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Convert KML to GML Online — Free GIS Converter

Convert KML to GML for OGC WFS services, EU INSPIRE compliance, and government data portal submissions.

Updated May 2026

Convert KML files into GML — the OGC Geography Markup Language required by government data portals, EU INSPIRE-compliant services, and Web Feature Service (WFS) endpoints.

Why convert KML to GML?

KML is purpose-built for visualization in Google Earth and consumer mapping tools, but regulatory and interoperability requirements in government and enterprise GIS often mandate GML. The EU INSPIRE directive requires member-state spatial datasets to be published as GML via WFS endpoints. Many national mapping agencies, environmental regulators, and planning authorities only accept GML submissions. If you've collected or sketched spatial data in Google Earth and need to submit it through a formal OGC-compliant pipeline, converting KML to GML is the necessary step.

GML is also the foundation of several domain-specific schemas (CityGML, WaterML, GeoSciML), so converting to GML positions your data for further schema alignment without re-exporting from scratch.

Why use geodata.plus

  • Free tier: convert up to 3 files per month at no cost
  • Automatic CRS detection with optional reprojection to any EPSG code
  • Outputs GML 3.2 by default — the version required by INSPIRE and most modern WFS services
  • Browser-based — no ArcGIS, QGIS, or GDAL command-line tools required
  • Encrypted upload (TLS); files stored in Cloudflare R2, automatically deleted after 2 days (free) or 7 days (Pro)

How it works

  1. Upload your KML file to geodata.plus
  2. geodata.plus reads the KML geometry and attribute data
  3. Select GML as the output format; choose a target CRS if your submission requires a projected system
  4. Download your .gml file — ready for WFS publication or government portal upload

KML format

KML is an XML-based format standardized by the OGC for use with Google Earth. It stores geometry, styling, and attributes in a single document with a well-defined but consumer-oriented XML schema. KML is always in WGS 84 coordinates and does not support coordinate reference system switching.

| Property | Value | |---|---| | Extension | .kml | | Type | Vector, single-file XML | | Coordinate system | WGS 84 (EPSG:4326) only | | Geometry types | Point, LineString, Polygon, MultiGeometry | | Common software | Google Earth, Google Maps, ArcGIS, QGIS |

GML format

GML (Geography Markup Language) is an OGC XML grammar for expressing geographic features. It is significantly more complex than KML, supporting arbitrary coordinate reference systems, rich topology, coverage data, and application schema extensions. GML 3.2 (ISO 19136) is the current standard and is mandated by the EU INSPIRE directive. GML files are verbose but carry the full semantic richness required for authoritative data exchange.

| Property | Value | |---|---| | Extension | .gml | | Type | Vector, single-file XML | | Coordinate system | Any CRS (explicitly declared in the file) | | Geometry types | Point, Curve, Surface, MultiGeometry, and complex topology types | | Common software | ArcGIS, QGIS, GeoServer, MapServer, government portals, WFS services |

Frequently asked questions

Which GML version does geodata.plus output? geodata.plus outputs GML 3.2 (ISO 19136:2007), which is the version required by the EU INSPIRE directive and most modern OGC WFS 2.0 services. If you are working with an older system that requires GML 2.x or GML 3.1, note that schema differences are significant enough that you may need a further transformation step in GeoServer or QGIS.

Does the converted GML file include an application schema (XSD)? The GML output from geodata.plus uses a simple feature profile without a bundled application schema XSD. For basic WFS publication and many government portal uploads, this is sufficient. If your submission requires a domain-specific application schema (such as INSPIRE Annex I themes like AdministrativeUnit or Hydrography), you will need to map the output GML to that schema using FME, HALE Studio, or a custom XSLT.

KML coordinates are in WGS 84 — can I output GML in a national grid CRS? Yes. geodata.plus can reproject coordinates during conversion. For example, selecting EPSG:25833 (ETRS89 / UTM zone 33N) as the target CRS will produce a GML file with srsName="urn:ogc:def:crs:EPSG::25833" declared in the geometry elements, which is the correct format for INSPIRE-compliant GML submissions in central Europe.

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