KML Toolbox v1.7 (plot anything to Google Earth)

Create KML files and view them in Google Earth. Supports 3D models, contours, overlays, and more...

Description

This class-based toolbox allows you to create many different plots in Google Earth, by automatically creating the required xml-based kml files without user interaction.

With it, you can create:
- line plots, scatter plots
- 2D and 3D contours
- 2D and 3D polygons
- 2D and 3D quiver plots
- write text in a given point
- place 3D models
- overlay images
- transfer more complex figures as images
- folders, subfolders,... to aggregate similar plots
- animate 3D models into a pre-defined trajectory

To install the toolbox into your MATLAB path, go to the toolbox directory and run:
>> kml.install

Now with documentation of each function and the available parameters. To view the help, run in MATLAB:
>> kmldoc
or
>> kmldoc kml.plot %or any other of the available plots

If you enjoy it, just drop me an email at [e-mail] saying for what you're using it :).

Inspired by the original Google Earth Toolbox, but implemented using XML objects, which makes it much easier to use. I just checked it in the 2011a release of MATLAB, but it should work in older releases too... (Let me know if not!)

Acknowledgements

The author wishes to acknowledge the following in the creation of this submission:
Google Earth Toolbox

• Required Products: MATLAB
• MATLAB release: MATLAB 7.12 (2011a)

[Julien]

The object oriented version of the google earth toolbox. Wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing...

[Travis Knepp]

I am wondering why you built functions with the same name as MatLab built-in functions (e.g. plot.m, plot3.m, text.m)? This seems pretty counter-productive. Can you correct me on this?

[Rafael Oliveira]

Hi Travis. I've used the same name, but they're all encapsulated inside the kml class... So, to call them, you need to create an instance of the kml class, for example:

mykml = kml('Sample plot');

And then use this object "mykml" to plot, as in:

mykml.plot(1:10, sin(1:10));

or

mykml.scatter(rand(100,1),rand(100,1));

[scott lee davis]

hey this looks great! Why not combine the two versions into the best matlab version? I am building at multilanguage version of the googleearth toolbox and would welcome motivated matlab development and extension.

http://code.google.com/p/googleearthtoolbox/source/browse/#git%2Fmatlab

[Michele Williams]

This is a great program ... it has provided a great way to visualize my measurement results spatially.

[Balam Willemsen]

Very nice and useful! I made one very small edit to kml.m to get it to work on the Mac platform. Not sure if Linux has a common tool like start or open that is independent of distro.

        function run(this)
            this.save;
            if (ispc)
                system(['start "kmltoolbox" "' this.filename '"']);
            elseif (ismac)
                system(['open' ' "' this.filename '"']);
            elseif (isunix)
                disp('The KML file has been saved, open it in Google Earth');
            end
            
        end

[Rafael Oliveira]

Thanks for the tip... I've included it in an updated version, together with a change removing the ~ from the function outputs. Now it should work with some older MATLAB versions too!

[Zeneida]

Hello,
There is a way do more contours, I need that more contour lines in the map, but I don't know is it can be. In the contour.m from matlab I can specify the number of lines, but here?????
Thank you

[Rafael Oliveira]

Hi Zeneida,
You can do it using the option 'numberOfLevels', as in:

k = kml;
[x,y,z] = peaks;
k.contour(x,y,z, 'numberOfLevels', 20);
k.run;

[Seb Biass]

That is really nice, thank you! Any chance for a contourf type function?