Author: Adam DuVander

Buried treasure isn’t just for pirate-obsessed children. People of nearly any age get excited about the prospect of hidden gems. In the case of geocaching, it’s small containers (called “caches”) filled with trinkets.

Those who participate in this (mostly) free pastime follow given latitude and longitude coordinates and hints in order to find what’s hidden. Once discovered, geocachers exchange a different trinket for one in the cache for the next hunter to find.

One of the most popular places to search the millions of geocaches worldwide is Geocaching.com. Millions of players use the Geocaching app and GPS-enabled devices to find geocaches.

You can also export your geocaching finds from the site, allowing you to visualize them in other formats (such as a spreadsheet) and share with others.

We’ll show you how, as well as how to put your new spreadsheet of geocaches on a map you can share with others.

Download a File from Geocaching.com

Before you can add the data of your geocaching finds into a spreadsheet tool like Excel or Google Sheets, you must first download your information from Geocaching.com.

Only Geocaching Premium members can download multiple caches in any given file type. Those with Premium also have the option to download the more detailed GPX file of all of their geocaches. This contains all of the typical information (name, coordinates, type), along with data about placed date, placed by, container size, and much more.

To obtain this file, Geocaching.com recommends those with Premium generate custom downloadable geocache queries (which can contain up to 1,000 caches at a time), called Pocket Queries.

• Sign in to your Premium account or sign up at Geocaching.com
• Navigate to the Pocket Query page
• Below your regular Pocket Query options, locate the My Finds sections
• Select Add to Queue to run it

This returns all geocaches you found, including archived geocaches, and your log entries.

Allow a few minutes (or more, depending on how many Geocaches you’ve found) for your Pocket Query to be ready. Geocaching.com will send you an email.

If you have Windows, tools like GSAK may simplify this process. Now let’s move on to the second step in exporting your geocaching finds to Excel: converting the file you just downloaded to something Excel will accept.

Convert Geocaching Files to Excel

To make your newly downloaded GPX file usable, you’ll need to export the coordinates into a list format. You can do that by diving into the data yourself, or find a tool like this to convert to an Excel format with separate columns for all the information. Look for it amongst the waypoints, since GPX also stores route data.
Once converted, you can remove certain columns from your sheet, especially those that are blank. Along with a bit of Excel magic (like Split text to coulmns), you can ensure your spreadsheet only contains the geocaching data you want:

Note that a Geocaching.com My Finds Pocket Query will only return Geocache Found, though there are a variety of other queries you can make that will result in other geocache statuses. This would come in incredibly useful if you then created a map to view and filter your geocaches.

Before you create a map, it can be helpful to create a single column to hold your coordinates, rather than separate latitude and longitude fields. You can do this in Excel by combining separate columns. For example, create a column in the far left called “coordinates,” then use an Excel function to combine the next two columns (“x” and “y” in the screenshot above):

=CONCATENATE(C2, ", ", B2)

Then copy that cell and paste it in every row below to create coordinates like: 46, -123

Now you’re ready to create your map!

Track Your Geocache Scores on a Map

Discovering a geocache can be exhilarating. Why not elongate the excitement by viewing all of your finds on a map?
You can copy and paste the entire spreadsheet (including the headers) into our mapping tool to generate a map like this:
MAP:

View Geocaching Example in a full screen map

• Open your Geocaching spreadsheet from the previous section
• Select (Ctrl+A or Cmd+A) and copy (Ctrl+C or Cmd+C) your data
• Open your web browser and navigate to batchgeo.com
• Click on the location data box with the example data in it, then paste (Ctrl+V or Cmd+V) your own data
• You’ll want to navigate to the advanced options to select your latitude and longitude columns
• Review other automatic options to make sure your data is accurate
• Click “Make Map” and watch as the geocoder performs its process

Geocaches are only the start of the data you can put on a map. Ready to make your own? Get started for free at batchgeo.com.

When it comes to globalization or international connectedness, researchers classify cities into tiers such as Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Sufficiency. Each tier is further categorized into sublevels, including Alpha++. Only two cities worldwide hold this top designation… Any guesses as to which two cities have incomparable global influence and economic connections?

View Global city rating in a full screen map

As we dive into the details of these most globalized cities, we’ll highlight the top-tier cities along with the rest of the classifications, shedding light on their global influence and economic integration.

Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Sufficiency-Classified Cities

Globalization researchers categorize world cities into tiers such as “Alpha,” “Beta,” and “Gamma,” assessing their level of international connectedness. All Alpha-level cities, for instance, are intricately linked to major economic states or regions and demonstrate a high level of integration into the global economy. However, these classifications can also be split into subcategories, as we’ll see on the table below.

Classification	Sub-categories
Alpha
	Alpha ++
	Alpha +
	Alpha
	Alpha −
Beta
	Beta +
	Beta
	Beta −
Gamma
	Gamma +
	Gamma
	Gamma −
Sufficiency
	High Sufficiency
	Sufficiency

Within the Alpha classification, there are four sub-categories such as Alpha ++, representing the cities that are most deeply integrated with the global economy. Only two cities in the world fit the bill, any guesses?

Alpha + cities, on the other hand, are described as “other highly integrated cities that complement the two Alpha ++ cities, largely filling in advanced service needs for the Pacific/Asia region.” Additionally, there are cities classified as Alpha and Alpha −.

Moving on to the Beta level, these cities link moderate economic regions to the world economy, with sub-classifications including Beta +, Beta, and Beta −. Gamma level cities, categorized into Gamma +, Gamma, and Gamma −, are said to link smaller economic regions into the world economy.

Lastly, Sufficiency level cities are those with a sufficient degree of services so as not to be overly dependent on world cities. This category is further divided into High Sufficiency and Sufficiency cities.

With a better idea of the meaning behind these classifications, we can now delve into the cities in the top tier.

The Two Alpha++ Cities & Other Alpha Cities

Only 12% of the world’s cities achieve Alpha status. Two cities hold the coveted Alpha++ designation, signifying unparalleled global influence. But beyond Alpha++ are additional notable classifications.

• Alpha ++: 2 cities
• Alpha +: 7
• Alpha: 15
• Alpha −: 26

As we mentioned in the previous section, only two cities are categorized as Alpha ++, or as cities that are most deeply integrated with the global economy: London and New York City. Interestingly, as we delve more into the rankings below, we find that many of them are capital cities. However, New York City stands out as it surpasses Washington D.C., which holds a Beta+ level. Of course, globalization isn’t the only thing N.Y.C. outranks the nation’s capital in. There’s also population, which makes the U.S. among the 36 Countries Whose Capital Is Not Their Largest City.

Following the capital of England and the Big Apple are Beijing, Dubai, Hong Kong, Paris, Shanghai, Singapore, and Tokyo, all of which are classified as Alpha + cities.

Of the 15 Alpha cities, six are located in Europe, four in North America (including Chicago and Los Angeles), and three are in Asia. That just leaves Alpha −, of which there are two each from China, India, and the U.S.

Group the map by “Classification” and filter by the three Beta levels to see which cities are the next-best. Even if a city doesn’t secure a top-two classification, it doesn’t mean they aren’t improving, as we’ll see next.

Globalization Surges and Setbacks in Cities from 2018 to 2020

Between 2018 and 2020 were several notable transformations in global rating. While some cities experienced significant growth, others faced declines. Gothenburg and Malmö in Sweden, Haikou in China, and Taichung in Taiwan saw the greatest increase, with each of these four Gamma-level cities rising by three.

On the flip side, Birmingham, United Kingdom, at the High Sufficiency level, faced a considerable downturn during this period, registering the largest decrease of four.

Globalization can be a complex subject. However, thanks to online maps and the grouping feature from BatchGeo, understanding your location data is easier than ever.

BatchGeo has been awarded a Spring 2024 Leader Award by SourceForge, the world’s largest software and services review and comparison website. This award recognizes exceptional companies and products with outstanding user reviews that put them in the top fifth percentile of highly reviewed products on SourceForge.

And the BatchGeo reviews are clear—it’s easily the best way to create maps.

Best-Rated Software for GIS and Sales Territory Mapping

SourceForge ratings are based on user reviews, relying on the wisdom of the crowd to choose the right winners. BatchGeo is a leader in two separate categories: best GIS software and top territory mapping solution. Not only is it well-reviewed, but every user would recommend it to others. It’s high praise, especially in the GIS category, which includes hundreds of other tools. Among them all, BatchGeo came out on top of the best mapping apps.

Reaching leader status is a significant feat. To earn this award, BatchGeo had to garner enough stellar user reviews to rank among the top 5% of the 100,000 products on SourceForge. This achievement highlights the exceptional quality and satisfaction that BatchGeo consistently provides to its users.

This is not the first time BatchGeo has been recognized, either. Recently it was ranked #1 in satisfaction and popularity by G2.

There are several features that help set BatchGeo apart:

• Upload CSV and Excel data
• Share maps easily with others
• Plan routes with multiple stops and options
• Filter specific data columns directly on your map
• Visualize addresses for marketing, travel planning, and sales tracking

Most GIS software requires a software download and specialized training. And still does not include the features that BatchGeo makes possible in the web browser.

“Easy to Use” and the “Best Way to Create Maps”

There is no larger software comparison directory than SourceForge (which serves nearly 20 million users every month). While the aggregate ratings are impressive, looking at individual reviews helps see what BatchGeo makes possible for users. Just as every map tells a story, there’s a rich experience inside every review.

BatchGeo is highly praised for its ease of use and intuitive interface, making it accessible even for beginners. Users appreciate its ability to quickly upload and map data from CSV or spreadsheet files, which is particularly useful for organizing and visualizing locations for various purposes. The tool’s sharing capabilities allow maps to be easily distributed to others, enhancing collaboration.

“The best way to create maps! Simple, easy-to-use product, which is hard to find these days!”
— Austin N., Manager

Many users find BatchGeo valuable for planning routes, especially with its feature of grouping and using different colors for pins. The free version is noted to be feature-rich and sufficient for smaller organizations, while the paid version offers additional advantages for larger needs. Overall, BatchGeo is recognized for its efficiency, accuracy, and flexibility, making it a valuable tool for both personal and professional applications.

Create Your First Map for Free

Have you made it this far without making a map from your data? It’s free and all you need is a list of addresses or other locations. If you can copy and paste from one application to another, you have all the skills necessary to create your own map. Millions of SourceForge wouldn’t navigate you in the wrong direction. Create your first custom map!