gmt2kml

Convert GMT data table to Google Earth KML file.

Description

gmt2kml reads one or more GMT table file and converts them to a single output file using Google Earth's KML format. Data may represent points, lines, polygons, or wiggles, and you may specify additional attributes such as title, altitude mode, colors, pen widths, transparency, regions, and data descriptions. You may also extend the feature down to ground level (assuming it is above it) and use custom icons for point symbols. Finally, there are controls on visibility depending on level of detail settings, altitude, regions, including the status upon loading into Google Earth as well as fading depending on zoom.

The input files should contain the following columns:

lon lat [ alt ] [ timestart [ timestop ] ]

where lon and lat are required for all features, alt is optional for all features (see also mode and cmap), and timestart and timestop apply to events and timespan features. For wiggles, the alt column is required but is expected to represent an along-track data anomaly such as gravity, magnetics, etc. These values will be scaled to yield distances from the line in degrees.

The output of this function can be sent back to Julia as a GMTdataset but most of times there is no real interest in that. The more useful usage is to redirect the result into a disk file since that's what GE reads. To do this, one should use the |>="fname" or write="fname" options.

Required Arguments

• table
  One or more data tables holding a number of data columns.

Optional Arguments

• A or mode : – mode=:a|:g|s | mode="a|g|s<altitude>"
  Select one of three altitude modes recognized by Google Earth that determines the altitude (in m) of the tile layer: a absolute altitude, g altitude relative to sea surface or ground, s altitude relative to seafloor or ground. To plot the tiles at a fixed altitude, append an altitude altitude (in m). Use 0 to clamp the features to the chosen reference surface. [By default the tiles are clamped to the sea surface or ground].

• C or color or cmap or colorap or colorscale : – color=cpt
  Where cpt is a GMTcpt type or a cpt file name (for grd_z only). Alternatively, supply the name of a GMT color master dynamic CPT [turbo] to automatically determine a continuous CPT from the grid's z-range; you may round up/down the z-range by adding +i zinc. Yet another option is to specify color="color1,color2 [,color3 ,...]" or color=((r1,g1,b1),(r2,g2,b2),...) to build a linear continuous CPT from those colors automatically. In this case color1 etc can be a (r,g,b) triplet, a color name, or an HTML hexadecimal color (e.g. #aabbcc ) (see Setting color). When not explicitly set, but a color map is needed, we will either use the current color map, if available (set by a previous call to makecpt), or the default turbo color map.

• D or descript : – descript=descriptfile
  File with HTML snippets that will be included as part of the main description content for the KML file [no description]. See SEGMENT INFORMATION below for feature-specific descriptions.

• E or extrude : – extrude=true | extrude="+e" extrude="+s"
  Control how lines and polygons are rendered in Google Earth. Use +e to extrude the feature down to ground level [no extrusion]. Use +s to connect points with straight lines (which may intersect the Earth's surface and be invisible) [tessellate onto surface].

• F or feature_type : – feature_type=:e|:s|:t|:l|:p|:w
  Sets the feature type. Choose from points (event, symbol, or timespan), line, polygon, or wiggle [symbol]. The first two columns of the input file should contain (lon, lat). When altitude or value is required (i.e., no altitude value was given with mode, or cmap is set), the third column needs to contain the altitude (in m) or value. The event (feature_type=:e) is a symbol that should only be active at a particular time, given in the next column. Timespan (feature_type=:t) is a symbol that should only be active during a particular time period indicated by the next two columns (timestart, timestop). Use NaN to indicate unbounded time limits. If used, times should be in ISO format yyyy-mm-ddThh:mm:ss[.xxx] or in GMT relative time format (see colinfo). For wiggles, the data anomaly is required to be in the 3rd input column. If you also need to plot the track itself then do that separately with feature_type=:l.

• G or fill : – fill=color | fill="+f|+n"
  Sets color for fill (modifier +f [Default]) or label font (modifier +n). Fill sets infill color for symbols, extrusions, polygons and positive anomaly wiggles [Default is light orange at 75% transparency]. Alternatively, use fill="+f" to turn off such infill. Text labels: Specify color for the font [Default is white]. Alternatively, use fill="+n" to instead disable the labels.

• I or icon : – icon=URL
  Specify the URL to an alternative icon that should be used for the symbol [Default is a Google Earth circle]. If the URL starts with + then we will prepend http://maps.google.com/mapfiles/kml/ to the name. To turn off icons entirely (e.g., when just wanting a text label), use icon=-. [Default is a local icon with no directory path].

• K or not_over : – not_over=true
  Allow more KML code to be appended to the output later [finalize the KML file].

• L or extra_data : – extra_data="name1,name2,..."
  Extended data given. Append one or more column names separated by commas. We will expect the listed data columns to exist in the input immediately following the data coordinates required for the selected feature set by feature, and they will be encoded in the KML file as Extended Data sets, whose attributes will be available in a Google Earth balloon when the item is selected. The data file must have enough data columns and trailing text to accommodate the number of columns requested. If the number of extended data is one larger than the number of available numerical columns then the entire trailing text is set as the last extended data column. Otherwise, the trailing text is split into individual words and set as separate extended columns.

• N or feature_name : – feature_name=true | feature_name="t|col|name_template|name"
  By default, if segment headers contain a -L"label string" then we use that for the name of the KML feature (polygon, line segment or set of symbols). Default names for these segments are "Line %d" and "Point Set %d", depending on the feature, where %d is a sequence number of line segments within a file. Each point within a line segment will be named after the line segment plus a sequence number. Default is simply "Point %d". Alternatively, select one of these options:

  1. append col to supply individual symbol labels as the string formatted from the col data column,

  2. append t to let individual symbol labels be the trailing text of each record

  3. append a string that may include %d or a similar integer format to assign unique name IDs for each feature, with the segment number (for lines and polygons) or point number (symbols) appearing where %d is placed,

  4. give no arguments to turn symbol labeling off; line segments will still be named.

  Also note that option (2) is not available unless input is an ASCII file.

• O or overlay : – overlay=true
  Append KML code to an existing KML file [initialize a new KML file]. WARNING the use of this option requires saving the result to file (that is, not returning it as a dataset) and the use of append="kmlfile" and not any of the |>="kmlfile" or write="kmlfile" file saving options.

• Qa or wiggles or wiggle_fixedazim or wiggle_scale= : – wiggles=az | wiggle_fixedazim=az | wiggle_scale=scale
  Option in support of wiggle plots (requires feature_type=:w). You may control which directions the positive wiggles will tend to point to with wiggles=azim. The appended azimuth defines a half-circle centered on the selected azimuth [0] where positive anomalies will plot. If outside then switch by 180 degrees. Alternatively, use wiggle_fixedazim to set a fixed azimuth with no further variation. Scaling is also required via wiggle_scale=scale. Set a wiggle scale in z-data units per the user's units (given via the trailing unit taken from d|m|s|e|f|k|M|n|u [e]). This scale is then inverted to yield degrees per user z-unit and used to convert wiggle anomalies to map distances and positions.

• R or region : – region=:e | region=(w,e,s,n)
  Issue a single Region tag. Use region=(w,e,s,n) to set a particular region (will ignore points outside the region), or region=:e to determine and use the exact domain of the data (single file only) [no region tags issued].

• S or ilscale : – ilscale="c<scale>" | ilscale="n<scale>"
  Scale icons or labels. Here, ilscale="c<scale>" sets a scale for the symbol icon, whereas ilscale="n<scale>" sets a scale for the name labels [1 for both].

• T or title : – title=title | title=("title","FolderName")
  Sets the document title [default is unset]. Optionally, set also the FolderName; this allows you, with overlay, not_over, to group features into folders within the KML document. [The default folder name is "Name Features", where Name is Point, Event, Timespan, Line, Polygon or Wiggle].

• V or verbose : – verbose=true | verbose=level
  Select verbosity level. More at verbose

• W or pen=pen
  Set pen attributes for the arrow stem [Defaults: width = default, color = black, style = solid]. See Pen attributes

• Z or attrib : – attrib="+aaltmin/altmax][+fminfade/maxfade][+lminLOD/maxLOD][+o][+v]"
  Set one or more attributes of the Document and Region tags. Append +aalt_min/alt_max to specify limits on visibility based on altitude. Add +ffade_min/fade_max** to fade in and out over a ramp [abrupt]. Add +llod_min/lod_max to specify limits on visibility based on Level Of Detail, where a lod_max of -1 means it is visible to infinite size. Add +o to open a older or document in the sidebar when loaded [closed]. Add +v to make a feature not visible when loaded [visible].

• a or aspatial : – aspatial=??
  Control how aspatial data are handled in GMT during input and output. More at

• bi or binary_in : – binary_in=??
  Select native binary format for primary table input. More at

• di or nodata_in : – nodata_in=??
  Substitute specific values with NaN. More at

• e or pattern : – pattern=??
  Only accept ASCII data records that contain the specified pattern. More at

• f or colinfo : – colinfo=??
  Specify the data types of input and/or output columns (time or geographical data). More at

• g or gap : – gap=??
  Examine the spacing between consecutive data points in order to impose breaks in the line. More at

• h or header : – header=??
  Specify that input and/or output file(s) have n header records. More at

• i or incol or incols : – incol=col_num | incol="opts"
  Select input columns and transformations (0 is first column, t is trailing text, append word to read one word only). More at incol

• q or inrows : – inrows=??
  Select specific data rows to be read and/or written. More at

• yx : – yx=true
  Swap 1st and 2nd column on input and/or output. More at

Examples

To plot colored symbols based on a CPT of the remote file @kml_pointsets.txt, first make the CPT and then create the KML file thus:

C = makecpt(cmap=:categorical)
    gmt2kml("@kml_pointsets.txt", cmap=C, |>="points.kml")

To convert a file with point locations (lon, lat) into a KML file with red circle symbols, try

gmt2kml("mypoints.txt", fill="red+f", feature_type=:s, |>="mypoints.kml")

To convert a multisegment file with lines (lon, lat) separated by segment headers that contain a -L\ labelstring with the feature name, selecting a thick white pen, and title the document, try

gmt2kml("mylines.txt", pen=(:thick,:white), feature_type=:l,
            title="Lines from here to there", |>="mylines.kml")

To convert a multisegment file with polygons (lon, lat) separated by segment headers that contain a -L\ labelstring with the feature name, selecting a thick black pen and semi-transparent yellow fill, giving a title to the document, and prescribing a particular region limit, try

gmt2kml("mypolygons.txt", fill="yellow@50+f", feature_type=:p, title="My polygons",
            region=(30,90,-20,40), |>="mypolygons.kml")

To extract contours and labels every 10 units from the grid temp.nc and plot them in KML, using red lines at 75% transparency and red labels (no transparency), try

D = grdcontour("temp.nc", scale=1, annot="10+tlabel.txt", cont=10, dump=true)
    gmt2kml(D, feature_type=:l, pen=(1,"red@75"), not_over=true, |>"contours.kml")
    gmt2kml("label.txt", overlay=true, feature_name=:t, feature_type=:s ilscale="n2",
            fill="red@0+n", icon="-", append="contours.kml")

To instead plot the contours as lines with colors taken from the cpt file contours.cpt, try

gmt2kml("contours.txt", feature_type=:l, cmap="contours.cpt", |>="contours.kml")

To plot magnetic anomalies as wiggles along track, with positive wiggles painted orange and the wiggle line drawn with a black pen of width 2p, scaling the magnetic anomalies (in nTesla) so that 50 nT equals 1 nm on the map, and place the wiggles 50m above the sea surface, use

gmt2kml("magnetics_lon_lat_mag.txt", feature_type=:w, fill="orange+f",
            pen=2, mode="g50", wiggle_scale="50n", |>="wiggles.kml")

Limitations

Google Earth has trouble displaying filled polygons across the Dateline. For now you must manually break any polygon crossing the dateline into a west and east polygon and plot them separately. Google Earth also has other less obvious limitations on file size or line length. These do not seem to be documented. If features do not show and you are not getting an error, try to reduce the size of the file by splitting things up.

Making Kmz Files

Using the KMZ format is preferred as it takes less space. KMZ is simply a KML file and any data files, icons, or images referenced by the KML, contained in a zip archive. One way to organize large data sets is to split them into groups called Folders. A Document can contain any number of folders. Using scripts you can create a composite KML file using the not_over, overlay options just like you do with GMT plots. See title for switching between folders and documents. The gmtshellscripts.sh contains function gmtbuildkmz that can assist in building a KMZ file from any number of KML files (and optionally images they may refer to).

If you have made a series of KML files (which may depend on other items like local PNG images), you can consolidate these into a single KMZ file for saving space and for grouping related files together. The bash function gmtbuildkmz in the gmt_shell_functions.sh can be used to do this. You need to source gmtshellfunctions.sh first before you can use it.

Kml Hierarchy

GMT stores the different features in hierarchical folders by feature type (when using overlay, not_over or title=tit/foldername), by input file (if not standard input), and by line segment (using the name from the segment header, or feature_name). This makes it more easy in Google Earth to switch on or off parts of the contents of the Document.

Segment Information

gmt2kml will scan the segment headers for substrings of the form -L"some label" [also see feature_name discussion] and -T"some text description". If present, these are parsed to supply name and description tags, respectively, for the current feature.

See Also

grd2kml, kml2gmt, psconvert