Google supporting GeoRSS

22 March 2007: One of the officials from google stated, to start we now support GeoRSS as a data format for geographic content in Google Maps. We want to enable users to create data in whatever format is most convenient for them, and feel that by supporting both KML and GeoRSS we can enable a wider variety of people and applications to contribute content to Google Maps. We've built support for the Simple, GML, and W3C Geo encodings of GeoRSS all you have to do is enter the full URL of a GeoRSS file into the Maps query box to load the file. For example, take a look at SlashGeo's GeoRSS on Google Maps.

Most importantly, we've extended support for displaying geographic data -- both KML and GeoRSS -- into the Google Maps API. Now in addition to programatically adding content to a Maps API site, you can create your content as KML or GeoRSS and load it into the Map with a simple function call. This means that the more than 1 million KML files that are available from all over the web can easily be mashed up with the map on your site.

Additionally, KML is on its way to becoming an OGC standard (and as you can see from this Slashgeo poll it's a popular idea). It's great for them to begin accepting this other OGC standard as they begin that process. Accepting GeoRSS and making KML a standard are very significant moves for Google and the geoweb. It's long seemed odd to me that Google, a company built on opensource software and such an avid supporter of open standards, did not follow a similar path in the geospace with these two formats (being proprietary with one and not accepting the open one). These moves are going to bolster the importance of both formats, lead to more web content being geotagged and keep Google feeling love from geohackers for a while.