DatMapR’s KMZ Exports were originally tested using Google Earth and should have been usable in Google Maps, which can process KMZ files read from the web. Sadly, not so! Do read on, there is a 'work round'.
If you place a KMZ file on your web site the URL (‘http://…………………KMZ’) can be entered in the location search box of Google Maps and in general it should be read and the details displayed. There are discussions on the web about the differences between what you will see in Google Earth and Google Maps, let’s say they do differ.
Do this for a KMZ exported from DatMapR, and it just gives an error message – ‘http://www…... could not be displayed because it is not a valid KML or KMZ file.’ ! It looks as though Google Earth is accepting some aspect of the format which Google Maps dislikes.
After lots of testing, replacing PNG files with GIFs, validating the KML (which has found a few minor issues which ought to be ironed out), etc. etc. I have managed to find only one way to make this work. It appears that the actual file compression used by DatMapR (and by Windows!) is doing something to the file which Google Maps cannot or will not cope with. The work round is as follows (I don’t like it, but it works if you need to display a KMZ in Google Maps) …
- Export the KMZ from DatMapR as normal.
- Open the KMZ in Google Earth.
- Save the ‘place’ created from the KMZ in the ‘Temporary Places’ list of Google Earth to a suitable location and name, and save as a KMZ file.
- Upload this saved KMZ file to your web site.
- Hey presto, it seems to work in Google Earth AND in Google Maps.
There are still one difference …
The Key, Title, ByLine all work OK;Symbols appear correctly; but Reference Lines, though they are drawn in the correct place are thicker than in GE. A line of 1 pixel thickness appears as about 6 pixels.
Hope that helps (for now). If anyone has any thoughts, please do get in touch.
