More map magic
Last week I was pretty happy using the BatchGeocode website to convert addresses from a spreadsheet of possible schools I might visit on my sabbatical to a map. The process was a little cumbersome: copy the addresses from the spreadsheet, paste them into the website, then wait for it to create a map. Still, since I ended up with a live, clickable map it seemed pretty magical.
Today, thanks to a great article about map mashups on 10,000 Words.net the magic got better.
Here's the map:
Notice the green and yellow markers, one for people who said "Yes" and the other for those who answered "Maybe" to my question "Can I visit your school?" To create this map using my new best friend, MapAList.com you simply tell it the Google Spreadsheet you want to use, fill in a few details about how you want the map set up, and click "Continue." In a few seconds you have a map. The best part is that the map is linked to the spreadsheet so that when you update the spreadsheet the map changes with it. How cool is that?
The next thing I need is a way to overlay locations of all the Amtrak stations onto this map so that I can plan my route. There's another site that lets you overall one map on another, so that will be tomorrow's experiment.
It's worth considering, just for a moment, the incredible sophistication in working with information these free online tools have given ordinary citizens like you and me. I'm only half joking when I call it magic, because the programming and processing that makes it possible is way beyond anything I could hope to do on my own.
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