topic Re: KMZ to shapefile - How to preserve pop up info in Data Management Questions

KMZ to shapefile - How to preserve pop up info

MaddyBrumberg — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 13:46:24 GMT

Hello All!

I am trying to convert information from a KMZ to a shapefile and whenever I do, I cant seem to get the pop up information to come through. It is my impression that this information is supposed to come through when using ESRI's conversion tool.

Anyone have any suggestions?

Re: KMZ to shapefile - How to preserve pop up info

MarkBockenhauer — Fri, 17 Oct 2014 00:14:37 GMT

You could use a Geoprocessing tool (ArcTool Box). KML to Layer. It creates a file geodatabase for the data source, and one of the fields in the attribute table witll be "Popupinfo" It will contain the information that appears in the KML Balloon.

You could Export to a Shapefile, (using ArcMap) but keep in mind the max string length is 254, so it would be quite common for the information to be truncated.

You didn't mention the software or conversion tool that you were using... ArcGIS 10.2.1 seems to work alright with basic KML samples I tried.

mark

Re: KMZ to shapefile - How to preserve pop up info

MaddyBrumberg — Wed, 22 Oct 2014 13:12:34 GMT

Mark-

I am using the KML to Layer geoprocessing tool and am not getting information that I should be in the "PopupInfo" field.

I am using 10.2.2 version software. I have tried running the tool with KMLs and with KMZs with no luck!

I have looked through all of the environments to see if I can change something there and haven't found anything.

Thanks!

Maddy

Re: KMZ to shapefile - How to preserve pop up info

MarkBockenhauer — Wed, 22 Oct 2014 20:11:16 GMT

Maddy,

You shouldn't have to change any settings, the default should work. As an example I used this KMZ file.

http://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=5f56ca6970084ac18dc77d1238615960

Ran KML to Layer on it, and this was the result.

http://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=a93de0c32fc84b88ae2963a495813962

Can you reproduce the same?

Maybe there is something specific about the KML you are using?

Mark

Re: KMZ to shapefile - How to preserve pop up info

MaddyBrumberg — Thu, 23 Oct 2014 12:05:53 GMT

Mark-

I am able to convert that one fine but am still unable to convert the ones I am working with. I guess it may be the format that my KML is in. I attached a point and line from the KML I am trying to convert.

Thanks!

Re: KMZ to shapefile - How to preserve pop up info

MarkBockenhauer — Thu, 23 Oct 2014 17:56:42 GMT

Maddy,

I see the same problem. The kml is using "<extended data>" for popup information and the toolbox KML to layer tool, does not appear to be handling it.

You could try use ArcGIS Explorer desktop to share the KML as a layer package. When shared from ArcGIS Explorer the extended data is included in the packaged geodatabase.

Mark

Re: KMZ to shapefile - How to preserve pop up info

MaddyBrumberg — Thu, 30 Oct 2014 12:53:03 GMT

Thanks Mark! It worked!

Re: KMZ to shapefile - How to preserve pop up info

AdrianWelsh — Thu, 21 Apr 2016 21:03:35 GMT

I know this is an "answered" thread but I have a similar KMZ (KML) file that has html-based pop up info. I tried the method above (sharing as a layer package in ArcGIS Explorer) but it did not preserve the fields in the pop up. It looks like there is no real way to grab this popup info when taken from a KML, is that right?

Here is a small screen shot (since I can't show sensitive data):

(this is ArcGIS Pro 1.2 and the "PopupInfo" is the info I need extracted...)

Re: KMZ to shapefile - How to preserve pop up info

BruceHarold — Thu, 21 Apr 2016 21:25:32 GMT

There is a route through from HTML popup information in KML via XHTML to normal attributes using the Data Interoperability extension, but you'll have to know (or decide) the field typing for each element. If you can share a sample file I can provide a 10.4 tool, but you'll need Data Interoperability to use it. If you have control over the KML source it is much better to generate KML with a schema object in it, which will retain data typing, but again you'll need Data Interoperability to work that way.

Re: KMZ to shapefile - How to preserve pop up info

AdrianWelsh — Thu, 21 Apr 2016 21:43:00 GMT

Bruce,

That makes sense. Bummer though, I do not have that extension and not sure that I want to get into the trial period of it either. It's good to know there is a potential solution out there.

Re: KMZ to shapefile - How to preserve pop up info

VeronicaAnderson2 — Mon, 24 Oct 2016 16:51:12 GMT

Hi Bruce,

I think I'm going to need your help on this workflow you suggested to Adrian... I've got an HTML table in my KML popup that is preventing the information I need from being brought into ArcMap. I need to get the data in that HTML table (and hundreds of others like it) to be mapped into a geodatabase I'm setting up. What I get when I import using KML to Layer is just markup text in the layer's Popup attribute. A sample is attached... Can you or anyone else help?

Thank you!

Re: KMZ to shapefile - How to preserve pop up info

BruceHarold — Mon, 24 Oct 2016 17:33:02 GMT

Hi Veronica

In the attached zipfile is an ArcGIS 10.4.1 toolbox file, in that is a Spatial ETL tool that imports your CTRL points to a file geodatabase.

If your source KML files have differing attribution you will need to make an ETL tool for each 'schema' in the KML description HTML values.

You will need the Data Interoperability extension installed and enabled to see the Spatial ETL tool. You can get an evaluation license if you don't already have a license.

Re: KMZ to shapefile - How to preserve pop up info

VeronicaAnderson2 — Mon, 24 Oct 2016 19:11:46 GMT

Hi Bruce,

Thanks for the tool! It failed though. Could it be because I'm running 10.3.1? I do have Data Interoperability enabled but it's my first time using/installing so thanks for your guidance.

Re: KMZ to shapefile - How to preserve pop up info

BruceHarold — Mon, 24 Oct 2016 19:17:49 GMT

Yes, you'll need 10.4.1.

Re: KMZ to shapefile - How to preserve pop up info

VeronicaAnderson2 — Tue, 25 Oct 2016 15:58:37 GMT

OK, after upgrading all my software I still get an error but I don't have any idea what it means. (See below.) Thoughts or suggestions?

Re: KMZ to shapefile - How to preserve pop up info

BruceHarold — Tue, 25 Oct 2016 16:13:11 GMT

Hi Veronica, I get a similar message stream except no error, I get 4 CTRL features from the sample KML file written to a new file geodatabase. You will need to edit the ETL tool I gave you to have paths that are correct on your computer.

Before trying to translate the data check you can view it in ArcGIS Earth, the KML will need to have identical elements as the one you supplied.

Re: KMZ to shapefile - How to preserve pop up info

VeronicaAnderson2 — Tue, 25 Oct 2016 17:39:44 GMT

Hi Bruce,

I'm appreciating that this works for that sample set, thank you!

Though it works with the four sample points, I actually need to process more than 1000 similar (though not identical) points. The key question is: What exactly needs to be identical about those other points? Obviously I'd rather not go through and click on each of the 1000 popups in the KML. Do you mean that the HTML table has to have the exact same fields? Does the order have to be the same? I know that there are some variations on the way the Elevation field is named and there are a couple records which don't have all the fields - will they still work?

Plus, I've never done any work with FME so I don't know at all how to modify the tool if something is different...

Re: KMZ to shapefile - How to preserve pop up info

BruceHarold — Tue, 25 Oct 2016 17:48:52 GMT

Hi Veronica

The ETL tool looks for the field names in your sample file: FID, NUM, NORTHING, EASTING, ELEV, DESC_, SOURCE, SET_BY, DATE and NOTES. Only those elements in the kml_description popup HTML will be output, and if the values found don't cast to the data types set up in the ETL tool then it will fail. Often with ETL tools you can make processing dynamic but only when inputs have a schema, and HTML doesn't, so we are stuck with specific fields.

If you have a handful of elements then it is feasible to have a few ETL tools, but if every KML file is a unique experience then it gets harder.

Re: KMZ to shapefile - How to preserve pop up info

VeronicaAnderson2 — Tue, 25 Oct 2016 18:01:58 GMT

Hi Bruce,

Not sure what you mean by dynamic exactly. Can we make it skip fields? Looks like I'm about to have to manually scrub a bunch of layers in my KMZ... Say the word if you have a better idea, please! Thanks again for all your help.

Re: KMZ to shapefile - How to preserve pop up info

BruceHarold — Tue, 25 Oct 2016 18:16:07 GMT

"Dynamic" means a translation can output whatever attribution is in the input, but HTML in popups cannot be interrogated this way so we are reduced to hard coding field handling. This is why KML is a risky format for sharing. I edited the tool so that it will ignore failed features, see if that helps.

If possible ask for KML with a schema object in it - then you can go dynamic.