Google’s new Fusion Tables is a data visualization app that we will use to map publicly available data.
Before you get started, there are a few things you’ll need in place:
1) A Google Docs account
2) Download your desired data files. Info on acceptable formats for use in Fusion Tables can be found here, but typically you’ll use spreadsheets (.xls, .xlsx or google spreadsheets) or CSV files
3) Connect to the Fusion Tables app: In Google Docs, click the red “Create” button, then click “Connect more apps” and select Fusion Tables
In order to map your data, you will need a file with geocoded (location) data
1) In Google Docs, click “Create” and select Fusion Tables
2) Choose your first data file to import into Google Docs (if you have a .csv file, make sure the “comma” is selected as the Separator character), click Next
3) Review the preview, click Next
4) Give your table a name, attribution information, and a description. Click Finish. You should then see your data as a Fusion Table
5) If your data already has location data, you will see a tab for an automatically generated map. If your data needs location data, you will need to fuse your data file with a geocoded table (one that contains latitude/longitude, zip codes, countries, states, or cities, etc.)
To fuse your table with another location data set:
1) In your Fusion table, click “File” then “Merge…” Select the location file and click Next
2) Confirm the source of match, and click Next
3) Select the columns you want to merge, and click Merge
4) View your newly merged table, which will now have a “Map of latitude” tab with an automatically generated map
5) You should now be able to change the map styles and manipulate the map in various ways
*Note: if your location file contains names of countries, states, cities, etc., then those names will be highlighted in yellow in your Fusion table. You will have to change those names into geocoded locations. To do so, click File, then “Geocode”. Click here for a video tutorial (geocoding starts at around minute 3).
Resources
Fusion Tables video tutorials (see especially the video by Kathryn Hurley)
About Fusion Tables
Help & Troubleshooting
NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
NYC Department of City Planning public data
