This directory contains two google earth files (latest_overlays.kml and latest_placemarks.kmz) which share some map imagery (google kml overlays) and platform data(as kml placemarks).

The two google earth files are generated respectively by genOverlays.pl and
genPlacemarksSOS.pl at the top of each hour.  The kml file for the placemarks is automatically zipped to a kmz file as part of the cron job.

The kml and kmz file are referenced within the network link (for automatic GE refreshing) Near Real-Time Ocean Observing Data.kml 

genOverlays.pl makes a series of WMS calls for the map imagery.  The file wms.xml is a wms reference file which lists several layers in the same xml format.  To generate more kml overlay layers, add the corresponding xml 'layer' element to the wms.xml file similar to the others listed.

genPlacemarks.pl makes a web services call to a method called 'getLatest'(see
http://twiki.sura.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/SoapliteSeacoos for more info on
this) which allows for various search parameters(see the description at the
beginning of the genPlacemarks.pl code) to be used in returning an xml
document which describes the corresponding platforms and their observations.
As the xml document elements are looped through using XML::LibXML, the corresponding kml placemark info is written.


Hopefully this code demonstrates the relative ease with which map imagery via WMS and platform data via xml can be mixed and matched at the web application level and the value of these types of easy, open standards for data reuse and customized presentation.