GPS Visualizer
· About GPSV
· Draw a map
· Draw a profile
· Convert a file
· Atlas: Share a map
· Geocode an address
· Look up elevations
· Google Earth overlays
· Calculators
· GPSBabel
· Help/FAQ
· Examples
Partner sites:
· GlobalMotion.com
· EveryTrail.com
· EveryTrail Guides
Free Geocoding Utilities at GPSVisualizer.com
"Geocoding" is the process of converting street addresses or other locations (ZIP codes, postal codes, city & state, airport IATA/ICAO codes, etc.) to latitude and longitude, which can be entered into a GPS device or geographical software. GPS Visualizer offers several options for geocoding your information.
NOTE: If you want to plot addresses on a map, I highly recommend geocoding the points first, saving the results, and THEN running the coordinates through the map form to create a JPEG, PNG, SVG, Google Map, or Google Earth KML/KMZ file. It will be much faster and easier in the long run, because your locations will only need to be processed once.
1. Geocode a single address
If you only need to find the coordinates of a single location (or a small handful), use GPS Visualizer's Quick Geocoder. This utility uses Yahoo or Google's geocoding service and returns a small map and a nicely formatted table of information.
2. Geocode multiple addresses
If you have a large batch of addresses for which you need coordinates, GPS Visualizer's Multiple Address Locator is the solution. This form allows you to geocode an large number of addresses using Yahoo or Google's Geocoding API service. Your data can be in either a raw, jumbled, unformatted list, or in a structured table with a header row; output is plain text but can be plotted on a map or written to a GPX file.
NOTE: If your data consists entirely of ZIP codes, Canadian postal codes, airport codes, states, or countries, use the converter described below in #3, or go straight to the map form.
3. Geocode simple tabular data
If your data is in tabular format (rows and columns) and contains simple data like ZIP codes, Canadian postal codes, cities, states, or airports, the best option is to format your data with an appropriate header row and then use GPS Visualizer's text/GPX conversion utility or one of the map forms directly -- GPS Visualizer has built-in databases for these types of data, so it will be much faster than having to ask Google or Yahoo where each point is.
Not only will the mapper or converter be faster, but you can also take advantage of features like the quantitative data form, which can colorize or resize your data points based on frequency or other parameters. (The geocoding utilities listed above in #1 and #2 will attach coordinates to your points but won't do any further processing.)
By the way, GPS Visualizer's mapper and converter will try to find the latitude and longitude of any points in your file that lack coordinates -- including street addresses. But if you do send street addresses, only a few can be processed at once, because they all must be processed by the GPS Visualizer server itself -- and it will be harder to double-check them for accuracy.
Reverse geocoding
Reverse geocoding is the process of taking GPS coordinates and converting them to street addresses. At this time, GPS Visualizer is not able to do any reverse geocoding; if you need such a service, I suggest starting with a Google search.
Return to the main GPS Visualizer page
EveryTrail.com Guides: Print or download travel guides to your iPhone or GPS: Skyline to the Sea Trail • Hiking the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim • Half Dome • The Boston Freedom Trail • Upper Yosemite Falls Hike • Lands End, San Francisco • Angel Island State Park • Cataract Trail Loop in Marin County • Coyote Creek Loop at Henry Coe State Park • Half Moon Bay Coastal Trail • Bay Area Wildflower Hikes • Bay Area Scenic Drives • Sunol Wilderness • Stanford Dish Hike • Grand Canyon: Kaibab to Bright Angel Trail • The Grand Canyon Rim Trail • Best Bay Area Backpacking • The High Sierra Trail • Best Bay Area Day Hikes • Great Hikes in the Grand Canyon • Queen's Garden Trail, Bryce Canyon Utah • Berry Creek Falls Loop at Big Basin Redwoods State Park • and more...
©2003-2012 Adam Schneider, adam [at] gpsvisualizer [dot] com. E-mail: a