If your KML/KMZ or shapefile won't display after loading using the Add Layer Tool, please check the following:
File Name
- There can be no spaces in the file name.
- The name can't be the same as a file already loaded. For example, if you have loaded a circle.kml file and then rename a new file to circle.kml - it will not replace the previous file unless you refresh the browser page to remove the previous layer.
File Size
The Add Layer Tool has a 10 MB limit (more accurately, a 10.48576 MB limit) for any KMZ/KML or shapefile added from your computer. Currently, our system displays a notification that the request to upload a layer was successfully passed, but not if the data is visible or not (which is a difficult piece of information to extract from the browser but, rest assured, that we are working on it). The size is very often the culprit of a layer not displaying data.
Determining the size of a KML or shapefile is straightforward. For a KML, just right-click on the file in Windows Explorer, select Properties, and then the size will be displayed within the General tab. Similarly, for a shapefile, extract the zipped file you plan to upload, go to the extracted folder that contains the 3-7 files needed for the shapefile, right-click, select Properties (the size will be displayed within the General tab).
Determining the size of a KMZ can be a bit more challenging. This is because the built-in zip-utility on windows machines do not recognize a KMZ file as a zipped file. The most reliable way to determine the size of an unzipped KML is to install a zip-utility that recognizes this file type - we recommend 7zip. Once installed, right-click the KMZ file and select an Extract option. When you unzip a KMZ, the resulting files are a stylesheet with a very long name, and the KML with a generic name of doc.kml. If you right click on the doc.kml file and select properties, you'll be able to see the unzipped size which needs to be less than 10485760 bytes.
Another option for determining the size of a KMZ is to use Google Earth:
- Install the free Google Earth tool.
- Double-click on any .kmz file to open it in Google Earth.
- Right-click (or Ctrl-click) on the .kmz layer and select Save As.
- Use the Save As dropdown menu to select .kml format.