This translator is a server-based application that automatically generates KML super overlay configuration files required by Google Earth for map data access via the Open Geospatial Consortium WMS (Web Map Service) standard. The translator uses a set of URL parameters that mirror the WMS parameters as much as possible, and it also can generate a super overlay subdivision of any given area that is only loaded when needed, enabling very large areas of coverage at very high resolutions. It can make almost any dataset available as a WMS service visible and usable in any KML application, without the need to reformat the data.

With the proper configuration, very large datasets that exist in WMS can become layers in a KML-enabled client. For example, Google Earth natively uses KML for data access and is both popular and available. This KML to WMS translator makes Google Earth act as a WMS client and can be used to make NASA remote sensing data more accessible, thus enabling exploration, collaboration, and education efforts. Simulated or modeled data available in WMS can become available in KML. This tool can be used for remote imagery of other planets, the Moon, and Earth.

This program was written by Lucian Plesea of Caltech for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

This software is available for commercial licensing. Please contact Karina Edmonds of the California Institute of Technology at (626) 395-2322. Refer to NPO-44684.