Posted on February 9, 2023 (Updated on July 10, 2025)

Are ESRI Shapefiles and KML files two different ways of representing data?

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What is the difference between shapefile and KML file?

KML and Shapfiles could contain the exact same data, however KML is much more suited to displaying time based track information, whereas shapefiles are more suited to displaying Geometries, like boundaries, areas, roads, etc.
 

Is A KML file a shapefile?

The kml file may contain any number of points, lines, and polygons. The script will create a shapefile for the feature type of interest. If the kml file contains more than one type of feature, you will need to run the script once for each feature type that is to be converted to a shapefile.

What are the limitations of shapefile in Esri?

2 GB

Limitations of shapefiles



Shapefile size limit: 2 GB. Maximum field name length: 10 characters. Maximum number of fields: 1024. NULL values are only supported on the Date field data type and are not supported for numeric or text field data types in a shapefile.

What type of features can be represented by a shapefile?

A shapefile is a simple, nontopological format for storing the geometric location and attribute information of geographic features. Geographic features in a shapefile can be represented by points, lines, or polygons (areas).

How do I convert a KML file to a shapefile in ArcGIS?

Procedure

  1. In the Merge pane, under Parameters, select the shapefiles converted from the Batch Input KML File tool.
  2. Select the output location for Output Dataset. Click Run.

 

Can I use a KML file in ArcGIS?

KML is an XML-based file format used to represent geographic features in applications such as ArcGIS Earth and Google Earth. KML allows you to draw points, lines, and polygons on maps and globes and share them with others.

What type of data is a shapefile?

A shapefile is a vector data file format commonly used for geospatial analysis. Shapefiles store the location, geometry, and attribution of point, line, and polygon features.

Are shapefiles spatial data?

The shapefile format is a geospatial vector data format for geographic information system (GIS) software.

Is a shapefile a database?

Quote from video:

How do I convert a shapefile to KML in Google Earth?

How to convert Shapefile to KML:

  1. Step 1: Press Settings button.
  2. Step 2: Select KML as an Output Format (If you need to covert to KMZ, select KMZ here).
  3. Step 3: Click a Shapefile that you would like to convert to KML.
  4. Step 4: Select attributes and press OK button.
  5. Step 5: Press Save button.


Can Google Earth Read shapefile?

If you have a shapefile of your forest land: you can add this in the same way, by dragging and dropping the shapefile onto the map. Google Earth should automatically zoom to youre forest land. You’ll need to click on the check box next to this shapefile in the “Temporary Places” list to see the shapefile.

What is a KML file used for?

KML is a file format used to display geographic data in an Earth browser such as Google Earth. You can create KML files to pinpoint locations, add image overlays, and expose rich data in new ways.