Today’s post is more of a project for the holidays or a weekend. And that is learning to use and edit KML files. KML stands for Keyhole Markup Language, and is a format for geographical information used by Google Maps and Google Earth. ArcGis and QGIS also support and can convert KML files. KML files can be used for something as simple as sharing a trip you have planned in Google Earth, or to display textboxes with embedded pictures or videos on a map.
The easiest way to see the kml code is to right on any feature, like a placemark in Google Earth and copy it. Then if you paste into a simple text editor like notepad the feature will be converted into code text that can be edited in that text editor. Google has a good website with resources to learn KML. Another good resource is the KML Handbook, which is written by a technical writer at Google. On this website there is more information about this book, and also sample code used in the examples in the book.