Create a Google Map From Excel
Google Maps is a popular free online service for finding addresses, getting directions, and virtually exploring the entire world using the website's innovate satellite and street view imagery. You may wish to quickly locate the addresses in a customized list of your own. Placing several addresses on a map allows you to see the relative distances between them and immediately zoom in on their respective neighborhoods. One option for creating a Google Map from an address list is to use Microsoft Excel. The popular spreadsheet application makes it easy to list addresses.
Instructions
1. Download the "MapExcelData.xls" Excel spreadsheet from theclosetentrepreneur.com. Google Maps can generate a map from existing addresses, but the data must be in its unique KML file format. The "MapExcelData.xls" contains the necessary features to automatically convert an address list into a KML file for easy importing into Google Maps.
2. Extract the "MapExcelData.xls" file from the Zip archive that is downloaded. Right-click on the Zip archive and choose "Extract Files" to access the Excel file.
3. Double-click the "MapExcelData.xls" file to open the Excel spreadsheet for creating a Google Map.
4. Click the "KML_details" tab to change worksheets within the file. This tab is located at the bottom of the Excel window and clearly labeled.
5. Type the file location where you wish to store the KML file after Excel processes the address into Google Maps format. This path is typed into cell C2 of this worksheet. The full path must be typed.
6. Type the desired name of the of the document into cell C3.
7. Click over to the first tab, labeled "Data." The worksheet will change.
8. Type or paste the address details of each location you want included in the Google Map. This information begins in column D on the worksheet and starts in row 6. Do not input any data into columns A through C. The program will automatically fill this data in later.
9. Identify which addresses you wish to "geocode" into the Google Maps KML format. Geocoding is the process Google uses to convert a mailing address into a global positioning number for exact map location.
10. With the mouse, click once the row number of the first address you wish to geocode. Hold down the "Shift" key and click once on the row number of the last address. This will select all the addresses in between and including these two addresses.
11. Press the "Geocode" button at the top of the spreadsheet. Columns A through C of the addresses will now contain the converted geocode information for each address.
12. Click the "Gen KML File" button. A KML file with the specified name and file location will be created.
13. Upload the KML file to any public web space. Use your own web server if you have one. Alternately, use a free online file sharing service. The KML file must be accessible via a URL after this is complete.
14. Open any web browser and visit the Google Maps website at maps.google.com.
15. Enter the full URL of the KML file into the "Search" field at the top of the Google Maps web page and press the "Search Maps" button. A new Google Map will be created and displayed using the KML file output from Microsoft Excel.
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