This topic provides an overview of some of the terms you will encounter when working with KML in ArcGIS.
KML terminology
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| KMZ | A compressed or zipped KML file. KMZ files can be viewed and worked with 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 or feature layers or maps converted to an image. |
| 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. |
| KML regions | KML regions are the equivalent of a tiling or image cache scheme in that they perform multiscale display in which data at each resolution is drawn only when it falls within the user's view and occupies a certain portion of the screen. For more information, see KML support in ArcGIS for Server. |
| Network links | A mechanism used to reference data that is being served dynamically through the Internet. For more information, see KML support in ArcGIS for Server. |
| 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 <Placemark> tag. The <Placemark> tag has subtags such as <name>, <Snippet>, and <description> which store information about the point, as well as a <Point> subtag that stores the x-, y-, and z-coordinates. |