KML vs KMZ: Difference and Comparison

At present many apps and types of files are shared across the internet. The shared files’ apps and types require a different file extension.

The KML and KMZ are the two file extensions used for geographical locations. Google maps and Earth use these file formats. They are the apps that are used to open these files.

Key Takeaways

1. KML is an XML-based file format that displays geographic data in Earth browsers like Google Earth.
2. KMZ is a compressed version of KML files, allowing for easier sharing and storage of geographic information.
3. Both formats enable the visualization and sharing of spatial data, with KMZ offering added efficiency due to file size reduction.

KML vs KMZ

KML is an XML-based file format that stores geographic data for display in applications like Google Earth. It can be edited in a text editor or created with supporting software. KMZ is a compressed version of KML that can share or embed complex data sets into other applications.

The kml is the abbreviation of the Keyhole Markup Language. The Keyhole first gave the kml, but in 2004, it was bought by the goggle.

The kml is the file format that stores the geographical locations of the Earth. They can analyze and store both two-dimensional maps and as well the three-dimensional data of the satellites.

The XML files are large and require more storage if the detailed geographical image is being stored.

The key is the abbreviation of the Keyhole Markup Language zipped. The key is nothing but the kml files stored in the zipped format.

The key is also used to store the geographical locations of the Earth.

These files format are mainly used to store large XML files in zip, which compresses them without losing the quality, and these extensions are also used to share these larger files across the internet.

Comparison Table

Parameters of Comparison	KML	KMZ
Full form	The Keyhole Markup Language is the abbreviation of KML.	The KMZ stands for the Keyhole Markup Language zipped.
Accessed	The Kmz files can be accessed in google maps and earth only if the zipped file is extracted.	The large files require ample storage in the kml extension.
Storage	The small files require less time but large files require a long time and better connectivity for transfer.	The large files require less space as the files are compressed.
Sharing speed	The Kmz files can be accessed in google maps and Earth only if the zipped file is extracted.	The speed of sharing the kmz files is as fast as compared to the kml.
Features	The critical files store large XML files in a compressed format without losing the quality.	The key files store large XML files in a compressed format without losing the quality.

What is KML?

The Kml stands for the Keyhole Markup Language. The Kml is the file extension that the Keyholethe Keyhole first created. Later, in 2004 google bought it.

The kml file extensions are used for the images and files used for navigation. They store the geographical location. The files can be accessed on google maps and Earth.

The kml file extension stores the geographical locations. Usually, general areas are stored in them. But if we use it to keep the detailed site of a place, it requires a large storage capacity.

Sharing these large files is difficult as they require significant time and suitable data quality.

The kml can store the geographical places in both two and three dimensions.

The two dimensions include the land ratio and directions, whereas, in the three sizes, geographical location latitudes, longitudes, and altitudes, along with the rules, are stored in the navigations.

What is KMZ?

The key stands for the keyhole markup language zipped.

The zipped files were introduced in 1989, and the kmz was later used to store the large files in the compressed format without losing the quality of the kml files.

These files are easy to share across the internet and also use less time and data.

The critical files are the geographical locations stored in two and three dimensions. These files are not accessed using google maps and Earth.

The reason is that they are compressed and first require extracting files before accessing them on google earth and Maps.

The file extension within the kmz is the kml. The key is mainly used to store the data of ample storage. Compressing large files also helps save the storage capacity of large files.

These files store the three-dimensional graphical places’ location. Winzip is the most used app for zipping files and reducing storage space.

Main Differences Between KML and KMZ

1. The KML and KMZ are the abbreviations of Keyhole Markup Language, and Keyhole Markup Language zipped, respectively.
2. The KML is a file that can be opened in google maps and google earth, whereas the KMZ is a file format that is not supported.
3. The KMZ needs the unzipping of files before use, whereas this does not apply to the KML
4. The large files need large storage space in the kml extension, whereas the kmz can store large files in less storage.
5. The kml stores the geographical location in general, whereas the kmz extension stores the geographical location in more detail.

References

1. https://books.google.co.in/books?hl=en&lr=&id=opIw7LUsrgAC&oi=fnd&pg=PT14&dq=kml&ots=xoKyjFX1B_&sig=vr70uV0OiS4-qokNV55w2mMS5y8
2. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-18398-5_20

Last Updated : 01 July, 2023