Convert Excel CSV File to Geocache GPX File

[+dangerruss1]

How can I convert an Excel CSV file to a Geocache GPX file that can be used to import into Magellan Vantage Point or Garmin Mapsource?

 

Sample of part of the file...

 

Longitude,Latitude,Name,Description

-97.907717,33.196433,SR2 Prime,Look for a small ammo box hidden among the rocks. Best parking is near the entrance gate. Do not cross any fences.

-97.882067,33.21535,SR04 3,Near the edge of the ranch property on a hilltop overlooking Stripling Island.

 

Thanks,

Russ

Edited February 11, 2015 by dangerruss1

[+Walts Hunting]

I guess my first question is why do you have cache info in a excel file? If you have access to the website why not download the gpx file?

 

I don't know of any program except that will import a CSV file and then allow it to be exported as a gpx.

[+Wet Pancake Touring Club]

You should check out GPS Visualizer, at gpsvisualizer.com. I also found a youtube video (

) where a guy walks through converting an Excel spreadsheet to a GPX file. I have never used this, but it appears more robust than gpsbabel.

 

Skye.

[+Chrysalides]

You may want to give this a try :

 

http://www.freeformatter.com/csv-to-xml-converter.html

 

Use something like this as the template :

 

<wpt lat="##1##" lon="##2##">
   <time>2015-01-01T07:00:00Z</time>
   <name>##3##</name>
   <desc>##4##</desc>
   <url>http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=5fb61db4-591b-4f08-a894-e981ada47082</url>
   <urlname>##4##</urlname>
   <sym>Geocache</sym>
   <type>Geocache|Traditional Cache</type>
   <Groundspeak:cache id="1224239" available="True" archived="False" xmlns:Groundspeak="http://www.Groundspeak.com/cache/1/0/1">
     <Groundspeak:name>##4##</Groundspeak:name>
     <Groundspeak:placed_by>Blank</Groundspeak:placed_by>
     <Groundspeak:owner id="1">Blank</Groundspeak:owner>
     <Groundspeak:type>Traditional Cache</Groundspeak:type>
     <Groundspeak:container>Regular</Groundspeak:container>
     <Groundspeak:difficulty>1.5</Groundspeak:difficulty>
     <Groundspeak:terrain>1.5</Groundspeak:terrain>
     <Groundspeak:country>United States</Groundspeak:country>
     <Groundspeak:state>California</Groundspeak:state>
     <Groundspeak:short_description html="False">Blank</Groundspeak:short_description>
     <Groundspeak:long_description html="False">Blank</Groundspeak:long_description>
     <Groundspeak:encoded_hints>None</Groundspeak:encoded_hints>
     <Groundspeak:logs>
     </Groundspeak:logs>
     <Groundspeak:travelbugs />
   </Groundspeak:cache>
 </wpt>

 

After it has generated, copy everything between the document tags (discarding the document tags), add the Groundspeak XML header and close the GPX tag at the end.

 

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<gpx xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" version="1.0" creator="Groundspeak Pocket Query" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.topografix.com/GPX/1/0 http://www.topografix.com/GPX/1/0/gpx.xsd http://www.Groundspeak.com/cache/1/0/1 http://www.Groundspeak.com/cache/1/0/1/cache.xsd" xmlns="http://www.topografix.com/GPX/1/0">
 <name>My file</name>
 <desc>Geocache file generated by Groundspeak</desc>
 <author>Groundspeak</author>
 <email>contact@Groundspeak.com</email>
 <time>2015-01-01T07:00:00ZZ</time>
 <keywords>cache, geocache, Groundspeak</keywords>
 <bounds minlat="-90" minlon="-179.999" maxlat="90" maxlon="179.999" />

 

Might need some experimenting. Download a PQ and look at the formatting for an example.

 

An easier way would be to create your cache data (I assume these are private caches for a class or event) in GSAK and have it generate the GPX.

Edited February 11, 2015 by Chrysalides

[+dangerruss1]

The caches are not on the geocaching website. I found this at the website..

 

There are an additional 20 caches available at Sid Richardson Scout Ranch for Scouts and other visitors. They are NOT individually listed on Geocaching.com, but are available by contacting Jeff Peters at the Longhorn Council office in Fort Worth. If you have had the opportunity to hunt these caches, this is the page on which to log them. The caches are numbered SR-1 through SR-20. Please refer to the cache number in your log

 

Our troop will be camping this weekend at Sid and we wanted to do some geocaching. I contacted Jeff and he sent us a pdf file with all the caches located on the ranch. I thought is would be easier to copy and paste the necessary info into an excel file, save it a csv file and import into Mapsource or Vantage Point to load up my GPS receivers.

 

I tried gpsvisualizer and successfully saved the file as .gpx, but the file imports as waypoints instead of caches.

 

I will try other options tonight after I get home from work...

 

Thanks all for your ideas...

 

Troop 64 Geocache newbies...

Russ

[Pup Patrol]

I tried gpsvisualizer and successfully saved the file as .gpx, but the file imports as waypoints instead of caches.

Look at the example given by Chrysalides. "wpt" are waypoints.

 

Cache locations are waypoints. As long as you have the coordinates, that's the important thing.

 

Rename each one according to the information you got (SR-1 through SR-20).

 

It's the same as having parking locations, or stages of a multicache, etc.

 

What are the gps devices you are using?

 

 

B.

Edited February 12, 2015 by Pup Patrol

[+JohnCNA]

You can use the free utility "Extra POI Editor" at http://turboccc.wikispaces.com/Extra_POI_Editor to load up a CSV file and output a GPX file. I have used it to load CSV files of user-supplied waypoints and then export to GPX. I would then use Garmin's POI Loader to install that GPX file as a POI file on my Nuvi. I think you could skip the POI Loader step and copy the GPX file to your device and they would show up in the Waypoints menu.

[+dangerruss1]

I am not an xml expert so I tried a trial version of ExpertGPS. I took my csv file and imported it into ExpertGPS. I then exported to a gpx file. The gpx file imported with no errors into Magellan Vantage Point as geocaches then successfully loaded onto my Magellan GPS Explorist 510 receiver as geocaches. But, not all the data transferred to the receiver. Important data transferred, lat, long, geocache name, difficulty, terrain and a couple others. But, I am missing hints and comments.... not sure why... still working on a solution.. but, I am closer.

 

Thanks everyone for helping this newbie out...

 

Russ

[+NYPaddleCacher]

I am not an xml expert so I tried a trial version of ExpertGPS. I took my csv file and imported it into ExpertGPS. I then exported to a gpx file. The gpx file imported with no errors into Magellan Vantage Point as geocaches then successfully loaded onto my Magellan GPS Explorist 510 receiver as geocaches. But, not all the data transferred to the receiver. Important data transferred, lat, long, geocache name, difficulty, terrain and a couple others. But, I am missing hints and comments.... not sure why... still working on a solution.. but, I am closer.

 

Thanks everyone for helping this newbie out...

 

Russ

 

I am not sure why you would get difficulty and terrain but not hints.

 

Keep in mind that a gpx file is an xml representation of GPS data for exchange of data to/from GPS devices. It's the Groundspeak extensions that allow waypoints to also included data related to a geocache. Look at the xml that Chrysalides posted a few posts earlier. All of the elements which start with Groundspeak: are in the Groundspeak namespace and is an extension to the basic gpx. When you exported to a gpx file it may not have exported using the Groundspeak extensions.

 

[+dangerruss1]

You may want to give this a try :

 

http://www.freeformatter.com/csv-to-xml-converter.html

 

Use something like this as the template :

 

<wpt lat="##1##" lon="##2##">
   <time>2015-01-01T07:00:00Z</time>
   <name>##3##</name>
   <desc>##4##</desc>
   <url>http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=5fb61db4-591b-4f08-a894-e981ada47082</url>
   <urlname>##4##</urlname>
   <sym>Geocache</sym>
   <type>Geocache|Traditional Cache</type>
   <Groundspeak:cache id="1224239" available="True" archived="False" xmlns:Groundspeak="http://www.Groundspeak.com/cache/1/0/1">
     <Groundspeak:name>##4##</Groundspeak:name>
     <Groundspeak:placed_by>Blank</Groundspeak:placed_by>
     <Groundspeak:owner id="1">Blank</Groundspeak:owner>
     <Groundspeak:type>Traditional Cache</Groundspeak:type>
     <Groundspeak:container>Regular</Groundspeak:container>
     <Groundspeak:difficulty>1.5</Groundspeak:difficulty>
     <Groundspeak:terrain>1.5</Groundspeak:terrain>
     <Groundspeak:country>United States</Groundspeak:country>
     <Groundspeak:state>California</Groundspeak:state>
     <Groundspeak:short_description html="False">Blank</Groundspeak:short_description>
     <Groundspeak:long_description html="False">Blank</Groundspeak:long_description>
     <Groundspeak:encoded_hints>None</Groundspeak:encoded_hints>
     <Groundspeak:logs>
     </Groundspeak:logs>
     <Groundspeak:travelbugs />
   </Groundspeak:cache>
 </wpt>

 

After it has generated, copy everything between the document tags (discarding the document tags), add the Groundspeak XML header and close the GPX tag at the end.

 

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<gpx xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" version="1.0" creator="Groundspeak Pocket Query" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.topografix.com/GPX/1/0 http://www.topografix.com/GPX/1/0/gpx.xsd http://www.Groundspeak.com/cache/1/0/1 http://www.Groundspeak.com/cache/1/0/1/cache.xsd" xmlns="http://www.topografix.com/GPX/1/0">
 <name>My file</name>
 <desc>Geocache file generated by Groundspeak</desc>
 <author>Groundspeak</author>
 <email>contact@Groundspeak.com</email>
 <time>2015-01-01T07:00:00ZZ</time>
 <keywords>cache, geocache, Groundspeak</keywords>
 <bounds minlat="-90" minlon="-179.999" maxlat="90" maxlon="179.999" />

 

Might need some experimenting. Download a PQ and look at the formatting for an example.

 

An easier way would be to create your cache data (I assume these are private caches for a class or event) in GSAK and have it generate the GPX.

 

Okay... going to have to give this a try but I have a couple of questions. Can you be more specific about "copy everything between the document tags (discarding the document tags), add the Groundspeak XML header " What is a document tag? What does the Groundspeak XML header look like?

 

Thanks,

Russ

[+Chrysalides]

When you use the online tool to generate the XML, you'll end up with something like :

 

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<document>
  <wpt lat=...
  </wpt>
</document>

 

You want everything AFTER <document> and BEFORE </document>, not including these two tags. So the part that you want starts with <wpt> and ends with the very last </wpt> near the end of the file.

 

This is your set of waypoints.

 

Now you need to add the GPX XML headers. That's the section I gave you above. Add that to the very beginning of the file.

 

At the very end, you need to close your gpx tag, so add :

 

</gpx>

Edited February 20, 2015 by Chrysalides

[+Cardinal Red]

I am not an xml expert so I tried a trial version of ExpertGPS. I took my csv file and imported it into ExpertGPS. I then exported to a gpx file. The gpx file imported with no errors into Magellan Vantage Point as geocaches then successfully loaded onto my Magellan GPS Explorist 510 receiver as geocaches. But, not all the data transferred to the receiver. Important data transferred, lat, long, geocache name, difficulty, terrain and a couple others. But, I am missing hints and comments.... not sure why... still working on a solution.. but, I am closer.

 

Thanks everyone for helping this newbie out...

 

Russ

 

As an ExpertGPS user myself, this got me to take an immediate interest in the problem Russ is having. I thought he might be importing data into ExpertGPS incorrectly. So I tried it myself and found out the problem is that some of the program code to import data into ExpertGPS was not quite right. We both sent very preliminary notes to the ExpertGPS developer, and a partial fix showed up quickly in the next version release. It is better now, but still not quite right.

 

I am now thoroughly checking the new release to be able to provide more targeted feedback for just one more minor bug fix. Before I provide this feedback on what I am seeing, are there any Geocachers out there making their own GPX GEOCACHE files (NOT as waypoints), using acquired or self created data (in Excel for example) imported into ExpertGPS?

 

If you are, I would welcome your feedback about what is working well for you now, or anything that doesn't work quite as well. In the absence of any feedback I will just have to use my own best judgement. I would not expect that to break anything for any other user, but we all have some experience with unintended consequences.

 

The final result can then be used to give a newbie a nearly identical GPS unit learning experience, while tracking down beginner event temporary caches, as they will have later with live GPX downloads from the Groundspeak database.

[+Cardinal Red]

If anyone is looking for a fairly easy way (no GPX editing skills required) to create your own private custom Geocache type GPX files for use on a paperless GPS unit (tested by me on Oregon 450t - and PC only no MAC), the previously mentioned software (see posts above), will now do a quite good job of providing the same GPS experience as tracking down a live Groundspeak geocache (NOT simply as Waypoint coordinates). Excellent for newbie beginner event temporary cache placements.

 

My only connection with the program is as a customer using the recently improved product, and providing occasional user feedback. How unique is this product? I actually have no idea. If anyone is aware of another similar product I would like to hear about it.

 

If anyone is interested in more details, I would be glad to answer any questions I can privately. Message me. This isn't the place to go into great detail about third party commercial software.