--- a/src/econnect/wp3_3/client/core/ApplicationGrid.java	Thu Nov 29 11:33:12 2012 +0100
+++ b/src/econnect/wp3_3/client/core/ApplicationGrid.java	Fri Nov 30 15:17:25 2012 +0100
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 import java.util.Date;
 import java.util.List;
 
+import com.google.gwt.user.client.ui.FileUpload;
 import com.google.gwt.user.client.ui.Grid;
 import com.google.gwt.user.client.ui.HTML;
 import com.google.gwt.user.client.ui.HasHorizontalAlignment;
@@ -179,6 +180,10 @@
 			final ListBox datasource = new ListBox(false);		
 			final List<ListBox> staticListBoxes = new ArrayList<ListBox>();		
 			final ArrayList<ArrayList<int[]>> entries = new ArrayList<ArrayList<int[]>>();
+			final FileUpload uploadKML = new FileUpload();
+			//skruse: The element will be accessed by its ID in the JS code
+			//either don't change this name, or change it also in STICore.js
+			uploadKML.getElement().setId("localKMLFileChooser");
 			for( int i=0; i<sources; i++ ){
 				try {
 					if( core.hasItems(i) ){
@@ -247,10 +252,18 @@
 			    datasource.addChangeHandler(new ChangeHandler() {
 				      public void onChange(ChangeEvent event) {
 							int ds = datasource.getSelectedIndex();
+							String label = datasource.getItemText(ds);
+							
 							if( ds == -1 ){
 								return;
 							}
-						    if( staticListBoxes.get(ds) == null ){
+							//skruse: test for local KML loading (e.g. useful for the downloaded KMLs)
+							//TODO: if this remains in the code, the check below has
+							//to be improved (some constant somewhere)
+							if( label.equals("local KML") ){
+								openPanel.setWidget(0, 1, uploadKML);
+							}
+							else if( staticListBoxes.get(ds) == null ){
 					    		  openPanel.setWidget(0, 1, searchField);
 						    }
 						    else {
@@ -272,6 +285,8 @@
 					}
 					private void loadData() {
 						int ds = datasource.getSelectedIndex();
+						String label = datasource.getItemText(ds);
+
 						if( core.isMaximumReached() ){
 							core.alert(textConstants.maxDatasources());
 						}
@@ -281,6 +296,13 @@
 								core.openStaticKml(ds,pair[0],pair[1]);							
 							}
 						}
+						//skruse: test for local KML loading (e.g. useful for the downloaded KMLs)
+						//TODO: if this remains in the code, the check below has
+						//to be improved (some constant somewhere)
+						else if( (label.equals("local KML")) && (uploadKML.getFilename() != "") ){
+							String fileName = uploadKML.getFilename();
+							core.openLocalKml( ds, fileName );
+						}
 						else if( !searchField.getText().equals("") ){
 							core.openDynamicKml( ds, searchField.getText() );
 						}

--- a/src/econnect/wp3_3/client/core/StiCore.java	Thu Nov 29 11:33:12 2012 +0100
+++ b/src/econnect/wp3_3/client/core/StiCore.java	Fri Nov 30 15:17:25 2012 +0100
@@ -421,6 +421,16 @@
 	}-*/;
 
 	/**
+     * Opens a local KML file via HTML5 FileAPI 
+     * 
+     * @param ds the index of the datasource
+     * @param input the user input text
+    */
+	public final native void openLocalKml(int ds, String fileName) /*-{
+		this.retrieveLocalKml( ds, fileName ); 
+	}-*/;
+
+	/**
      * places a configured time refinement 
     */
 	public final native void refineByTime(String minTime, String maxTime) /*-{

--- a/war/datasources.json	Thu Nov 29 11:33:12 2012 +0100
+++ b/war/datasources.json	Fri Nov 30 15:17:25 2012 +0100
@@ -156,5 +156,9 @@
     {
         "label": "Flickr",
         "url": "/FlickrService/flickr-service?places=false&tags="
+    },
+    {
+        "label": "local KML",
+        "url": ""
     }
 ]
\ No newline at end of file

--- a/war/scripts/sti/STICore.js	Thu Nov 29 11:33:12 2012 +0100
+++ b/war/scripts/sti/STICore.js	Fri Nov 30 15:17:25 2012 +0100
@@ -452,6 +452,41 @@
 	},
     
     /**
+	 * retrieves and loads a kml-file from the local system
+	 * 
+	 * @param {int}
+	 *            ds the datasource index
+	 * @param {File}
+	 *            file the file that the user selected
+	 */
+	retrieveLocalKml: function(ds,filename){
+
+		var core = this;
+		if( this.blocked ){
+			setTimeout( function(){ core.retrieveLocalKml(ds,filename); }, 100 );
+			return;
+		}
+		core.blockUI();
+		
+		var status = document.getElementById("statusText");
+		status.innerHTML = "Retrieving Data ...";
+		
+		var filelist = $('#localKMLFileChooser').get(0).files;
+		if (filelist.length > 0){
+			var file = filelist[0];
+			
+			var reader = new FileReader();
+						
+			reader.readAsText(file);
+
+			status.innerHTML = "Parsing Data ...";
+			core.parseIt($.parseXML(reader.result),filename,ds);
+		}
+
+		return;
+    },
+    
+    /**
 	 * parses the kml-file which includes the results for a given search request
 	 * 
 	 * @param {File}