kmlwritepoint
Write geographic point data to KML file
Syntax
Description
kmlwritepoint(
writes
the geographic point data specified by filename
,latitude
,longitude
)latitude
and longitude
to
the file specified by filename
in Keyhole Markup
Language (KML) format. kmlwritepoint
creates a
KML Placemark element for each point, using the latitude and longitude
values as coordinates of the points. kmlwritepoint
sets
the altitude values associated with the points to 0
and
sets the altitude interpretation to 'clampToGround'
.
kmlwritepoint(___,
specifies
name-value pairs that set additional KML feature properties. Parameter
names can be abbreviated and are case-insensitive.Name,Value
)
Examples
Write Data to KML File that Includes HTML Format Tags
Define a point by latitude and longitude.
lat = 42.299827; lon = -71.350273;
Specify the description text used with the placemark, including HTML tags for formatting.
description = sprintf('%s<br>%s</br><br>%s</br>', ... '3 Apple Hill Drive', 'Natick, MA. 01760', ... 'https://www.mathworks.com'); name = 'The MathWorks, Inc.'; iconDir = fullfile(matlabroot,'toolbox','matlab','icons'); iconFilename = fullfile(iconDir, 'matlabicon.gif');
Define the name of the KML file you want to create.
filename = 'MathWorks.kml';
Write the data to a KML file, using the Description
parameter to include the names of the cities in the placemarks.
kmlwritepoint(filename, lat, lon, ... 'Description', description, 'Name', name, 'Icon', iconFilename);
Retrieve Point Data from Shape File and Write Data to KML File
Read the locations of major cities from a shape file into a geostruct.
latlim = [ 30; 75]; lonlim = [-25; 45]; cities = shaperead('worldcities.shp','UseGeoCoords', true, ... 'BoundingBox', [lonlim, latlim]);
Get the latitudes, longitudes, and names of the cities from the geostruct.
lat = [cities.Lat]; lon = [cities.Lon]; name = {cities.Name};
Define the name of the KML file you want to create.
filename = 'European_Cities.kml';
Write the geographic data to the file, specifying the names of the cities and the size of the icon.
kmlwritepoint(filename, lat, lon, 'Name', name, 'IconScale', 2);
Write Point Data to KML File Using Camera to Specify View
Create a geopoint object to specify the viewing options available through the Camera
parameter. The example sets up a view of the Washington Monument in Washington D.C.
camlat = 38.889301;
camlon = -77.039731;
camera = geopoint(camlat,camlon);
camera.Altitude = 500;
camera.Heading = 90;
camera.Tilt = 45;
camera.Roll = 0;
name = 'Camera ground location';
Define the name of the KML file you want to create.
filename = 'WashingtonMonument.kml';
Write the point data to the file with the view specification. Place a marker at the ground location of the camera.
lat = camera.Latitude; lon = camera.Longitude; kmlwritepoint(filename,lat,lon,'Camera',camera,'Name',name);
Write Point Data to KML File Using LookAt to Specify View
Specify the latitude, longitude, and altitude values that define a point. In this example, the location is the Machu Picchu ruins in Peru.
lat = -13.163111; lon = -72.544945; alt = 2430;
Create a geopoint object to specify the viewing options available through the LookAt
parameter.
lookAt = geopoint(lat,lon);
lookAt.Range = 1500;
lookAt.Heading = 260;
lookAt.Tilt = 67;
name = 'LookAt location parameters';
Define the name of the KML file you want to create.
filename = 'Machu_Picchu.kml';
Write the point data to the file, using the LookAt
parameter to specify the view.
kmlwritepoint(filename,lat,lon,alt,'Name',name,'LookAt',lookAt)
Use Camera Parameter to Specify View
Specify the latitude and longitude values that define the point that you want to view. In this example, the location is Mount Rainier.
lat_rainier = 46.8533; lon_rainier = -121.7599;
Create a geopoint vector to specify the position of the virtual camera (eye) you will use to view the location using the Camera
parameter.
myview = geopoint(46.7, -121.7,'Altitude',2500,'Tilt',85,'Heading',345);
Define the name of the KML file you want to create.
filename = 'Mt_Rainier.kml';
Write the point data to the file, specifying a name and a custom color for the icon.
kmlwritepoint(filename,lat_rainier,lon_rainier,'Name','Mt Rainier',... 'Color','red','IconScale',2,'Camera',myview)
Input Arguments
filename
— Name of output file
string scalar | character vector
Name of output file, specified as a string scalar or character vector.
kmlwritepoint
creates the file in the current folder, unless you specify a
full or relative path name. If the file name includes an extension, it must be
.kml
.
Data Types: char
| string
latitude
— Latitudes of points
vector in the range [-90 90]
Latitudes of points, specified as a vector in the range [-90
90]
.
Data Types: single
| double
longitude
— Longitudes of points
vector
Longitudes of points, specified as a vector. Longitude values automatically wrap to the range
[-180 180]
, in compliance with the KML specification.
Data Types: single
| double
altitude
— Altitude of points in meters
0 (default) | scalar or vector
Altitude of points in meters, specified as a scalar or vector.
If a scalar,
kmlwritepoint
applies the value to each point.If a vector, you must specify an altitude value for each point. That is, the vector must have the same length as
latitude
andlongitude
.
Data Types: single
| double
Name-Value Arguments
Specify optional pairs of arguments as
Name1=Value1,...,NameN=ValueN
, where Name
is
the argument name and Value
is the corresponding value.
Name-value arguments must appear after other arguments, but the order of the
pairs does not matter.
Before R2021a, use commas to separate each name and value, and enclose
Name
in quotes.
Example: kmlwritepoint(filename,lat,lon,'Name','Point
Reyes','IconScale',2);
Name
— Label of point displayed in viewer
'Point N'
where
N
is the index of the
point (default) | string scalar | string array | character vector | cell array of character vectors
Label of point displayed in viewer, specified as a string scalar or character vector or cell array of character vectors.
If a string scalar or character vector,
kmlwritepoint
applies the name to all points.If a string array or cell array of character vectors, you must include a label for each point; that is, the cell array must have the same length as
latitude
andlongitude
.
Data Types: char
| string
| cell
Description
— Content to be displayed in the point description balloon
string scalar | character vector | cell array of character vectors
Content to be displayed in the point description balloon, specified as a string scalar or character vector or a cell array of character vectors. The content appears in the description balloon when you click either the feature name in the Google Earth Places panel or the point in the viewer window.
If a string scalar or character vector,
kmlwritepoint
applies the description to all points.If a string array or cell array of character vectors, you must include description information for each point; that is, the cell array must be the same length as
latitude
andlongitude
.
Description elements can be either plain text or marked up with HTML. When it is plain text, Google Earth applies basic formatting, replacing newlines with line break tags and enclosing valid URLs with anchor tags to make them hyperlinks. To see examples of HTML tags that Google Earth recognizes, view https://earth.google.com.
Data Types: char
| string
| cell
Icon
— File name of a custom icon
defined by viewer, for example, Google
Earth uses an image of a push pin. (default) | string scalar | string array | character vector | cell array of character vectors
File name of a custom icon, specified as a string scalar or character vector or cell array of character vectors.
If a string scalar or character vector,
kmlwritepoint
uses the icon for all points.If a string array or cell array of character vectors, you must specify an icon for each point. That is, the cell array must be the same length as
latitude
andlongitude
.
If the icon file name is not in the current folder, or in a folder on the MATLAB path, you must specify a full or relative path name. If the file name is an Internet URL, the URL must include the protocol type.
Data Types: char
| string
| cell
IconScale
— Scaling factor for icon
positive numeric scalar or vector
Scaling factor for the icon, specified as a positive numeric scalar or vector.
If a scalar,
kmlwritepoint
applies the scaling factor to the icon for all points.If a vector, you must specify a scaling factor for each icon. That is, the vector must be the same length as
latitude
andlongitude
.
Data Types: single
| double
| int8
| int16
| int32
| int64
| uint8
| uint16
| uint32
Color
— Icon color
defined by viewer (default) | color name | RGB triplet | cell array of color names | string vector of color names | matrix of RGB triplets | 'none'
Icon color, specified as one of these options.
A color name such as
'red'
or a short name such as'r'
.An RGB triplet, which is a three-element row vector whose elements specify the intensities of the red, green, and blue components of the color. The intensities must be in the range
[0,1]
; for example,[0.4 0.6 0.7]
.A cell array of color names such as
{'red','green','blue'}
or{'r','g','b'}
.A string vector of color names such as
["red" "green" "blue"]
or["r" "g" "b"]
.A matrix of RGB triplets, which is a three-column matrix in which each row is an RGB triplet.
The way you specify the color depends on the desired color scheme.
To apply the same color to all icons, specify a single color name or RGB triplet.
To apply a different color to each icon, specify a cell array of color names, a string vector of color names, or a matrix of RGB triplets. The number of colors and RGB triplets must match the length of
latitude
andlongitude
.To exclude a color specification for icons, specify
'none'
. In this case, the viewer defines the icon color.
This table contains the color names and equivalent RGB triplets for some common colors.
Color Name | Short Name | RGB Triplet | Appearance |
---|---|---|---|
"red" | "r" | [1 0 0] |
|
"green" | "g" | [0 1 0] |
|
"blue" | "b" | [0 0 1] |
|
"cyan"
| "c" | [0 1 1] |
|
"magenta" | "m" | [1 0 1] |
|
"yellow" | "y" | [1 1 0] |
|
"black" | "k" | [0 0 0] |
|
"white" | "w" | [1 1 1] |
|
Data Types: char
| string
| cell
| double
Alpha
— Transparency of the icons
1
(default) | numeric scalar or vector in the range [0 1]
Transparency of the icons, specified as a numeric scalar or
vector in the range [0 1]
. The default value, 1
,
indicates fully opaque.
Data Types: single
| double
| int8
| int16
| int32
| int64
| uint8
| uint16
| uint32
AltitudeMode
— Interpretation of altitude values
'clampToGround'
| 'relativeToGround'
| 'relativeToSeaLevel'
Interpretation of altitude values, specified as one of the following values:
Value | Description |
---|---|
'clampToGround' | Ignore altitude values and set the feature on the ground. This
is the default interpretation when you do not specify altitude values. |
'relativeToGround' | Set altitude values relative to the actual ground elevation of a particular feature. |
'relativeToSeaLevel' | Set altitude values relative to sea level, regardless of the
actual elevation values of the terrain beneath the feature. This is
the default interpretation when you specify altitude values. Called 'absolute' in
KML terminology. |
Data Types: char
| string
LookAt
— Position of the virtual camera (eye) relative to the object being viewed
geopoint vector
Position of the virtual camera (eye) relative to the object
being viewed, specified as a geopoint vector. The view is defined
by the fields of the geopoint vector, listed in the table below. LookAt
is
limited to looking down at a feature, you cannot tilt the virtual
camera to look above the horizon into the sky. To tilt the virtual
camera to look above the horizon into the sky, use the Camera
parameter.
Property Name | Description | Data Type |
---|---|---|
Latitude | Latitude of the point the camera is looking at, in degrees north or south of the Equator (0 degrees) | Scalar double, from -90 to 90 |
Longitude | Longitude of the point the camera is looking at, in degrees, specifying angular distance relative to the Prime Meridian | Scalar double, in the range [-180 180] .
Values west of the Meridian range from -180 to 0 degrees. Values east
of the Meridian range from 0 to 180 degrees |
Altitude | Altitude of the point the camera is looking at from the Earth's surface, in meters | Scalar numeric, default 0 |
Heading | Camera direction (azimuth), in degrees (optional) | Scalar numeric [0 360] , default 0 (true
North) |
Tilt | Angle between the direction of the LookAt position and the normal to the surface of the earth, in degrees (optional) | Scalar numeric [0 90] , default: 0 ,
directly above. |
Range | Distance in meters from the point specified by latitude , longitude ,
and altitude to the point where the camera is positioned—theLookAt position. | Scalar numeric, default: 0 |
AltitudeMode | Interpretation of camera altitude value (optional) | 'relativeToSeaLevel' , 'clampToGround' ,
(default) 'relativeToGround' |
Camera
— Position of the virtual camera relative to the surface of the Earth
geopoint vector
Position of the camera relative to the Earth's surface, specified
as a geopoint vector. The fields of the geopoint vector, listed below,
define the view.Camera
provides full six-degrees-of-freedom
control over the view, so you can position the camera in space and
then rotate it around the X, Y,
and Z axes. You can tilt the camera view so that
you're looking above the horizon into the sky.
Property Name | Description | Data Type |
---|---|---|
Latitude | Latitude of the virtual camera (eye), in degrees north or south of the Equator (0 degrees) | Scalar double in the range [-90 90] |
Longitude | Longitude of the virtual camera, in degrees, specifying angular distance relative to the Prime Meridian | Scalar double, in the range [-180 180] .
Values west of the Meridian range from -180 to 0 degrees. Values east
of the Meridian range from 0 to 180 degrees |
Altitude | Distance of the virtual camera from the surface of the Earth, in meters | Scalar numeric |
Heading | Direction (azimuth) in degrees (optional) | Scalar numeric [0 360] , default 0 (true
North) |
Tilt | Camera rotation around the X-axis, in degrees (optional) | Scalar numeric [0 180] , default: 0 ,
directly above |
Roll | Camera rotation in degrees around the Z-axis (optional) | Scalar numeric, in the range [-180 180] default: 0 |
AltitudeMode | Specifies the interpretation of camera altitude. (optional) | 'relativeToSeaLevel' , 'clampToGround' ,
(default) 'relativeToGround' |
If a scalar,
kmlwritepoint
applies the value to all the points.If a vector, you must include an item for each point; that is, the length must be the same length as
latitude
andlongitude
.
Tips
You can view KML files with the Google Earth™ browser, which must be installed on your computer.
For Windows, use the
winopen
function:winopen(filename)
For Linux, if the file name is a partial path, use the following commands:
cmd = 'googleearth '; fullfilename = fullfile(pwd, filename); system([cmd fullfilename])
For Mac, if the file name is a partial path, use the following commands:
cmd = 'open -a Google\ Earth ' fullfilename = fullfile(pwd, filename); system([cmd fullfilename])
You can also view KML files with a Google Maps™ browser. The file must be located on a web server that is accessible from the Internet. A private intranet server will not suffice because Google’s server must be able to access the URL that you provide. The following is a template for using Google Maps. Replace
your-web-server-path
with a real value.GMAPS_URL = 'http://maps.google.com/maps?q='; KML_URL = 'http://your-web-server-path'; web([GMAPS_URL KML_URL])
Version History
Introduced in R2013a
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