Convert KML to FlatGeobuf Online — Free & Instant
Converting KML from Google Earth to FlatGeobuf gives you a compact, high-performance binary format suitable for cloud-native GIS workflows and fast desktop analysis. FlatGeobuf is an OGC Community Standard supported by QGIS and GDAL, making it a strong choice for archiving KML data in a modern format.
File converter
When to convert KML to FlatGeobuf
- Archiving Google Earth KML data as a compact FlatGeobuf for fast access
- Converting KML exports from government portals to FlatGeobuf for analysis
How to convert KML to FlatGeobuf
- 1
Upload your KML or KMZ
Drop a .kml or .kmz file on the upload zone.
- 2
Select FlatGeobuf
Click FlatGeobuf in the format selector.
- 3
Download the .fgb
Open in QGIS or use in a cloud-native GIS workflow.
About KML
Keyhole Markup Language (KML) is an XML-based format developed for Google Earth and now maintained by the OGC. It is widely used in Google Maps, Google Earth, and many consumer-facing mapping applications. KML supports styled geometry, network links, folders, and time-based animations. It always uses geographic coordinates (WGS 84) and is stored as plain XML text. KMZ is simply a ZIP-compressed KML file, which can also include embedded images and other resources.
Strengths
- +Native in Google Earth and Google Maps
- +Supports rich styling and labels
- +Human-readable XML
About FlatGeobuf
FlatGeobuf is a modern, high-performance binary format for geospatial vector data, designed for efficient streaming and cloud-native workflows. Based on FlatBuffers, it supports random access via HTTP range requests, making it ideal for serving large datasets directly from object storage like S3 without a tile server. FlatGeobuf is an OGC Community Standard and is supported by GDAL 3.1+, QGIS, Mapbox, and the GeoJSON ecosystem. Its compact binary encoding is significantly faster to parse than GeoJSON for large datasets.
Strengths
- +Extremely fast read/write — binary encoding
- +Supports HTTP range requests for cloud-native access
- +OGC Community Standard
- +Compact — much smaller than equivalent GeoJSON
Frequently asked questions
Q.Can I upload a KMZ file?
Yes. Both .kml and .kmz are accepted and produce identical FlatGeobuf output.
Q.Can QGIS open the resulting FlatGeobuf?
Yes. QGIS 3.16+ supports FlatGeobuf natively.