I’ve not really written anything up on Google’s KML Search because it really is irrelevant to me. One still can’t install Google Earth in corporate settings without paying for pro so why would I bother since none of my clients can install it (can you imagine if Adobe had such a restriction on Acrobat Reader when it started up?).
Anyway I’ve read what Directions Magazine and Ogle Earth has posted in regards to the new “service”, but Allan Doyle hit it on the head with is post, “Google’s KML Search – SDI or not?”.
Google paid for the development of KML. Google pays for the crawlers. Google pays for the servers that hold the data and respond to your search.
It’s also open. Anyone else can crawl for KML files. Anyone else can parse them, and anyone else can offer a search service for them.
But, until they do, the only way to geographically query KML is via Google Earth.
To me that’s not an SDI.
Look, I’m not saying this kind of search isn’t needed and probably there isn’t anyone other than Google that could pull it off, but limiting it to KML and not fixing the licensing issues with Google Earth just leave a bad taste in my mouth.
