Category: Upload multiple points

OneDrive Spreadsheets: Map Location Data

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ZeeMaps allows you to create interactive maps from location data stored in Microsoft’s OneDrive spreadsheets. ZeeMaps can periodically update the map as the spreadsheet changes.
You upload and attach your OneDrive spreadsheet to a map only once, then the map can be automatically kept updated as your spreadsheet changes. This way, you do not have to worry about making changes to both your spreadsheet and your map.
In order for this to work, make sure that you do not:

  1. Change the name or location of the spreadsheet
  2. Change the columns of your spreadsheet.

If you make any of the above two changes to your spreadsheet, then you must delete all data from your map and re-upload and attach your spreadsheet.

Attach a OneDrive Spreadsheet to a map

To attach a OneDrive spreadsheet to a map, first create a map on ZeeMaps. Use the Additions -> Upload (Copy-Paste) Spreadsheet menu item on your map, and then select the Cloud Drive Spreadsheet Option.

In the Cloud Drives drop-down, select the Microsoft OneDrive option for the Provider control, and hit the Fetch My Spreadsheets button.

Periodically Update Map from OneDrive Spreadsheet changes
Periodically Update Map from OneDrive Spreadsheet changes

At this point, a window should be activated that asks you to sign-in to your Microsoft OneDrive account and give ZeeMaps access. Once you’ve granted access, you should see a list of your spreadsheets and be able to select the spreadsheet that you want to upload to the map. From here on, follow the steps for uploading a spreadsheet to a map.
If you want your spreadsheet changes to be automatically reflected on your map, make sure that you check the option for “Regularly update from Cloud Spreadsheet” in Step 2 of the confirmation process for the upload:


From then on, the map should be automatically updated when your spreadsheet changes.
To see what spreadsheets are attached to your map, use the View -> Cloud Drive Sheets menu item on your map.

Trip Planner in ZeeMaps for multi-point routes

Posted on | by zeemaps | 8 Comments on Trip Planner in ZeeMaps for multi-point routes

Trip Planner Overview

ZeeMaps can used as a trip planner to plan your routes visiting multiple points marked on your map. Routes, an ordered list of destinations, can be created on any map, even maps not your own. Some highlights of trip planning with ZeeMaps routes are:

  • The ZeeMaps trip planner can optionally optimize your route for distance or time.
  • Routes are associated with your account for each map, so you’ll need to sign-in to create a route.
  • The trip planner allows you to print your routes, with a map showing the overall route and each stop labelled and listed on the print page.
  • Routes are available when you access the map from your Smart Phone, so you can easily get directions to your next stop from where you are.

Using the ZeeMaps Trip Planner

To create a new route on a map, use the menu item Additions -> Route. This will show you a dialog containing the route. For example, here’s a route on our Used Computer Stores map for a few stores in San Jose and Santa Clara, California.

Trip Planner: Create a route
Trip Planner: Create a route

Start clicking on pins on the map to add to the route. In the route dialog, you can select the route to be either automatically optimized for Distance or for Time. If not, you can leave it to be manual. If the route is in manual mode, you can drag-and-drop the destinations in the route to re-order your route. With a route dialog, you can do the following:

  • List All: list all the routes that you have defined on this map
  • Print: get a map print-out of your route, with each stop marked on the map and listed
  • Reset: clear your current changes
  • Show: show the routes between the destinations
  • Save As: Save your route for future reference
  • Close: dismiss the route dialog

Routes in Smart Phone

After you’ve defined your routes on a map, visit the map from your Smart Phone. To see the routes, click on the menu item and click on the Routes option. This will bring up a list of your routes, so you can click on the one that you want. Once you are on the route, you can click on any destination to get directions to that destination.

Trip Planner: Routes in Smart Phone
Trip Planner: Routes in Smart Phone

Auto-Update Map from Google Drive Spreadsheets

Posted on | by zeemaps | 1 Comment on Auto-Update Map from Google Drive Spreadsheets

When mapping locations from a spreadsheet on a Google Drive, you can set up auto-update such that changes to your spreadsheet are periodically reflected in your map.
The spreadsheets can be stored as Microsoft Excel, CSV, or Google Spreadsheet files.
To enable this, create a map using one of the “Create a Free Map” button.
Then, go to the Additions menu and select Additions -> Upload (Copy-Paste) Spreadsheet, and then select the Cloud Drive Spreadsheet Option.

In the Cloud Drives drop-down, select the Microsoft OneDrive option for the Provider control, and hit the Fetch My Spreadsheets button.

ZeeMaps will ask you permission to access your Google Drive files in ReadOnly mode. We only ask for Read permissions, so we will never modify your Google Drive files or data in any way.

Select the spreadsheet that you want to upload, by clicking on the checkbox near the spreadsheet’s name.
Next, confirm your upload settings. Make sure at this point you assign columns appropriately, e.g, name -> Name, street address -> Street, city -> City, etc. You can double-click on the assignments to get a list of standard fields to choose from.
Check the box that says: “Regularly update from Cloud Spreadsheet”.


Hit Submit, and wait for a little while. Then, refresh your map to see if the data is being uploaded.

Add Map Markers of Different Colors via Spreadsheet

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Suppose you want to add different colored markers, based on a certain column in your spreadsheet, e.g., to distinguish Hospitals and Clinics.
Add a column called “Category” to your spreadsheet, and then enter values such as “Hospital” and “Clinic” in the relevant cells.

ZeeMaps will automatically assign a different color to each category.
If you want to specify the color yourself, then before you upload the spreadsheet, add a legend using the Map -> Legend menu item. Specify the legend values “Hospital” and “Clinic” for the appropriate colors.

The matching is case-sensitive, so make sure that your legend values and category values are exactly the same.

To delete a legend value, empty the legend value in the Map -> Legend dialog and hit submit.

If you want to color markers differently, but not necessarily have a legend, then you can also use color names like blue, green, yellow, etc., in your spreadsheet cells. For a complete list of colors, see the menu item Map -> Marker Icons on your map.

Revised upload limit for Basic plan

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ZeeMaps enforces an upload limit for uploading geographical location data through spreadsheets. The upload limit is such that after a spreadsheet upload, the number of entries on your map cannot exceed your upload limit.
Until recently, our Basic (free) plan allowed up to 500 entries to be uploaded per map. Starting today, due to increased operational costs, the upload limit for Basic plan will be set to 100.
This limit does not apply if your data already contains location information (latitude, longitude), or if you add markers one by one (e.g., through crowd source).
Please let us know if you need some time to adjust to this change.