QGIS – How to Convert KML with Tracks to Shapefiles?

google earthkmlogr2ogrqgisshapefile

I downloaded a KML track from Google Latitude. The service allows to download the tracked route from the user's profile providing a link such as:

https://maps.google.com/locationhistory/b/0/kml?startTime=1318716000000&endTime=1318802400000

ogr2ogr

I would like to convert the .kml file into a Shapefile. I am running Ubuntu. I am a bit familiar with QGIS and ogr2ogr. Therefore, I tried the following command as usual:

$ ogr2ogr -f "ESRI Shapefile" example.shp example.kml
ERROR 4: No layers in KML file: example.kml.
FAILURE:
Unable to open datasource `example.kml' with the following drivers.
[...]

Quantum GIS

QGIS states "invalid data source" when I open the .kml file as a vector layer.

Kml2Shp Online

I also tried Kml2Shp Online without success. It is not able to read any information either:

Entities found:
# Points: 0
# Paths: 0
# Inner Polygons: 0
# Outer Polygons: 0

Google Earth / GPSBabel

Furthermore, I found out that Google Earth is not capable of exporting GPX. Google refers to GPSBabel which converts KML to GPX using the following command:

$ gpsbabel -i kml -f ~/Desktop/example.kml -o gpx -F ~/Desktop/example.gpx

However, in my case it outputs a GPX file without location data.

GPS Visualizer

As a first success I found the website GPS Visualizer. Uploading and converting the file their actually produces a valid GPX file.

Still my question remains to be open:
Is there a command line tool that is capable of converting the file? I do not want to upload the tracking data to yet another website for the conversion.

Best Answer

Working (albeit cumbersome) solution to convert KML-/KMZ-files with <gx:Track>-Extension to gpx/csv/tcx, via Googles MyTracks-App.

I tried to import a .kmz-file to QGIS, containing a GPS-track as <gx:track>-Element. (Track was recorded with MyTracks-App on Android. I only had the .kmz.)

After numerous attempts, using various tools (GPS-Tools-PlugIn, GPSBabel, some online tool, etc.) which never converted the track (i.e. LineString) but only the point features, i remembered that MyTracks offers an import-option as well. So imported the .kmzto MyTracks , exported the track as .gpx and was finally able to import the .gpx to QGIS. Job done.

Here is a brief, illustrated HowTo, just in case someone is interested (sry for german UI):

1.) Copy .kmz to MyTracks/kml on device.

2.) Import all external KML-tracks in MyTracks-App

3.) Select imported track and export to external storage as GPX, CSV or TCX.

4.) Locate exported track in corresponding directory (i.e. MyTracks/gpx, MyTracks/csv or MyTracks/tcx) and copy/move to PC/Mac.

5.) Eat cake!

6.) Proceed with original task. (e.g. import to QGIS)

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