KML and GeoRSS Support Added to the Google Maps API
Posted by Nigel Tao, Software Engineer, Google Maps Team — One of the things I love most about Google Maps and Google Earth is that it's easy for anyone to create and display new geographically referenced content.
Context & Ripple Effects
Google Maps had already expanded from base maps into satellite imagery and a mobile service with traffic and walking directions. Adding KML and GeoRSS support to the API extends that evolution to externally created geographic data, making the map a display layer for content produced elsewhere.
The same story was picked up by O'Reilly Radar, underscoring developer interest in GeoRSS as a way to publish location-tagged information across services.
First-order effects
- Developers using the Google Maps API can place KML and GeoRSS feeds on Google Maps without converting geographically referenced content into a proprietary format.
- Publishers of KML and GeoRSS data gain a direct route to Google Maps-based applications, while Google Maps becomes more useful wherever those feeds are maintained.
Second-order effects
- Mapping developers can compete on how they collect, filter and present location data rather than on building custom import pipelines for each feed format.
- Google Maps API adoption becomes more closely tied to open geographic publishing formats, giving data providers an incentive to keep their feeds machine-readable.
Third-order effects
- If API platforms continue to accept broadly used geographic formats, map products can develop into aggregation layers where the value concentrates in discovery, visualization and distribution rather than exclusive ownership of every dataset.
The trend: Web mapping is moving toward interoperable geographic data feeds that let third parties turn location-tagged publishing into map-based applications.