I have created a map on google maps with a bunch of tags: Linky

It's for a game of 'motorcycle tag' where one person posts a picture of their motorcycle in a certain location, and then the next person has to find the location and post a pic of their bike in the same place. They then post a new tag for someone else to find....

What I'm trying to do is extract the location data of all of the tags, ideally to excel. I want to end up with a spreadsheet with the coordinates of each tag. Does anyone know how I could go about this? I know I can click each point and find out the coordinates of each tag individually, but I am wondering if there is a more efficient way of doing this.

Thanks.

Edit: By the way, I have also imported the data into google earth, so if it's easier to export the coordinates from google earth, then that's a possibility too.

hi michael, it`s pretty easy in fact, import the RSS into excel. use this.. let it aquire data, and select "As an xml list" option. (paste link into file name field.)
oh, or try, Data > import external data > Import data.. this way you can auto update the file anytime with a right click.
edit: here.. when you need to update it just right click > xml > refresh xml data.

Thanks for the help. I actually have 'Microsoft Excel for mac' and while I'm sure it does the same thing, I am not quite sure how. Here are my options when I click 'import external data' :



I'm not sure how I go about importing the RSS given this.

"let it aquire data, and select "As an xml list" option."

When you say this, do you mean that excel is acquiring data from the RSS? Or is there something I can do to the RSS to download it or make it easier to get it into excel?

Sorry, complete amateur here but I'm trying to learn! Thanks again

well, pardon my paint uber skillz.. this works a treat here.
*does the earlier attached excel (zipped) file work?

The excel file does work, but I want to learn how to do this myself so that I can keep things up to date without having to ask anyone again Thanks for your suggestion also, STF. Unfortunately, I don't have anywhere when I click 'open' to paste a link in! Doh! I think I can select an html file if it's on the desktop, but funnily enough I can't get one to save to the desktop. Damn mac haha. Once I can get an internet url on the desktop I will be fine I think.

Wow, that actually seems like cool "game". I'm on a biker forum myself and I think this would be a great idea to start there! I'm always having trouble coming up with ideas for places to go to when I go riding, if I could get this going on our forum - or any other forum with bikers on - that would help

So how does this work exactly? Is there only one guy with the login to the Google Map who places all the tags? Or can anyone do that? And can a location only be tagged once? If so that would mean it's kind of a "race" to get to a certain location first, right?

I'm only seeing tagged locations on the map. I suppose the untagged (ie. the original) ones are just posted in a thread on the forum or something? How does that work then? I'm very curious about this, seems like a lot of fun

Well yes the new untagged locations are not posted on the map until they are found, just on the forum... so somebody goes onto the forum and posts a picture of their bike in the previous tag location, and then at the same time they post a new picture for people to find.

I started the google map, but I have two other people added who can edit it also. It wouldn't be a good idea to allow anyone to edit it, because it's quite easy to accidentally move tags (and there is no 'undo' option, so if you move one out of place by mistake and don't know where it came from you are stuck). Another thing is you'd probably get some idiot who is not even anything to do with the game mess things up just to be stupid.

But yes it's a lot of fun if you're in a location with a lot of riders nearby! This would only work well on a local forum of course, rather than a forum for a whole country or even for a specific bike where members come from all over the world. I think the game would go rather slowly in that case! :P

Oh, and yes, one location can only be tagged once.

Aha, I see. So they just post a picture on the forum and that's it? No hints or anything? Man, that seems difficult. The way I was thinking was someone posts a pic of their bike in some location and shows it on a map, so other people have an idea where to look or something. I don't know, maybe that would be too easy.

In my case, I'm on a forum with people from all over Flanders (Flemish part of Belgium). I actually don't know if it's much bigger than the region you're covering with the people on your forum, lol. But I seriously can't imagine just posting a picture of a location without any additional info, and people actually finding out where it is. So some hints would definitely be needed.

Anyway, thanks for the info, I'm gonna think on this some more and see if I could make something similar work. Thanks!

If you like riddles with Google Earth/Maps you should check out this forum.

Quote from obsolum :

Aha, I see. So they just post a picture on the forum and that's it? No hints or anything? Man, that seems difficult. The way I was thinking was someone posts a pic of their bike in some location and shows it on a map, so other people have an idea where to look or something. I don't know, maybe that would be too easy.

In my case, I'm on a forum with people from all over Flanders (Flemish part of Belgium). I actually don't know if it's much bigger than the region you're covering with the people on your forum, lol. But I seriously can't imagine just posting a picture of a location without any additional info, and people actually finding out where it is. So some hints would definitely be needed.

Anyway, thanks for the info, I'm gonna think on this some more and see if I could make something similar work. Thanks!

Well sometimes if it's a difficult one you can post hints. But if someone doesn't know where it is, it's likely that someone else does. And that's part of the interest of the game... if you made it too easy, the really dedicated people would go out and get each one. But if you post one that's not from their area and they don't know where it is, then someone else who knows will get a chance to play. Even if it's a difficult one, there will usually be a couple of people who know it right away!

Quote from zeugnimod :

If you like riddles with Google Earth/Maps you should check out this forum.

Cool, thanks for the link