Geocoding converts addresses and place names into geographic coordinates. Upload spreadsheets with location data and Atlas automatically detects address columns, converts them to coordinates, and displays the data on your map.
Supported File Formats
Geocoding works with CSV and Excel files (.csv, .xlsx, .xls). Upload files up to 250 MB containing address or location data.
How Geocoding Works
Atlas uses AI to automatically detect location information in your spreadsheets. The geocoding process identifies address columns, place names, or coordinate data and converts them into mappable coordinates.
Automatic Detection
When you upload a spreadsheet, Atlas analyzes column headers and data patterns to identify location information. The system recognizes:
- Street addresses in single or multiple columns
- City, state, and postal code fields
- Place names and landmarks
- Coordinate pairs (latitude/longitude)
- UTM coordinates
- WKT geometry strings
- H3 hexagonal indexes
Geocoded columns appear highlighted in the upload preview table with visual indicators showing which fields contain location data.
Supported Location Formats
Geocoding handles multiple location data types:
Addresses: Full addresses like "123 Main St, New York, NY 10001" or separate columns for street, city, state, and zip code.
Place Names: Cities, landmarks, or geographic locations like "Paris" or "Mount Everest".
Coordinates: Latitude and longitude pairs in decimal degrees. Atlas detects columns named "latitude" and "longitude" automatically.
Alternative Formats: UTM coordinates, Well-Known Text (WKT) geometries, and H3 indexes are recognized and converted automatically.
Upload and Geocode
- Click Add data in the Layers panel
- Go to the Upload tab
- Upload your CSV or Excel file by dragging and dropping or clicking to browse
- Review the preview table to see which columns Atlas detected for geocoding
- Adjust column mapping if needed using the column selector
- Click Add dataset
Atlas geocodes addresses during upload and displays points on the map. The dataset appears in your Layers panel with all original attributes preserved.
Geocoding Accuracy
Geocoding accuracy depends on address completeness and formatting. Complete addresses with city and country information produce more accurate results than partial addresses or place names alone.
After upload, review geocoded points on the map to verify locations. Points that couldn't be geocoded appear in the data table without coordinates.
Best Practices
Include complete address information when possible. Add city, state, and country columns to help disambiguate similar addresses.
Use consistent formatting throughout your spreadsheet. Mixed address formats may reduce detection accuracy.
Review geocoded results after upload. Check the map to identify any incorrectly located points and verify data quality.
For large datasets, geocoding processes in batches. Very large files may take several minutes to complete.
Troubleshooting
Columns not detected: Rename address columns to common names like "address", "city", "state", or "zip code" to improve detection.
Incorrect locations: Verify address completeness. Add city and country information to improve accuracy for ambiguous addresses.
Missing coordinates: Some addresses may not geocode successfully. Review the data table to identify rows without coordinates and verify address formatting.
Slow processing: Large files with thousands of addresses take time to geocode. Wait for the process to complete before making changes.
For more help with geocoding issues, see the Troubleshooting Guide.