https://ikml.com/tags/explainers/ Recent content in Explainers on ikml.com Hugo en-us Sun, 25 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://ikml.com/what-kml-kmz-and-geojson-are-and-why-map-files-lose-data-on-import/ Sun, 25 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://ikml.com/what-kml-kmz-and-geojson-are-and-why-map-files-lose-data-on-import/ <p>Most map data that moves between people moves in one of three formats. They look interchangeable, and every tool converts between them. They aren&rsquo;t interchangeable, which is why so much goes missing on the way.</p> <h2 id="kml-built-for-an-earth-viewer">KML: Built for an Earth Viewer</h2> <p>KML, the Keyhole Markup Language, was made for the program that became Google Earth. Keyhole, the company, was bought by Google in 2004. Google later handed the format to the Open Geospatial Consortium, and KML 2.2 became an OGC standard in 2008.</p>