Importing Excel spreadsheets into Google My Maps
Its true, you can’t import anything other than a KML or a GeoRSS feed directly into Google My Maps. However you can use BatchGeo to create a KML and then import it straight into Google My Maps.
Just paste your Excel spreadsheet into the BatchGeo tool, validate the columns, and start the geocoder. When the map is done click the “Download Google Earth” below the map and you will have your KML.
Of course you could also use BatchGeo to host your map too. In fact we’d love to hear why you’d rather put it on Google My Maps. We even prepared a short video describing why we think BatchGeo has advantages over Google My Maps.
Comments
After running the Geocoder and creating a KML, I then import into MyMaps… but all the pointers are “fat” and the map looks kinds messed up (as per image link above). Any idea why this is happening?
Thanks!
(in case that link isn’t shown)
http://imgur.com/Gwu5L.jpg
Hi,
I would like to find out why it does this too!
Also, is there possibility to by making a column with a value to select different colors or types of pointers?
Otherwise a super tool!!
I love BatchGeo and it’s super fast and easy. Google My Maps has one advantage that maybe you could copy… You can draw shapes on the map, that’s useful for me because I can separate my maps in regions with different colors for each!
To Michael:
You can select different colors of markers by making a column named “group” for example. Then on “advanced options” you select “group by” and select the field name. So if you named your column “bananas” you choose that. Each group will have a different color marker!
Same here – only solution was to go and update each one. I’m also wondering if there’s a “easy interface” kml editor out there – just to change things like all the map markers, etc.
Is there a way to get directions from one location to another in the best possible route?
I love the tool and use it for delivering notices. If there is a way to do this it would save me sooooo much time.
Thanks
Did anyone find a solution to the “fat” pointers Marc mentioned in the first post?
Thanks
hello,
I am trying to plot lat-lon representations of river gage locations. I paste the data from a spreadsheet into the geobatch.com text window then have it geocoded and plotted, which is very helpful.
However, I now realize the locations are not plotted at the actual lat-lon because in the processing of “geocoding”, the lat-lon values are sometimes adjusted. Below is an example from the geocoded output – note that the values are tweaked slightly (compare left set with right set). I just want the lat-lon to be plotted exactly where it is, not to be shifted to some perceived geo-coded landmark and plotted. Are there any options to allow this direct plotting?
thanks alot!
mark
LocId Latitude Longitude bg_lat bg_long bg_postal bg_accuracy
CHLT2 34.56916667 -100.2866667 34.4781244 -100.2151578 APPROXIMATE
This looks like a brilliant solution.
How can I keep the information uploaded from an Excel spreadsheet confidential?
I’d like to input customer and prospect data so I can map them for sales calls, but don’t want it accessible to everyone.
Thanks much,
Tom
Dear Sir,
I am trying to get the Excel to publish my points on the MAP however, I am unable to add comments with some information.
Please guide me on how do I Customize the Comment or Tooltip to show the information related to the Marker?
I am trying your excel from the following link:
http://www.batchgeo.com/excel/
Regards,
Nilesh Desai
I would just like to echo the comments regarding the “fat” pointers/markers when imported into my maps. I love the stand alone application but i wish to import into my maps so that i can get travel directions to various locations and know what pointers or destinations are along my route or near my end location.
Cheers
Ben
For those having problems with the ‘fat’ markers – open your kml file (with a text editor like Notepad is fine), and find the section that resembles:
1http://batchmap.appspot.com/images/icons/blue_small_marker.png0
Replace the url within the tags with http://www.google.com/intl/en_us/mapfiles/ms/icons/blue-dot.png . If you want different colors, use the same url, but replace ‘blue’ with the color you want (try out the url in your browser to make sure it ends up at a valid image!). This relies on Google not shifting their image locations, but it was the best solution I could find in a short period of time. I hope it works for others also!
I’m a little worried the formatting may break here – the short version is replace any urls like http://batchmap.appspot.com/images/icons/blue_small_marker.png in the section that discusses Icons a lot with urls like http://www.google.com/intl/en_us/mapfiles/ms/icons/blue-dot.png .
Yeah, I was right – it broke my formatting.
Just follow the section at the bottom.
In response to…”we’d love to hear why you’d rather put it on Google My Maps.”, I use the Google maps App on my Blackberry, and can only view my maps if their hosted by Google. Unless you have an alternative….?
There is no KML option that I see, was this removed?
The KML option has been moved to the saved map screen. Just save the map then scroll to the bottom to get the link.
I use my phone to navigate the addresses I upload through batch geo. The functionality of my phone’s map/navigation application is much more efficient than the hosted batchgeo map URL.
I’ve been trying your batch geocoder, but something goes wrong because it does nothing after pasting my data. They’re pasted from an Excel spreadsheet as said in your web. I then assign the different search terms to their corresponding columns, but it doesn’t work.
The curious part of it is if I copy your given examples, which obvioulsy work when I test them, paste them into Excel, and then I do the reverse steps, copy the pasted data into the textarea of your web again, and repeat the geociding process, it won’t work.
“The KML option has been moved to the saved map screen. Just save the map then scroll to the bottom to get the link.”
Having to upload the map to save the KML is a major negative. The site previously let you just save the KML to your hard drive without uploading it. I used to recommend this site to my students, but the requirement to upload it may make me stop using it.
Hi all
I’m uploading the KML easily into google maps. I’m having difficulty with keeping the labels for each marker once uploaded in google maps. These are defined by Suburb, Postcode and State and appear in batchgeo ie. “Acton ACT 2601″, however in google maps each markers label comes up with “?”
Is there anyway to keep the labels of each marker?
Cheers
Lauren
Lauren,
If your upload the maps to Google Earth, you have to change the properties for the Places to show the text labels beside the markers. Just right click the imported directory in “My Places” and click properties. Under the Style/Color tab (you’ll probably have to click the “Share Style” button first) you can specify the label size, which is zero by default.
Can you automatically import the excel data into batch geo with manually copying and and pasting it each time?
We want to use the maps as widgets on sites in Google Apps for Business and it won’t recognise the batch geo url’s so we are left to do them in BathGeo (awesome) then clunkily export KML data and go again in google apps – annoying but necessary otherwise we can’t do what we want with it through google apps. Thanks for the thread – answered some questions about how to make it happen.