idea Enhance KML to Layer to include any photos or images that are attached to points in ArcGIS Pro Ideas

Enhance KML to Layer to include any photos or images that are attached to points

jdruding — Thu, 17 Feb 2022 12:45:45 GMT

KML/KMZ supports the ability to attach images to points. This can have a valuable application in either personal or professional use. For personal use, it can allow the user to take memorable photos when hiking or exploring while recording a track in another app, such as GaiaGPS, and then importing that data into ArcGIS. For professional use, it could be beneficial for field work, allowing person in the field to record photos attached to waypoints in the tool of their choice and then import them later to ArcGIS for analysis.

Currently the KML to Layer function does not import any photos that are attached to points. This idea is to update that function to do so. This idea is part of Enhancement Request (NIM086198) - "Images in pop-ups from KML are not maintained with the KML to Layer geoprocessing tool."

Re: Enhance KML to Layer to include any photos or images that are attached to points

MichelleWilliamsERM — Thu, 17 Feb 2022 15:52:39 GMT

I'd love this option too.

Re: Enhance KML to Layer to include any photos or images that are attached to points - Status changed to: Under Consideration

DrewFlater — Wed, 23 Nov 2022 19:41:42 GMT

Re: Enhance KML to Layer to include any photos or images that are attached to points

COH_Spatial — Thu, 28 Sep 2023 06:01:26 GMT

Any updates on this or any work around?

Re: Enhance KML to Layer to include any photos or images that are attached to points

DrewFlater — Thu, 28 Sep 2023 18:42:31 GMT

@COH_Spatial it is in our near term plan for KML To Layer, which includes other important enhancements and bug fixes as well. It will not be complete in ArcGIS Pro 3.2 which is the next release coming this year.

Re: Enhance KML to Layer to include any photos or images that are attached to points

AllisonTalsma — Wed, 18 Oct 2023 18:27:35 GMT

Up voting this idea as our organization would find this solution very helpful.

Re: Enhance KML to Layer to include any photos or images that are attached to points

RichardHowe — Fri, 27 Sep 2024 10:11:44 GMT

Just adding my support to this. Great idea and would be very useful

Re: Enhance KML to Layer to include any photos or images that are attached to points

RichardHowe — Fri, 27 Sep 2024 10:43:32 GMT

I should have checked this before commenting, but it seems this is now implemented at 3.3.0. Happy days 🙂

@DrewFlater Could you mark it as such for anyone else who arrives here?

Re: Enhance KML to Layer to include any photos or images that are attached to points

DrewFlater — Fri, 27 Sep 2024 18:51:38 GMT

@RichardHowe our internal development issue is still open for this enhancement idea, it is currently in our Pro 3.5 plan though plans are subject to change. I just retested with KMZ that another user had provided, and the image files were not carried forward into the geodatabase or output layer after running KML To Layer.

Re: Enhance KML to Layer to include any photos or images that are attached to points

RichardHowe — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 06:56:33 GMT

@DrewFlater I'll hold my hands up. I was reading this the other way around i.e. feature classes with attachments converted to KML (which does work). Sorry 🙂

Re: Enhance KML to Layer to include any photos or images that are attached to points

suntoygeo — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 00:10:59 GMT

This would be great. My current convoluted workflow - Use Avenza Pro to export a shapefile. It automatically creates a folder of attachments and adds a new field with a comma-delimited list of attachments for each feature. Import the shapefile into a GDB w/ attachments and globalIDs enabled, and then use this field to build an attachment table and re-attach the photos:

import arcpy import os #%% # set variables gdb_path = r"scratch.gdb" base_folder = r"gps\layername" feature_class = "name_of_shp" file_path_field = "Photos" #%% # loop through features. for each feature, if file_path_field is not null, split the string into a list of file paths # for each file path, construct the full path and add the file as an attachment to the feature arcpy.env.workspace = gdb_path # Create a match table match_table = 'MatchTable' arcpy.CreateTable_management(arcpy.env.workspace, match_table) arcpy.AddField_management(match_table, 'GlobalID', 'TEXT') arcpy.AddField_management(match_table, 'FILE_PATH', 'TEXT') # Populate the match table with arcpy.da.SearchCursor(feature_class, ["GLOBALID@", file_path_field]) as cursor: with arcpy.da.InsertCursor(match_table, ['GlobalID', 'FILE_PATH']) as icursor: for row in cursor: if not (row[1] is None or row[1] == ""): file_paths = row[1].split(", ") if len(file_paths) > 0: for file_path in file_paths: # convert forward slashes to backslash file_path = file_path.replace("/", "\\") full_path = os.path.join(base_folder, file_path) icursor.insertRow([row[0], full_path]) #%% # Add attachments arcpy.AddAttachments_management(feature_class, "GlobalID", match_table, "GlobalID", "FILE_PATH") #%% # Delete the match table arcpy.Delete_management(match_table) # %%

Re: Enhance KML to Layer to include any photos or images that are attached to points

HaydeeHY — Tue, 11 Nov 2025 20:53:42 GMT

Will this be implemented any time soon? I am on version 3.5.4 and I still cannot smoothly transfer attachments from KML to geodatabases

Re: Enhance KML to Layer to include any photos or images that are attached to points

DrewFlater — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 19:37:36 GMT

@HaydeeHY This enhancement Idea is in the development team's Near Term backlog. A new tool for KML conversion, KML To Geodatabase, will be released in ArcGIS Pro 3.6 for enhanced attribute handling. Any enhancements like this one that were logged for KML To Layer will only be developed for the new tool going forward.