raster imagery. KML can also contain related content such as graphics, pictures, attributes, and HTML, whereas datasets in ArcGIS are typically seen as separate and homogeneous elements (for example, point feature classes can only contain points; rasters can only contain cells or pixels and not features).

A single KML file can contain features of different types as well as imagery. Using geoprocessing tools, you can convert a map layer to KML and convert KML to an ArcGIS geodatabase, so you can view, edit, and analyze the geographic data contained in any KML file.

All of the features of the KML 2.0 and 2.1 specifications are supported. None of the new features in the KML 2.2 specification are currently supported, including time animation, photo overlays, and schema tags. KML terminology. Term Description KMZ A compressed or zipped KML file.

KMZ files can be viewed and worked in all the same ways as KML files. Placemark A point feature or location on a point, line, or polygon feature that can be clicked to display pop-up information.

Path A line feature. Polygon A polygon feature.

Ground overlay A raster or image that is typically georeferenced and draped on the earth's surface. Examples of ground overlays include aerial imagery, feature layers, or maps converted to an image. Computer won find my passport for macbook pro won't.

Screen overlay A map or screen graphic such as a logo, legend, or picture. Screen overlays are not part of the geographic display but are useful as information displays. Tag As KML is an XML-based format, its structure is based on various tags. For example, each point feature in a KML is inside a tag. The tag has subtags, such as,, and, which store information about the point as well as a subtag that stores the x-, y-, and z-coordinates.

Convert from KML Use the tool to convert a.kml or.kmz file to a file geodatabase containing all features and imagery from the source KML and a layer file that maintains the colors and symbols of the source KML. In addition to the KML feature and imagery data and symbology, several other properties of the KML will also be included in the converted ArcGIS data, such as pop-up information, snippets, and other attributes. After performing this conversion, you can use the geographic data from your KML in the same ways you would any other GIS data: edit, analyze, and map it. Convert to KML Use the tool to convert any map layer to KML. KML created by this tool will be a snapshot of your data at the time the layer was converted. After creating the KML, you can share it with others who can view it in an application like Google Earth or Explorer for ArcGIS. Before running the tool, you should symbolize the layer and set certain properties and modify specific data attributes.