Geo-visualization Fortran library

Geobrowser tools offer easy access to geographical and map images over which geospatial data can be overlaid, a process that provides a powerful new visualization resource for scientists. Many of these tools make use of the well-documented KML/XML data formats, and the challenge for the scientist is to generate KML files from their simulation and analysis programs. Since many of these programs are written in the Fortran language, which does not have native tools to support XML files, we have developed a new library – WKML – that enables KML files to be produced directly and automatically. This paper describes the WKML library, gives a number of different examples to illustrate the breadth of its functionality, and describes in more detail an example of its use for hydrology. & 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.