KMZ to Shapefile

A KMZ file is a zip compressed. KML file mainly stores map locations that can be viewed in a number of geographic information system applications commonly known as Google Earth. It generally consists of more than one placemark, which might include a custom name as well as the latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates of the location. Sometimes a KMZ file can also include COLLADA 3D models, overlays as well as images.

How to Use a KMZ File?

You can open KMZ files with various types of mapping applications for macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. However, most people generally use the google earth desktop application in order to open their KMZ files. To open a KMZ file, you have to select the file and click on Open.

Alternatively, you can also open a KMZ file in Google Maps by saving the particular KMZ file to an online location, and then you can type the particular URL in the Google Maps search Box. Once you do it, the Google MAP will display it.

It is important to note, however, that as KMZ files are Zip-compressed KML files, you can open them by modifying the .kmz extension to that of the .zip extension, thereby decompressing with the help of the Zip utility. After that, you can open the KML file with that of any GIS applications like ESRI ArcGIS Pro, Blue Marble Geographics, Google Earth Pro, etc. Also, you can open your KML file with that of a text editor since it saves information in a relatively simple text format.

Shapefile

A shapefile is a vector data storage format mainly used for storing the shape, location as well as different attributes of geographic features. It is mainly stored as a particular set of related files and generally consists of one feature class. Shapefiles generally contain large features with various associated data and have mainly been used in GIS desktop applications like ArcMap.

Shapefiles are one of the most common file formats for geospatial data. They generally store data in the form of points, lines, and polygons. Geospatial vector data analysis is built on these three feature categories. Addresses, sites of interest, parcel centroids, and ZIP Code centroids can all be represented by points. Lines are frequently used to represent streams or road networks. Finally, anything with a border, such as a neighborhood, census block, or geofence, can be represented by polygonal data, and this is where shapefiles are the most useful.

The primary, as well as central way in order to make the shapefile data available for others are through a web browser. It is generally done by adding a .zip file, uploading it, and publishing a hosted feature layer. Also, it is essential to note that a .zip file must contain at least the .shp, .shx, .dbf as well as. prj components of shapefile.

How to Use a Shapefile

In order to access a shapefile first, you try using a folder connection in the Catalog pane. Firstly, you have to add a connection to the folder. Then you have to browse to the location of the shapefile within that of the folder connection. Then right-clicking the shapefile and then selecting add to the current map. Then we have to add the shapefile to that of the current map. Also, you can click to add data on the map tab on the ribbon so as to browse the particular shapefile location.

How to Convert a KMZ to SHP (Shapefile) using KMZ2SHP.com

In order to convert KMZ to SHP you have to follow the given steps

Firstly, navigate to where the KML file is saved and thereafter select the output location. Then you can navigate where you want the particular layer file to be saved. Now specify the name for your layer file.

Once done, the tool will run the ArcGIS Layer file will be created from the Input KML file. Now the layer file would be particularly saved in the output location that has been specified. Once done, a .gdb folder is created and saved in the particular output location.

With this, you have imported a KML file into the GIS and created a layer file.

Through this process, we have created a layer file. However, it is incomplete as the goal is to convert it into a shapefile. Now you have to go to the table of contents menu in your ArcMap and right-click on the layer file. Once you do that, you have to select data and export data.

When you select export data, you select the “ok” option, and the conversion process from kmz to shpis complete.

How to Convert Shapefile to KMZ using KMZ2SHP.com

Firstly, in order to convert an SHP to a KMZ file which can be viewed on Google Earth, you would need to convert the shapefile into a particular Layer file. Once you have properly created the Layer file, then you can convert the data into the KMZ format.

After converting the data, you select save, and a Layer file is generated and saved in the location you have saved. Once you do that, you create a layer file from the shapefile, which is now almost ready to be converted to a KMZ format.

When you are at the Layer to KML tool, you have to select the layer file that you just created from the KML file. Once you select Ok on the Layer to KML window, the transformation of a shapefile to KMZ is complete.

Kmz2shp is one of the best websites for converting KMZ to shapefile and shapefile to KMZ, so make sure you check it out.

Summing Up

This was all about converting a shp to kmz/ kmz to shapefile. We hope that you understood the article about the details of shapefile and kmz as well as converting your desired shapefile to kmz or vice-versa. So make sure to use this guide whenever you are working on converting a shp to kmz.