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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.

Apr 5, 2022
Steve Benjamins
How to Create a Map from Address Data

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.  

I saved my address list in Microsoft Excel.

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:

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!

Atlist is a tool for creating custom Google Maps.

Step 3. Upload the Address List

First, let's create a new map on Atlist:

A new map on Atlist.

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...

Search an address here to add markers one-by-one.

... or we can upload a CSV spreadsheet with multiple addresses. This allows us to upload our list in bulk.

Click this button to import a CSV spreadsheet.

Here’s how our list looks once it’s uploaded:

Our addresses are now plotted as pins on a map.

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:

I made a few customizations to my map and here’s how it turned out:

I styled the markers and changed the map style — very nice!

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:

  1. Embed — You can use the embed code to add your Atlist map to any webpage.
  2. Link to Map — If you just want a shareable link to your, you can use this link. embed webpage  
Publish your map when it's ready! 

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.

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