[Gdal-dev] KML driver

[Philip Paar]

This is a summary of an email thread of Arnulf Christl, Frank  
Warmerdam, and me:
Mateusz Loskot encouraged me to discuss the following technical  
questions about KML driver on the gdal-dev list.

I wonder how KML driver support could be improved and speeded up?

Thanks to Google "Summer of Code" student, there already is a  
prototype KML feature reader support in OGR:
http://trac.osgeo.org/gdal/wiki/SoCKMLRead

The student working on it was Jens Oberender, reporting to Mateusz  
Loskot as mentor. KML feature reading has been recently implemented  
but is still in fairly rough shape.

Google has been supporting GeoServer. http://google-code- 
updates.blogspot.com/2007/08/plant-seed-watch-it-grow- 
improvements.html : "(...) The GeoServer team is very excited about  
KML becoming an OGC open standard, as GeoServer already implements  
the main OGC standards. For the testbed TOPP will build support for  
the new version of KML in to GeoServer and OpenLayers, an excellent  
AJAX mapping client. To follow and participate in the work being done  
on the next version of KML, subscribe and contribute to the ogckml  
page on del.icio.us (...)"

Should we wait for an OGC KML ("3.0") to fully support KML in OGR,  
propose another testbed (GDAL/OGR) to Google, and/ or try to push the  
KML 2.x driver?
Regards,
Philip

Lenne3D GmbH
paar at lenne3d.com
http://www.lenne3d.com

VAT ID: DE814547174
Commercial Registry: 99518B
Registration Office: Amtsgericht Berlin-Charlottenburg
Managing Director: Philip Paar