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!

As one of the largest companies in the world, Google offers products and services for nearly everyone. Among their most popular is Google Maps. Most of us know how to use their tool to get directions or find a location—but what if you wanted a more custom option?

If you’re a developer or you just have some knowledge of APIs, you can display your own data on a Google Map by using the Google Maps API. This way, you can create custom maps and still have access to the features we associate with Google Maps.

In this post, we’ll show you how to make a Google Map using your data, which starts with obtaining an API key. We’ll also walk you through what to do after you get your key, for which you’ll need some knowledge of JavaScript and at least a beginner’s understanding of HTML and CSS.

At end, we’ll provide an alternative to making custom Google Maps that doesn’t involve an API key nor Javascript.

How to Get a Google Maps API Key

In order to use Google’s official platform to make custom maps, you need a working Google Maps API key. If you don’t know what an API key is or you just want an easier way, you can always skip to the alternative way of making a custom Google Map.

For those who want to continue, note that you can re-use the same Google Maps API key if this isn’t your first time doing so. Otherwise, we’ve outlined the basic steps to get a Google Maps API key below:

1. Navigate to the Google Cloud Platform Console and create a “New Project.” If you own an existing one, you can use that instead.
2. Next, go to the Google Cloud Platform Billing page and add a payment method for your project. You’ll likely never be charged, unless your usage is particularly high. However, Google does make you add this payment option before you can continue.
3. On the Google Maps Javascript API page, click “ENABLE.” Ensure your project is selected. Then, do the same on the Google Maps Geocoding API page.
4. Finally, head over to this page, click “CREATE CREDENTIALS” > “API key” > “Copy to clipboard.”

We’ll keep this API key handy for our next step in making a custom Google Map.

Map A Google Map Using Your API Key

From here, there are just three more steps before you can finalize your a custom Google Map:

• Create an HTML web page
• Add a map with a marker
• Add your API key

For the most basic HTML page, Google provides code for you to copy into your integrated development environment (IDE).

In that code, where it says src="https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/js?key=YOUR_API_KEY&callback=initMap", add the API key you obtained from the previous section, replacing YOUR_API_KEY.

Next, you can use the following code from Google to add the map, using an example marker of Uluru in Australia:

// Initialize and add the map
function initMap() {
  // The location of Uluru
  const uluru = { lat: -25.344, lng: 131.031 };
  // The map, centered at Uluru
  const map = new google.maps.Map(document.getElementById("map"), { zoom: 4, center: uluru, });
  // The marker, positioned at Uluru
  const marker = new google.maps.Marker({ position: uluru, map: map, });
}
window.initMap = initMap;

The resulting map will look something like this:

Now you’ll need to add the rest of your data, including the latitude and longitude coordinates for each location. If you don’t have the coordinates for each place, you’ll need to look them up. If you have many places to map, you’ll be better off storing them in a database. It’s a lot of effort if you want to simply get a list of addresses on a map—which is why the next section might be a better fit for many map-makers.

An API-Free Custom Google Maps Alternative

Even the most experienced developer may not wish to jump through all of the Google interface’s hoops. So for a custom Google Map alternative with no API key required, try our online mapping tool.

Since we can skip the steps of adding an API key and coding an HTML page and map, we can get right into copying and pasting your data into BatchGeo to make a map like the one below.

View Australian Monuments in a full screen map

You don’t even need full addresses. The map above used city and territory names for Australian monuments. Even better, include all of your spreadsheet columns and you can filter and group by certain data. Include categories, regions, or even numerical data about each location.

Here’s how to make a map with your data:

• Select (Ctrl+A or Cmd+A) and copy (Ctrl+C or Cmd+C) the data in your spreadsheet
• Navigate to batchgeo.com in your web browser
• Click on the location data box with the example data in it, then paste (Ctrl+V or Cmd+V) your own data
• Ensure you have the proper location data columns available by clicking “Validate and Set Options”
• Select the proper location column from each drop-down
• Click “Make Map” and watch as the geocoder performs its process automatically

For customization beyond your own locations, you may opt to Show Advanced Options in order to choose your marker labels, colors, shapes, and map styles.

Plus, unlike with the Google Maps API, when mapping with BatchGeo, your additional data will be suggested for grouping, allowing you to sort any map by that data, such as the type of monument.

To embed a BatchGeo map, just right-click it and select “Edit Map.” Scroll down until you spot “Embed Code.” Copy the code and paste it into your website editor. For example, if you’re using WordPress, choose a “Custom HTML” block and paste it there.

Make your own custom Google Map today at batchgeo.com.

New York is the 27th-largest U.S. state by area—yet it’s also the country’s fourth most populous state. Among its nearly 19.7 million residents are thousands of historic buildings, districts, objects, sites, and structures that tell the story of New York and even the country as a whole.

However, there are only 296 National Historic Landmarks (NHLs) in New York. These landmarks are officially recognized by the U.S. government for their outstanding historical significance, and we’re highlighting them on the map below.

View New York Landmarks in a full screen map

The Types of Landmarks in New York

New York’s 296 state landmarks are more than five times that of Washington state’s. So let’s make them easier to digest by going over their five categories (“Type” on the map).

• Current National Historic Landmarks outside New York City (160 landmarks)
• Current NHLs in New York City (118)
• Historic areas in the United States National Park System (13)
• NHLs formerly located in New York (3)
• Former NHLs in New York (2)

The majority of current New York landmarks are located outside of the Big Apple (54%). Among these are the New York State Capitol in Albany and Rochester’s Susan B. Anthony House. Meanwhile, 40% reside within New York’s largest city’s limits, including Central Park and the Empire State Building.

Yet neither of these types includes any of the five former landmarks of New York. The three national historic landmarks formerly located in New York are all boats or ships, which have been relocated to Michigan, California, and Massachusetts. The USS Edson, one of two surviving Forrest Sherman-class destroyers that saw action from World War II to Vietnam was located in NYC from 1989 to 2004. However, it was relocated to Michigan in 2013.

The Fir was a lighthouse tender that served on the West Coast. Originally, the Fir was to be a museum ship in New York, but it’s unclear if that ever happened. It did receive the NHL designation, which still puts it on our map. This lighthouse tender was the last of its fleet, from the United States Lighthouse Service, the predecessor of the United States Coast Guard. The Fir and its brethren maintained buoys around lighthouses. It was transferred to Sacramento’s Liberty Maritime Museum in 2002.

Finally, the largest lightship ever built, Nantucket was a vessel that acted as a lighthouse. Originally listed to the NHL while primarily in Maine, she was temporarily stationed in Oyster Bay, New York. The Nantucket later arrived in Boston on May 11, 2010. The last two former NHLs in New York remain in the state, yet they’re no longer designated as such.

With their types in mind, let’s dive more into where most of these landmarks are located in The Empire State.

N.Y.C.’s Landmarks

​New York’s capital city may be Albany, but not too many landmarks are located there compared to another Empire State city. Of course, the city where you can get the most bang for your sight-seeing buck is none other than The Big Apple. Here, you’ll find 118 current National Historic Landmarks, some of the most famous of which include:

• Brooklyn Bridge
• Central Park
• Chrysler Building
• Empire State Building
• Grand Central Terminal
• Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
• Metropolitan Museum of Art
• New York Public Library
• Rockefeller Center
• St. Patrick’s Cathedral

The oldest designated NHL of these is the Brooklyn Bridge, which was designated as an NHL in 1954. Yet it’s certainly not the oldest when you take into account all of the cities in New York.

The Oldest Landmarks in New York

New York was established as a state in 1788. Yet The Empire State’s oldest national historic landmark wasn’t designated as such until 1897 (the General Grant National Memorial). The most recent addition was in 2021 (the West Point Foundry Archeological Site). So let’s take a look at some of the the oldest New York state landmarks.

Landmark	Year designated
General Grant National Memorial	1897
Statue of Liberty National Monument	1924
Saratoga National Historical Park	1938
Federal Hall National Memorial	1939
Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site	1940
Saint Paul’s Church National Historic Site	1943
Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site	1944
Castle Clinton National Monument	1946
Brooklyn Bridge	1954

The list above shows the state’s nine oldest landmarks, including the Statue of Liberty National Monument, home of perhaps the most famous statue in the U.S. Both Liberty (New York) and Ellis Island (New York and New Jersey) make up the Statue of Liberty National Monument. On Liberty Island, is, you guessed it, the Statue of Liberty, along with its museum.

You can also view the ten newest landmarks in The Empire State when you group by “Year designated.” Or, celebrate another state’s birthday with a map of Washington state landmarks, or those in Hawaii.