|
|
Post by desertsp on Sept 15, 2016 15:12:06 GMT -8
Sorry if this is in the wrong forum...
I have created a macro-enabled Excel spreadsheet (.xlsm) which might be useful to others.
It looks up driving times and distances (via Google) for a practically unlimited number of origins and destinations, each entered as a row in the spreadsheet. For example, I entered the GPS coordinates for over 500 trailheads in Washington state (from a state government dataset), and was able to quickly see how close they are to the Seattle Airport.
If this is something others would like to play around with, how can I share it? |
|
tigger
Trail Wise!
Posts: 2,547 
|
Post by tigger on Sept 16, 2016 6:52:01 GMT -8
I suppose this is the right forum. Personally, I don't have a need for the tool but it sounds interesting. You could share a link to a cloud source where the file is or just wait for someone to respond to this thread and then e-mail it directly to them upon request.
|
|
|
|
Post by desertsp on Sept 16, 2016 9:17:20 GMT -8
In case anyone's interested, here's a download link:
ge.tt/4ah3sTe2
You'll need Microsoft Excel. The operation of the spreadsheet should be self-explanatory - if it doesn't seem to work, make sure that you "Enabled Macros" when prompted. I borrowed the code from OCO Carbon Consultants, so credit goes to them!
Basically, behind the scenes it's Googling for directions between the two GPS coordinates. Google determines the best route and returns the time and distance. I believe the results will change depending on live traffic conditions (this can be controlled by editing the code which is currently beyond my abilities). Also, there's no guarantee that Google is actually taking you all the way up whatever dirt road the trailhead is on, it might just be taking you to the nearest paved road. |
|
tigger
Trail Wise!
Posts: 2,547
|
Post by tigger on Sept 16, 2016 14:24:10 GMT -8
Just for anyone interested, I downloaded a copy of the excel file although the site had apparently been hit by viruses recently. It is virus free (despite all the warnings of possible infection). I also tested it with a known location for accuracy, etc. and it worked fine.
|
|
