Tutorial: Batch Geocoding Location Information

One of the challenges working with maps is getting latitude and longitude coordinates when you only have a city name or  address. This method of batch geocoding follows Steve Morse’s directions and uses his extremely handy tool.

1. Get Mapquest api key (https://developer.mapquest.com/plan_purchase/steps/business_edition/business_edition_free/register)
   1. Create a new account (this is free)
      
      
   2. Confirm your account by checking your email and clicking on the link in the message Mapquest sends you.
   3. Login to your account
   4. On the left, click “manage keys” and then “Create a New Key”
      
      
   5. Give it a name and a URL (the URL does not matter), and ‘Create App’
      
      
   6. Now you have created an API Key. Click on the arrow on the right of the name of your new key
      
   7. You will see a Consumer Key and a Consumer Secret. Ignore Consumer Secret. Copy the Consumer Key (I have this blacked out here because it is private. Do not share the key with anyone)
      
2. Go to http://www.stevemorse.org/jcal/latlonbatch.html
3. Paste your consumer key in the field called “Enter Mapquest Application Key”
   
   
4. Copy location information from your spreadsheet
   
   
5. Go to http://www.stevemorse.org/jcal/latlonbatch.html
6. Paste spreadsheet location information into the Addresses box
7. Click ‘Generate Coordinates’
   
   

1. You will see the coordinates as below
   
   
2. Click ‘Show points on a map’ to check that things look how you expect
   
   
3. Copy the coordinates given
4. Paste coordinates into your spreadsheet