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How to make a collaborative Google Map

These steps allow you to add a Google Map with interactive map pins to a web page that others can additional map pins to.

To make a collaborative map using EditGrid:

1. Obtain an EditGrid account (www.editgrid.com).  EditGrid is an online collaborative spreadsheet site that provides accounts and spreadsheets at no cost. After setting up the collaborative spreadsheet, it will be available for anyone to open and edit.
2. The first time you open your account there will be a spreadsheet workbook waiting. Give the spreadsheet a name. Notice that the site provides you with three spreadsheets in your “workbook” accessed by the three tabs at the bottom. It is best to set up your collaborative mapping spreadsheet on the first sheet. Any sheet can be used, but when visitors come to the site to add information they will always see the first sheet displayed and some users might get confused by having to go to another sheet to enter their data.
3. Publish your spreadsheet to read and write, and then save your spreadsheet.
4. Add titles to your columns to inform visitors about what they should add. It is possible to have up to five columns for information uses that the system will understand, but I would suggest just four: Place Name; Location Description; Latitude; and Longitude.
5. It is a good idea now to add at least one set of data that can serve as an example for others to see how the data is entered. For a location you will need to find its latitude and longitude in the decimal format, not in degrees, minutes, and seconds. See the steps for using Maporama to find this data. For example, UNF’s decimal latitude is 30.27 and its longitude is -81.58.
6. Once you have that information add it to your spreadsheet, give the location a name and a description of the location. The sheet will automatically save your data after each entry.
7. In “My workspace” use the “Add-ons” tab to select Grid2Map. From the menus, choose your spreadsheet file, the sheet on which you are adding data. The spreadsheet column you select for Title is the one that will appear with the map pin on the Google Map, and the column you select for Description will be added to the map pin. In one map I used Name and Description for these columns. You need to choose Latitude and Longitude columns, too.
8. After clicking the View Map button, copy the HTML code from the Post to Blog box to add to your web page or Blackboard item. The code includes the link back to your spreadsheet from the map. Include instructions on your website or course item for the users to help them add to the map.

After following these steps once, you will not need to work with this procedure again for the same map. All changes to the map can be made by clicking the Online Spreadsheet link shown with the map.

Users adding to your map will only have to select the link above the map to the Online Spreadsheet that will take them to the table where they can added the details for the next map point . Remember to tell them how to find the latitude and longitude in decimal form.

Send mail to cavanaugh@drscavanaugh.org with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2006 Drs.Cavanaugh  Last modified: March 06, 2008