1. Mapping with
Google Fusion Tables
May 14, 2014

2. Welcome!
• Part 2 of a 3-part series
– Part 1: Intro to GIS Mapping (April 23)
– Part 2: Mapping in Google Fusion Tables (Today, May 14)
– Part 3: Mapping in Google Fusion Tables (May 21)
• Presenters
– Christina Sanabria, LSC
– Brian Rowe, LSNTAP
• Recording will be available on LSNTAP’s
YouTube channel
• Phone lines are muted – please send questions
via chat

3. Mapping: Not Just Software
To make a map, you need to
• Know how to use mapping software
• Know where to access data to map
• Manage data

4. Today’s Objectives
• Set up Google Fusion Tables
• Structure information so you can map it
• Create a basic point map of addresses
• Share and publish your maps
• Combine data from two different sources
• Customize your map with colors and filters
• Review data resources

5. Get Started with Google Fusion Tables
• Fusion Tables work within Google Drive
• Share and collaborate with others
– Specify privileges (edit or view) for each person
– Publish online (embed like a YouTube video)

6. Get Started with Google Fusion Tables
• You need a Google account to use Google Drive
Three ways to create a Google account:
1. Use your Gmail account
2. Create a Google account using your Yahoo, Hotmail
or other email
3. Create a free Google Apps account for your
nonprofit
• Once you’re set up in Google Drive, you need to
enable the Fusion Tables app

7. Get Started: Enable the Fusion Tables App
1. Go to www.drive.google.com and log in to
your Google Account

8. Get Started: Enable the Fusion Tables App
2. Click “Create”
3. Click “Connect more apps”

9. Get Started: Enable the Fusion Tables App
4. Type Google Fusion Tables in the search field
and press “Enter” to search

10. Get Started: Enable the Fusion Tables App
5. Click Connect

11. Get Started: Enable the Fusion Tables App
6. Click OK

12. Get Started: Enable the Fusion Tables App
7. Success! Google Fusion Tables is now enabled.

13. Get Started: Enable the Fusion Tables App
8. Click “Create”
9. Fusion Tables is now
in the menu as one of
the apps you can open.

14. Questions so far?

15. Project 1:
Mapping Office Locations

16. Project 1: Mapping Office Locations
Project goal: Create a map of office locations

17. Project 1: Mapping Office Locations
We’ll need to
• Structure information so we can map it
• Load to Fusion Tables and create the map
• Set up a custom “info window”
• Share and publish the map

18. Project 1: Prepare Data in Excel
Why start in Excel?
• We’re familiar with it
• Easier to manipulate data (add/ edit information)
• Excel files can be uploaded to Fusion Tables
Remember: GIS maps are just visual data, so
good data management is essential.

19. Project 1: Structuring the Information
Additional spreadsheet preparation:
• No merged cells, no fancy formatting
• Is there any other data you’ll want for this project? Add it now.
Column
headers
labeled
Full address in
a single column
One row
for each
location
Each attribute has
it’s own column

20. Questions so far?

21. Project 1: Data Types in Fusion Tables
Text – For descriptive information
Number – For quantitative
numbers (numbers you’d do math
with, not things like phone
numbers, zip codes, or ID codes)
Location – 1 column (full
addresses) or 2 column (lat/long
coordinates)
Date/Time – in standard formats
(e.g., mm/dd/yy)

22. Project 1: Geocoding
Geocode – The process of using
geographic information (e.g., street
address) about a location to find
the geographic
coordinates (i.e., latitude and longitude)
so the feature can be mapped
Geocoding is built into Fusion Tables.
File  Geocode
This could take a minute…

23. Questions so far?

24. Project 1: Customize the Info Window
Change info window…
“Change info window
layout” box displays
column headers from
your data set.
Check or uncheck
boxes to display or not
display data in the info
window.
Click “Save”

25. Project 1: Customize the Info Window
You could include:
 links
 images
 videos
 charts/ graphs
If you include these in
your spreadsheet as
pieces of data, they will
appear in your info
window.

26. Project 1: Customize the Info Window
Or select the “Custom”
tab to manually edit the
html for your info
window.
 Font sizes/ colors
 Edit, format, or
remove labels

27. Project 1: Sharing and Publishing
Sharing
• Giving permission to access
• Share with specific individuals or with a group
• Give individuals specific levels of access (read only
or edit)
Publishing
• Making the document available to the people with
whom you’ve shared
• Publish by embedding your map online or sharing the
link to your Fusion Table

28. Project 1: Sharing & Publishing are Interdependent
• You can share it, but if you don’t publish it, no one will
know it’s out there.
• You can publish it but if you haven’t shared it, your
audience won’t have permissions to open it.

29. Project 1: Share so you can Publish
Change your sharing settings to “Anyone with the link”
so that you can publish your map on a website (and not
get an error message)

30. Project 1: Share so you can Publish
Change your sharing settings to “Anyone with the link”
so that you can publish your map on a website (and not
get an error message)
 

31. Questions so far?

32. Project 2:
Mapping School Suspension Data

33. Project 2: School Suspension Data
Project goal:
Advocates working on education issues have seen a spate
of cases involving school suspensions, especially with
middle school students.
They want to know:
• Are there any regional patterns?
• Should we focus our outreach/ community education
efforts in a certain area?

34. Project 2: School Suspension Data

35. Project 2: School Suspension Data
We’ll need to
• Structure information so we can map it
• Combine information from two different data sources*
• Customize map with colors and filters
• Set up a custom info window
• Share and publish the map
* It can be difficult to find one data set that tells you
everything you want to know.

36. Project 2: Gathering Data
National Center for Education Statistics for basic info about schools
http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/elsi/

37. Project 2: Gathering Data
Civil Rights Data Collection on ED.gov
http://ocrdata.ed.gov/

38. Project 2: Merging Data
School A
Location information
School A
Discipline data
Merge tables to combine data from different sources
School A
Location information and Discipline Data
Merged

39. Project 2: Merging Data
C. Hunter Ritchie
Elemen.
Ritchie
Elementary???
NCES school ID:
510313001289
NCES school ID:
510313001289
• Fusion Tables will not recognize that this is the same school.
• Fusion Tables will recognize that this is the same school.
• Info about this school from the two different sources will be related
to each other.
Fusion Tables needs a matching column to correctly merge data.

40. Project 2: Defining Marker Styles from Data
Add or
remove
buckets
“1 to 4.9999”
Schools at
which 1 to 4
students
received
more than
one out of
school
suspension
will be
marked with
a yellow dot
Select the
column of
data that
should
determine
the color of
dot

41. Final questions?

42. Now that you can map…
Where to get data?

43. Data Resources
American Community Survey
http://factfinder2.census.gov
National Center for Education Statistics for basic info about schools
http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/elsi/
Civil Rights Data Collection on ED.gov – discipline, student
retention, AP courses, Early Childhood Education, and more
http://ocrdata.ed.gov/
“Data, Demographics, Statistics” resource list,
Legal Services Northern California
http://equity.lsnc.net/data-demographics-statistics/

44. Challenge – Make a Map this Week!
• Set up your Google Account and enable the Fusion
Tables app
• Map your own office locations
• Map other data that’s of interest to you
• Got stuck? Contact us!
• Did you make a map? Show it to us!
• sanabriac@lsc.gov, pellittierim@lsc.gov

45. Learn More
• Join us next week, May 21 for Part 3 of the series!
• More resources available on LRI, plus more content to
be added soon
• Contact us: sanabriac@lsc.gov, pellittierim@lsc.gov
“Polygon” map made
using Fusion Tables
http://lri.lsc.gov/engaging-
clients/language-access