What is KML?
Keyhole Markup Language (KML) is an XML-based language schema for expressing geographic annotation and visualization on existing or future Web-based, two-dimensional maps and three-dimensional Earth browsers. KML was developed for use with Google Earth, which was originally named Keyhole Earth Viewer. It was created by Keyhole, Inc, which was acquired by Google in 2004. The name “Keyhole” is an homage to the KH reconnaissance satellites, the original eye-in-the-sky military reconnaissance system first launched in 1976. KML is an international standard of the Open Geospatial Consortium. Google Earth was the first program able to view and graphically edit KML files, and other projects such as Marble have also started to develop KML support.[1]

The KML file specifies a set of features (placemarks, images, polygons, 3D models, textual descriptions, etc.) for display in Google Earth, Maps and Mobile, or any other 3D earth browser (geobrowser) implementing the KML encoding. Each place always has a longitude and a latitude. Other data can make the view more specific, such as tilt, heading, altitude, which together define a “camera view”. KML shares some of the same structural grammar as GML. Some KML information cannot be viewed in Google Maps or Mobile[2].

KML/KMZ to CSV and KMLCSV Converter
KML files are very often distributed in KMZ files, which are zipped files with a .kmz extension. Must be legacy (ZIP 2.0) compatible compression (e.g. deflate method) otherwise might not uncompress in all geobrowsers. The contents of a KMZ file are a single root KML document (notionally “doc.kml”) and optionally any overlays, images, icons, and models referenced in the KML including network-linked KML files.

If you have downloaded a KMZ file you can extract the KML file using any Zip application. We have used ALZIp. Once you have KML file handy all you need to do is download this software called KMLCSV Converter

What is KMLCSV Converter?
KMLCSV Converter is a free open source software that enables you to convert Google Earth KML file to a formatted CSV file (and vice versa). This CSV file can then be uploaded into your Garmin GPS by using Garmin POI Loader, which can be downloaded for free. This allows you to easily plot all custom point of interests (POI) through Google Earth first before transfering them into your Garmin GPS.

You can download KMLCSV converter from here.

Steps to convert the KML to CSV
Step 1: Open the KMLCSV Converter

Step 2: Go to File –> Configuration –> File management

Step 3: Use the Watched folder Label and Browse to select the KML file

Step 4. Via Content Mapping map the contents and pick the columns you want to extract in CSV format

Step 5: Click OK

Step 6: On the right hand panel double click the KML file to view the contents, the CSV gets saved in the same directory as the source file.

All done, now you have your KML/KMZ converted to CSV 🙂