Author: Adam DuVander

If “Never Eat Soggy Wheat”… or “Waffles” was one of the first things you learned about geography in elementary school, you’re not the only one.

Mnemonic devices can help us remember anything, from the four directions — North, East, South, and West — to something as complex as latitude and longitude. For example, you may have learned that latitude almost always comes first in a coordinate pair because alphabetically, the “a” in latitude comes before the “o” in longitude.

If that’s all you remember about geographic coordinates, stick around. We’ll explain the three components of latitude and longitude, their most common formats, and how to use them to get the most out of your data.

The Components of Latitude and Longitude

Latitude and longitude are the horizontal and vertical lines cartographers, mathematicians, and even everyday Google Maps users use to pinpoint specific locations on Earth.

While you can’t actually reach out and physically touch 44°27’37.7237″, -110°49’41.2950″ (the latitude and longitude of Old Faithful), for example, most maps will include these invisible lines, which, incidentally, are called a geographic coordinate pair when together.

All latitude and longitude coordinates consist of degrees (°), minutes (’), and seconds (’’). Yet only one format showcases them all.

The first, and thus the oldest latitude and longitude format is the aptly named degrees minutes seconds, or DMS. Here’s an example:

44°27**’37.7237“, -110°49’41.2950“**

Latitude and Longitude Formats

Each latitude or longitude coordinate accounts for the degrees, minutes, and seconds we introduced in the previous section. However, the presentation can differ. Here are some other formats:

• Degrees minutes seconds
• Decimal degrees
• Degrees minutes
• Directional degrees minutes

We’ve already reviewed the DMS format, but decimal degrees are arguably just as popular, considering many mapping platforms, like Google Maps, exclusively use this format to indicate points on Earth. Here’s an example:

44.4604788, -110.8281375

Meanwhile, less common is the degrees minutes format, which depicts just that: 44°27.62873’, -110°49.68825’. Then we have directional degrees minutes (44°27.62873’N 110°49.68825’W), one of the few formats to include the abbreviation for North or South, East or West.

Too Many Formats? Convert Them to Decimal Degrees

If all of these formats seem daunting to remember, don’t worry. Each can be converted to any of the other formats using online converters or even Excel formulas.

Make Sense of Your Geographic Data

This article has covered the basics of latitude and longitude. Yet even we occasionally find ourselves staring blankly into a spreadsheet containing rows upon rows of coordinates.

To better understand your geographic data, plot your points using an online mapping tool, such as our geocoder.

View Geysers of Yellowstone in a full screen map

Here’s how:

• Open your spreadsheet
• Select (Ctrl+A or Cmd+A) and copy (Ctrl+C or Cmd+C) your data
• Navigate to batchgeo.com in your web browser
• Click on the example data in the box and paste (Ctrl+V or Cmd+V) your own data
• Ensure you have the proper location data columns by going to “Set Options” to validate and set options
• Select the appropriate location column from each dropdown
• Click “Make Map” and watch your very own plotted map appear!

Get started today at batchgeo.com.

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.