How to Create a Map from Address Data
Want to create a map with multiple addresses plotted as points? Follow these simple steps to learn how.
![How to Create a Map from Address Data](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/615b76588f53c506bb338a2b/65e9be3e3e8ecef1126be820_Image%20(1).png)
Address mapping takes an address and translates it into coordinates (latitude and longitude). This process is called geocoding.
Geocoding is necessary because a simple address actually has no coordinates data — so it can’t be plotted on a map or GIS.
That's why if you’d like to plot an address on a map, the first step is to use geocoding to get the coordinates of the address.
Then you can use the coordinates for routing or to plot the address on a map with a marker.
In this article, I’ll show you exactly how to do both!
Step 1. Create an Address List
First let's create a list of addresses.
If you’d like, you can save this list as an Excel spreadsheet or Google Sheets — it will come in handy later.
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/615b76588f53c506bb338a2b/65e9c56c06ba432210da5ea5_Spreadsheet.png)
Step 2. Choose a Tool
There are countless tools on the internet for address mapping.
In this tutorial, we’re going to use a tool called Atlist.
Atlist has some benefits:
- Easy to use — No programming required.
- Embeddable — You can embed your map on any website.
- Routing — There’s a Google Maps routing integration included.
- Styling — The style of just about anything on your map can be customized: marker colors, map styles etc.
- Search & Tags — Search and tag overlays add powerful filtering to the markers on your map.
- Geocoding Included — With Atlist, you don’t have to worry about geocoding because addresses are automatically geocoded using the Google Maps API.
If you'd like a simple and free alternative, I'd suggest trying this simple Map Maker.
Full disclosure: I’m a cofounder of Atlist — so I think it’s a great tool but I’m a bit biased!
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/615b76588f53c506bb338a2b/65e9c577c35d618a579a6ab3_Atlist%20com.png)
Step 3. Upload the Address List
First, let's create a new map on Atlist:
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/615b76588f53c506bb338a2b/65e9c5b81345ac8d5b110556_New%20Map.png)
Now let’s map some addresses!
There are two ways to plot addresses:
We can add markers by searching each physical address in our list one-by-one...
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/615b76588f53c506bb338a2b/65e9c5c776d93aca14fb1aa7_Search%20to%20add%20a%20Marker.png)
... or we can upload a CSV spreadsheet with multiple addresses. This allows us to upload our list in bulk.
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/615b76588f53c506bb338a2b/65e9c5d9509bdc88e2b1cb3e_Import%20a%20CSV.png)
Here’s how our list looks once it’s uploaded:
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/615b76588f53c506bb338a2b/65e9c5e861ce086975aa6f6e_Added%20Markers.png)
Wait — what’s a CSV spreadsheet?
Did I lose you?
Not familiar with CSV spreadsheets?
CSV stands for Comma Seperated Values and it’s a universal spreadsheet format.
You’ll need to save your spreadsheet as a CSV before importing it to Atlist — fortunately all spreadsheet programs let you save as a CSV:
Microsoft Excel
File -> Save As -> CSV
Google Sheets
File -> Download -> CSV
Apple Numbers
File -> Export To -> CSV
Still confused about importing a CSV? Read this article.
Step 4. Customize the Map
There are plenty of ways to customize your map on Atlist — here are just a few:
- Map Styles — Choose between Atlist’s library of map style templates or import your own JSON map style to customize the map layer. (More Info)
- Routing — Add buttons to modals that let you automatically find optimized routes with Google Maps. (More Info)
- Set an Initial View — Choose the zoom and center location for when your map first opens.
- Photo Galleries — Upload photos to attach to each location.
- Groups & Tags — Organize your addresses into groups and tags. (More Info)
- Overlays — Add powerful overlays such as Search and Tags that let you filter your markers. (More Info)
- Current Location — Let your visitors plot their current location on the map. (More Info)
- ... And much more!
I made a few customizations to my map and here’s how it turned out:
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/615b76588f53c506bb338a2b/65e9c61d3d65cd2c13eeb1b1_Customized.png)
Step 5. Publish
Now that we’ve created our map with multiple locations, it’s time to publish it.
There are two ways to to publish with Atlist:
- Embed — You can use the embed code to add your Atlist map to any webpage.
- Link to Map — If you just want a shareable link to your, you can use this link. embed webpage
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/615b76588f53c506bb338a2b/65e9c63dec6349c68a573efb_Publish.png)
And that's the end of the tutorial!
Still stuck? I'd love to help more. Email me at hello@atlist.com.
FAQ
Is there a limit to how many addresses I can upload?
You likely wouldn’t want to add more than 5,000 markers. Atlist tends to run slow with that amount of markers.
One tip: Turn on clusters if you plan to have many markers.
Is Atlist free?
No. Atlist uses Google Maps to create maps and Google charges almost 1 cent every time a map is loaded — so a free version of Atlist isn’t possible. See the pricing page for more.
What are some common use cases for address mapping with Atlist?
Atlist is used for everything from a store locator to a simple visualization of physical addresses.