Ben C. needs help converting offshore and deep-sea fishing spots from an Excel spreadsheet into GPS coordinates he can convert to a .USR data file for his Lowrance GPS. Here's how to import and download Excel data to your GPS using ExpertGPS:

Ben contacted me because ExpertGPS wouldn't accept the latitudes and longitudes in his Excel spreadsheet. They are in a non-standard format, with two decimal points. Looking carefully, you can tell that these are actually degrees and minutes of lat/long, with a decimal point used between the degrees and minutes, rather than a space, or a degrees symbol. ExpertGPS can extract coordinates out of just about any format, but I had to modify ExpertGPS to accept this data. Download version 3.09 (or later) of ExpertGPS mapping software to convert this data.

Before copying and pasting the coordinate data from Excel into ExpertGPs, I followed these instructions for adding a new coordinate format to ExpertGPS, and selected degrees and minutes (hddd mm.mmmmm) and the WGS84 datum.

Importing the Excel fishing waypoints

I copied the three columns of data from Excel, starting on the second line since the first line contained a title that spanned all three columns. ExpertGPS wants to see actual data (or a header row) on the first line of the pasted data. I selected degrees and minutes, WGS84 datum.

On the second page of the ExpertGPS Import Text Wizard, I matched up the columns of data from Excel with the columns in ExpertGPS. Click Next, then Finish, and ExpertGPS displays a map of your GPS fishing spots, as shown below.

Sending Fishing Waypoints to your Lowrance GPS

To transfer your fishing spots to your GPS receiver, click Send to GPS on the GPS menu. If you haven't yet told ExpertGPS which GPS receiver you're using, click Preferences on the Edit menu, and add your Lowrance GPS, as shown here. Because this GPS uses a MMC/SD data card, you'll be prompted to save a .USR file to your GPS memory card containing all of your fishing hotspots and waypoints.

Learn More about Fishing and Boating with ExpertGPS

To learn more about using ExpertGPS to map out fishing spots or to upload and download data from your Lowrance or Garmin chartplotter or GPS, read the Fishing and Boating tutorials on this site, or Ask the GPS Expert if you need help transferring waypoints, tracks, or routes to and from your boat's GPS.

Andrew H. asks:
I have track files acquired as CSV data via some custom software interfacing with a marine chart plotter that I would like to easily convert to gpx format. The important thing is I want to capture position and time, plus depth if possible, in the conversion, as I am using time code to link position to photos. The track is logged at 2 second intervals continuously, in a single file. The example below is a mock up of my file typical csv format

If your data is already tab or comma delimited, go ahead and paste it into the Track List in ExpertGPS. If it is in a fixed column width format, bring it into Excel or another spreadsheet program that can convert it from fixed with columns into individual cells of data. You can then paste it into ExpertGPS.

The Import Text Wizard dialog will convert your CSV data to GPS trackpoints. Since your data has latitude and longitude in two columns, configure the dialog as shown above, and click Next.

On the second page of the Import Text Wizard, you need to match up the columns of data from your CSV file with ExpertGPS data columns. ExpertGPS automatically matched up Depth for you, since it has the same name in your CSV file as it does in ExpertGPS. You'll need to do the other ones in this way: Click on a column in the top pane like Latitude. Now click on the matching column in the bottom pane (GpsLat), and click the Apply button. Repeat for the remaining columns you want to match.

If you're going to be importing more than one of these files, you can save all of these settings as a template to use the next time you import a CSV file from your chartplotter. Simply select the template name, as shown below, the next time you use the Import Text Wizard.

Once you've imported your CSV chartplotter data, simply click Save on the File menu to save it in GPX format. ExpertGPS uses GPX as its native file format, and also allows you to export your converted data to Google Earth KML, ESRI SHP, AutoCAD DXF, and several other popular formats.

More CSV Conversions

While this tutorial covers the basic technique for converting CSV data, each CSV conversion is a bit different. Read more tutorials on converting CSV data using ExpertGPS, and if you still need help with a data conversion, please don't hesitate to Ask the GPS Expert.

Sometimes you're given a set of X,Y or Easting,Northing data in an unknown coordinate format. Here are some tricks to make it easier to determine the correct coordinate format using ExpertGPS.

It's usually a simple task to tell the various lat/lon formats apart, but when given unknown gridded X,Y data, it can be difficult to tell if it is in UTM, US State Plane, or a national grid format, since all three use Eastings and Northings. I help ExpertGPS users convert data every day, and I often get emailed X,Y data without knowing the proper coordinate format. If this ever happens to you, try the following:

Where is this data from?

My first question, when an ExpertGPS doesn't know the exact origin of the data, and therefore the coordinate format used, is "what town does this data cover?" For this tutorial, let's try to figure out the correct format for these coordinates: 145537, 4291885, which should be located somewhere around Alpine, TX.

Since the data is in the United States, and these clearly aren't latitude/longitude coordinates, and US National Grid coordinates would be formatted differently, we know we're dealing with UTM or US State Plane coordinates.

Picking the right US State Plane Coordinate System

ExpertGPS.com has a reference list of every US State Plane coordinate system. Clicking on the link for Texas SPCS lists several possibilities: TX South, TX South Central, TX Central, TX North Central, Texas North, as well as the Texas Statewide Mapping System and Texas Centric Mapping System Lambert.

You could try converting your data using each of these State Plane systems, and see which one gives the correct results. Luckily, ExpertGPS.com also lists the counties each of these coordinate systems cover. A quick Google search for "Alpine TX county" reveals that Alpine is in Brewster County. The Texas SPCS page on ExpertGPS.com shows Brewster County is covered by Texas South Central SPCS (as well as the Statewide and Lambert systems).

Comparing your X,Y coordinates to the formats in ExpertGPS

To make it really easy to find the correct coordinate format, I've built a special feature into the Add Coordinate Formats dialog that instantly shows the coordinates for the location you're viewing on the map in each format listed in the Add Coordinate Formats dialog. To take advantage of this, you'll need to load some data for the general area where your mystery data is located. I used the Go to Address command, and had ExpertGPS create a waypoint at the city center of Alpine, TX. With the map centered on Alpine, I clicked Preferences on the Edit menu, and clicked on the My Coordinate Formats tab. I clicked Add, and the Add Coordinate Format dialog appeared.

As you scroll through the list of coordinate formats listed for Texas, you'll see the results of Alpine's location (lat/lon N30.36061, W103.67280) projected into eastings and northings in each Texas State Plane coordinate format. Scroll through the list until you find a sample that is close to the X,Y data you're importing. In this case, TX South Central (Meters), NAD83 gives these coordinates for Alpine: 151671N, 4288824E, which is very similar to (and only a few kilometers away from) our unknown coordinates: 145537N, 4291885E).

Once you've found the correct coordinate format and datum to use, click OK to add this format to ExpertGPS.

Jordan Z. asks:
The description says that Excel data can be uploaded to a GPS. Does that go the other way too? I'm mostly interested in buying a GPS and being able to export waypoints to my computer for use in Excel.

Yes, ExpertGPS allows you to transfer data both ways between your GPS receiver and Excel. You can download waypoints and trackpoints from your Garmin, Magellan, or Lowrance GPS receiver, copy them from ExpertGPS, and paste them directly into Excel. And, you can go the other way, taking data from any Excel spreadsheet or CSV file, and uploading it to your GPS receiver with ExpertGPS.

I've covered the topic of Converting GPS data to and from CSV and Microsoft Excel several times, and shown how to use ExpertGPS to convert and map nearly any sort of delimited or tabular data using ExpertGPS.

Stacie R. asks:
Is there a GPS system that will allow me to import my sales territory which is on excel with columns such as Agency Name, Address, City, State, ZIP (similar to mappoint) onto a GPS? I could have 1000 or more addresses based on a several state territory which is why I can't manually add them. Or, can you export excel to outlook and then to a gps from outlook?

You can easily look up client addresses and turn them into GPS waypoints, using the Go to Address command in ExpertGPS. This is great for adding new clients, or for when you only want to convert a few addresses to GPS latitude and longitude (this process is called geocoding).

To import your entire client base from Excel or Outlook, I'd recommend that you use a batch geocoder, and then use ExpertGPS to send the converted (geocoded) addresses to your Garmin nuvi (or other automotive GPS).

I've written a tutorial which will walk you through all of the steps for converting a list of addresses from Excel or Outlook into GPS waypoints. If you need help with any part of this process, or with any other GPS data conversion, just ask the GPS expert. I'm always happy to help.

Additional Information about Geocoding (Converting Addresses to GPS Coordinates)

Geocoding Tutorials with ExpertGPS

Al asks:
I have a Garmin GPSMAP60CSX. I would like to create/convert the track files into spreadsheets. I can save the track file as a GPX, but I'm looking for the capability to convert that GPX file into a spreadsheet. I'm using a Mac system, but Windows options are also needed. This is to allow me to share tracking data in a usable form with friends.

ExpertGPS will allow you to convert any GPX data to a spreadsheet, and allow you complete control over how which columns of data are exported to Excel, and how they are formatted. You can copy and paste waypoints and track data directly from ExpertGPS into your spreadsheet, or you can use the Export command (on the File menu) to export your data to a tab-delimited text file (.txt) or comma-separated file (.csv).

ExpertGPS uses GPX as its native file format, so to open any GPX file, just click Open on the File menu, or drag and drop the GPX file on ExpertGPS. A map of your data will be shown on the right, and a list of your waypoints or tracks will appear on the left. ExpertGPS will export your data to Excel exactly as it appears in the Waypoint List or Trackpoint List. You can customize which columns are displayed by using the Select List Columns command on the View menu. (If you want to export the points in your GPS track log, bring up the Trackpoint List by selecting any track and clicking Show Trackpoint List on the View menu). You can re-arrange the order in which data appears in the list by dragging the column headers left or right to new locations.

Once you have your GPX data arranged in columns the way you'd like it, you can simply Select All, Copy, and Paste into your spreadsheet. Or, to export to a text or csv file, click Export List on the File menu.

Once in Excel, you can manipulate your GPS data any way you like, and copy and paste it back into ExpertGPS to view on a map or send to your GPS.

Additional Information about GPS Data Conversion

To learn more about data conversion in ExpertGPS, visit Data Conversion in ExpertGPS or ExpertGPS Data Conversion Tutorials

Arvind asks:
I have whole bunch of files in csv (or excel) similar to the one attached. How can I create KML or SHP files from here. Once imported to EXPERT GPS, can I add/edit attributes?

This is an advanced tutorial, showing several strategies you can use to manipulate just about any data in Excel or your favorite spreadsheet program (I use the free OpenOffice Calc) to get it into a standard format that ExpertGPS can import, map, and convert to KML, SHP, and/or DXF.

ExpertGPS can import CSV and text data directly - just copy and paste into either the Waypoint List or the Track List. However, the data in the file above is in a strange format - each line contains two latitude/longitude coordinate pairs - a starting point and and ending point. Each line is its own two-point line segment, and when plotted all together, they define a complete route.

Whenever I see multiple coordinates on the same line, I stop thinking about the CSV import function in ExpertGPS (which expects a single point per line) and instead start thinking about Google Earth's KML format. Basically, my strategy is to use the formulae in Excel to build up a KML file which I can then paste right into ExpertGPS.

A Bare-Bones KML File

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><kml xmlns="http://www.opengis.net/kml/2.2"><Document>
<Placemark><LineString><coordinates>-104.57638956,39.70689113 -104.56884853,39.71147660 -104.56015453,39.70639827 </coordinates></LineString></Placemark>
</Document></kml>

Above is a very basic KML file, just a line with three points. Let's call the first line the KML Header and the third line the KML Footer. The line in the middle is what we want to create in Excel - one of these for each row in the CSV file.

I used the Text to Columns command (on the Data menu in OpenOffice Calc and Excel) to split the coordinates out into four new columns, as seen above. Then I used the CONCATENATE function in Excel to build up a KML LineString Placemark for each row. IMPORTANT: KML puts longitude before latitude!

I added the KML Header to the very first line of the new column, and added the KML Footer at the bottom row.

Now I just select the entire column, copy, and paste into the map in ExpertGPS. It worked - all of the data from Excel matches up perfectly with the color aerial photos underneath. From here, I can export to ESRI SHP, to AutoCAD DXF, or edit the created tracks in ExpertGPS to add attributes prior to saving in GPX or KML format.

Need help converting a GPS, GIS, or CAD file?

The article above should give you some ideas of how you can use ExpertGPS and your spreadsheet software to convert just about any delimited text data to another GIS, CAD, or GPS format. The ExpertGPS Blog contains lots of tutorials on these sorts of conversions (most are MUCH easier than this, once you've downloaded a trial copy of ExpertGPS!). If you still need help, contact me using the Ask the GPS Expert link above - I'm always happy to help.

Jim D. asks:
Hi, I have and love expertGPS. I've been asked to layout a corner or two for our Placitas Volunteer Library for ground breaking next Sunday. The surveyor of the building sent me, for example, x=1578443.56 y=1567807.68 nad 83, central new mexico, he tells me these are in feet from the principle meridian and baseline. I just want to use my gps, garmin 76 cs to roughly mark a corner or two. Can the expertGPS pro do this, convert to utm's, or lat/long.

ExpertGPS Pro (not ExpertGPS Home) supports all of the US state plane coordinate system formats, and will allow you to enter X,Y data in meters or feet and convert these to lat/lon or send them to your GPS.

To locate the site of your library, I first selected the NM Central NAD83 state plane coordinate system in the My Coordinate Formats tab in ExpertGPS Pro. Do this by clicking Preferences on the Edit menu. Since your surveyor gave you X,Y coordinates that are in US Survey Feet, not Meters, select the second NM Central SPCS entry, the one marked (feet).

Now when you add a new waypoint, you'll be able to enter the coordinates as Eastings and Northings (X,Y) rather than Latitudes and Longitudes. The drop-down list marked Format: lists all of the coordinate format's you've chosen to work with, and so you can now switch back and forth between UTM, lat/lon, and NM Central NAD83 with just a single click. Any time you change the active coordinate format, ExpertGPS Pro will instantly reproject all of your data to the new coordinate format.

To view your newly-marked waypoint in the field, just click Send to GPS. Even though your Garmin GPS can't display NM state plane coordinates directly, you'll still be taken to the right spot. ExpertGPS always communicates with your GPS using WGS84 latitude and longitude, regardless of the display formats and datums you've selected in ExpertGPS or on your GPS receiver.

Related Topics How to Convert Coordinates between Latitude/Longitude and the State Plane Coordinate System Details on all State Plane Coordinate Systems in ExpertGPS Pro

Peter K. from Canada asks:
Is it possible to simply take the coordinates from your GPS receiver and have them exported to MS Excel in a simple point name,X,Y style? We are looking at this software after having looked into buying a Trimble GPS unit for GIS and simple plotting uses. Thank you for your time and effort!

How can I export GPS coordinates to Excel in "Name, X, Y" format?

ExpertGPS allows you to copy waypoint and trackpoint data from the List (left side of ExpertGPS window) and paste it directly into Excel, OpenOffice Calc, or any other spreadsheet or text editor. By defining a custom column layout in the Waypoint List in ExpertGPS, you can create a template that will be used whenever you copy and paste data. This allows you to set up your columns in ExpertGPS so the data you paste into Excel will be formatted exactly as you need it.

Peter specifically mentioned X,Y coordinates, rather than lat/lon. To switch between lat/lon, UTM, US state plane, or other coordinate systems, click Edit/Preferences in ExpertGPS, click on the My Coordinate Formats tab, and change the location to Canada (or your own country). Select your preferred coordinate format from the list of options for your local area.

Switch to the Waypoint List in ExpertGPS, and then click Select Columns on the View menu. The Select Columns dialog will appear. Check off the columns of data you need. In Peter's case, these are the Coordinates (X,Y or lat/lon) and Waypoint columns. Since Peter wants his data in Name, X, Y format, drag the Waypoint column header to the left, so it appears before Easting and Northing.

If you are going to be using the column layout on a regular basis, save it as a preset so you can quickly switch back to it. On the View menu, click Save Columns, and enter a name for this layout.

Now just Select All of the waypoints in the Waypoint List, click Copy on the Edit menu, and switch to Excel. Click Paste, and you'll have your GPS point data in Name, X, Y format.

Otis C. asks:
I have an MS Excel document with multiple Lat/Long points listed in one column, but individual rows. Would I be able to import this info into your product and have it plot it point by point on a map, which has street level definition?

Here's a sample of Otis' data.

41.6299 -94.0207
41.6299 -94.02
41.6148 -94.0173
41.615 -94.0173

Normally, you can just copy and paste from MS Excel to the Track list in ExpertGPS to create a new track from your latitude and longitude data, but this data is a bit different. There's only one column of data in Otis' Excel spreadsheet, and the latitude and longitude are in the same column, with just a space between them. ExpertGPS expects to see at least two columns of data, delimited with either a tab or a comma.

There are two options to get this data into ExpertGPS: 1. Insert a comma between the latitude and longitude. 2. Add a "dummy" column to trick ExpertGPS into thinking you've got two columns of data. You don't even need to fill the each row, just adding a bit of filler text in the second column of the first row will do.

After adding the dummy data in column B, simply select columns A and B, copy, and paste into the Track list in ExpertGPS. Match up the data columns in the Import Text Wizard, and you're done!