Fusion Mapper with Sample Data

Authored by the Google Fusion Tables team

This tutorial shows you how to upload data to generate a set of placemarks in Google Earth and Maps.

Google Fusion Tables is a online data management application, designed for easy collaboration, data visualization and web publishing. It allows you to upload and merge large datasets and offers simple data queries and filters. Read more on this Google Research Blog post.

Because Fusion Tables also supports visualizing your data on maps, it is an alternative to Spreadsheet Mapper. Take a look at the feature comparison chart to see which tool is right for your mapping project.

Here are some examples of maps created and published with Fusion Tables.

• Point data: Medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles - L.A. Times
• GPS tracks: Biking and Hiking trails from MTBGuru.com
• Intensity map: Freshwater availability vs. childhood mortality - Circle of Blue | Waternews

This tutorial will guide you through creating a map with Fusion Tables using some sample data. Afterwards, try the Map your own data tutorial.

Tutorial Contents:

• Import the data
• Optional: display images in the table
• Map the data
• Customize the info windows

 

Get Started!

For this tutorial, you will use a sample dataset. It contains records of caterpillars collected in Costa Rica by ecologists. Each location is recorded with a latitude and longitude point.

Import the sample data

1. Download this sample dataset.
2. Go to Fusion Tables
3. If you aren't already logged into your Google Account, sign in with your username and password. Click to create a Google Account if you don't already have one.
4. Click the New Table button
5. Click the Choose File button, select the "Astraptes fulgerator complex sample data.csv" file, and press the Next button.
6. Fusion Tables found the column names in row "1". Then click Next.
7. Name your new table and press Finish.
   
   

Your newly uploaded data should now appear in a new Fusion Table!

 

Optional - display images in the table

The sample data set has links to images of the caterpillars and adult butterflies. To see image thumbnails in the Table view:

1. Click the Edit menu and select Modify columns
2. Click the column named "URL adult".
3. On the right, click the Format menu and select "Four line image", to specify that the images will display as tall as four lines of text.
4. Click the column named "URL cp lateral" and repeat.
5. Click Save.
   

The images of the adult butterflies and the lateral view of the caterpillars should now appear in the table.

 

Map the sample data

Fusion Tables auto-detects many location columns. For the sample data, you can immediately view your data on a map. If importing your own data, you may need to manually specify location columns.

1. Click the Visualize menu and choose Map.
   
   
2. Click a placemark to view the data for that row.

That's it!   You've mapped a spreadsheet of data.

 

Customize the info windows

The default info window is a simple list of the data values for this point. Instead, you can create an HTML template to customize the look of your info windows.

1. While looking at the map (Visualize > Map), click on the Configure Info Window link
2. Optional: Experiment with the column check boxes to add or remove information from the Automatic info window template.
3. Click on "Custom".
   
   
4. For this tutorial, we've created a custom HTML template you can use. How does the template work? To pull in data from each row of a table, use the column's name inside curly brackets: {Column Name}. For example, to insert the species name in the balloon put {herbivore species} into the template HTML.
   
   Copy and paste this template code into the Custom HTML text box:

   <div class="googft-info-window"
       style="font-family: sans-serif; width: 330px; height: 20em; overflow-y: auto;">
     <img src="{URL cp lateral}" style="width: 150px; vertical-align: top; margin-right: .5em" />
     <img src="{URL adult}" style="width: 150px; vertical-align: top" />
     <h2 class="color: brown">{herbivore species}</h2>
     <p>Caterpillar found feeding on host plant <em>{host plant species}</em>,
         {host plant family} in the {primary eco},{year}.</p>
     <p>See specimen record {voucher} at <a href="http://janzen.sas.upenn.edu/">
         Caterpillars, pupae, butterflies and moths of the A.C.G.</a></p>
   </div>

5. Click Save.

Now click on the placemarks in the map view and see your stylized info windows.

Now you've uploaded a data file, mapped it, and customized the way the data is displayed in the placemark's info window. Good job!

Ready to map your own data?

Check out the Map your own data tutorial. When you're ready to share your map via email, on a website or even through Google Earth, take a look at the Sharing your map from Fusion Mapper tutorial.

 

Discussion & feedback

Have questions about this tutorial? Want to give us some feedback? Visit the Google Fusion Tables user group or the Google Earth Outreach Discussion Group to discuss it with others.

What's next?

• See the Tutorial: Map your own data with Fusion Tables
• See the Tutorial: Sharing your map from Fusion Mapper.
• See the Tutorial: Promoting Your KML for more tips on sharing your layer with the world.
• See all tutorials and tools available at Earth Outreach.
• Go back to the main tutorial page.