Fusion Tables for

GIS practitioners
Alta De Vos, Rhodes University
3 October 2016

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About This Session

How FT can be
useful to GIS
practitioners
Fusion Tables for GIS session

What is Fusion Brief Intro

Session Tables?
Structure
Outline Fusion Tables 101 Uploading data & Creating a map
FT interface
Filtering & Facets
Merging
Exporting
Layering

Why & How to use Basic GIS & for Teaching

Fusion Tables with With ODK & Earth Engine
GIS With web maps
ArcGIS/Geocoding

Other applications & workflows

Further discussion
What is Fusion
Tables?
What is Fusion Tables?

● Light database in the cloud

● Spreadsheet & Map (Graphs)
● Online Map that can be styled &
visualized in different way
● Does best in an online
environment
What is Fusion Tables not?
● Not a strong analytical platform
● Not a strong databasing
platform
● Offline tool
File Types & Limits
You can import a file of up to 250 MB of these file types:
● comma-separated text (.csv)
● other text-delimited files (.tsv, etc)
● KML (.kml)
● spreadsheets (.xls, .xslx, .ods and Google Spreadsheets)
Hard limits of 5,000 columns per table, 1MB of content per row, 1 million characters
per cell
1GB per user
Some Examples
La Nacion maps deaths, flood zones in La Plata City,
Argentina (2013)

http://blogs.lanacion.com.ar/proyectos/original-online-reporting/la-plata-major-flooding-tragedy/
South African Rhino Stats - 2012

https://www.google.com/fusiontables/DataSource?snapid=S474769aKLo
Guardian Data Blog

Guardian Data Blog

and

more examples
Fusion Tables may
also look like
this...

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Golden Gate National Park
Tree measurements for ODK-based carbon prac
Fusion Tables 101
Main features - follow along if you wish...
● Import and map your data
● Style your map 
● Filter your map
● Share your Fusion Tables map
● Merge tables
● Create a custom intensity map
● Layering*
To Follow along:
Download modified Astraptes fulgerator dataset from Training Material page
Full tutorial here
Connect to Fusion
Tables in Google
Drive

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Connect to Fusion Tables in Google Drive
● Drive.google.com>New>More>+C
onnect More Apps
● Look for Fusion Tables
● Connect
Import & Map your
data

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Import & Map your data

support.google.com/fusiontables
Import your data
Go to drive.google.com
2. Click Create > More > Fusion Table
3. Click Choose File > Select file   
4. Click Next
5. Click Finish
Map your data

1. Click the Map tab 

2. Click a placemark to view
data for that row. 

Fusion Tables creates a map when it detects

a location column.

If the Map tab didn't appear or Fusion Tables

picked the wrong location column, you will
need to manually identify your location
columns.

 
Map your data
To manually identify the location column:

1. Click to a Row layout.

2. Click the name of your location column and select
Change... from the menu.
3. Click the Type menu and choose Location.
4. Click OK, then [+] > Add map.
 

 
Quick interface
Tour

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Interface: Important Options: File

File>About this table File>Merge File>Download

Information & Metadata Merge Table with another Download KML, CSV, Zip
Fusion Table *Need to be in Map view for
KML option
Interface: Important Options: Tools, Edit & “+” tab

Tools>Publish Edit>Change columns “+” Tab

Find Embed codes, publish Edit data, Change names, Add maps, charts,
to the web & change visibility Change Data types, Delete & summaries based on
Add columns (including different location columns
columns based on formulae) and views
Interface: Important Options: Filter & Map configuration

Filter Change feature Change info

Filter Data & create views styles window
For editing & styling For configuring & styling
geometry, custom icons & info window
legends
Interface: Important Options

File>About this table File>Merge File>Download

Information & Metadata Merge Table with another Download KML, CSV, Zip
Fusion Table *Need to be in Map view for
KML option
Follow Along: Style,
Collaborate, Export

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Style your map
Click Tools > Select Change map styles
2. Use menu options to change color and shape of points,
polygons and lines.
3. Click Save.
Style your map: icon options
Create a column in your table for icon names.

Visit this Fusion Tables map

Style your map: info windows
Click Configure info window
Automatic: Select columns to include in your info window.
Custom: Write your own HTML.
 
Filter your map
Click Filter
Select a column
Check boxes or enter a number to create a filter

 
Collaborate on your map
To add individuals:

1. Click Share
2. Add e-mail addresses you'd like to share with
3. Set their permission as viewers, editors or owners.
 
Collaborate on your map

Make the map visible:

● Click Share at upper right.

● Next to "Private", click the
Change... link
● Select Public or Anyone with
the link.*
Create a new tab

1. Click the [+] and select Add map

More here: http://goo.gl/LDMb0

As a viewer on a table, you can

create your own personal tabs that
visualize, filter, or summarize the
data. These tabs have a dotted
outline.

To share them, you must get the

link from Tools > Publish.
Embed in a website

Click Tools > Publish

2. Copy and paste embed code
into your site
3. Remember to make the map
public!
 
Export to Google Earth

Make sure you've selected the Map tab

1. Click File > Download
2. Select KML or KML network link
3. Open file in Google Earth

Note: KML will produce a static file. To

have your Google Earth file automatically
update when you update the Fusion
Table, select KML network link.
 
Follow Along: Merging &
Creating Intensity Maps
support.google.com/fusiontables

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Find two datasets to merge
Meat Consumption World Country Boundaries

Link to global meat consumption World Country Boundaries

rates
Merge 2 tables into 1 new table
1. In either table, click File > Merge
2. Copy/paste URL of other table in Or paste a web address
3. Specify columns with common data: "State" and "Description"
4. Click Next > Merge
Creates a new, joined table
Extra Credit: Create intensity map
1. Tools > Change map styles
2. Under Polygons, click Fill color > Gradient
3. Select Show a gradient > Column: Average Consumption (Formula column)
4. Adjust number ranges & colors, according to value range
5. Click Save
Other Tools:
ShpEscape & OpenRefine

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Other useful tools with Fusion Tables
Importing Shapefiles:

● ShpEscape: www.shpescape.com/

Cleaning Data:

● OpenRefine: http://openrefine.org/

Layering:

● Layer Wizard*
Why use Fusion
Tables with GIS?
Some questions to ask

1. Do you use similar Fusion Tables in a similar way? If so, in what contexts and purposes?
2. Do you use the same workflow or do you prefer a different sequence/other tools?
3. Do you use Fusion Tables in other ways or in combination with other tools?
4. Are there better alternatives for the kind of tasks we’re discussing?
# 1 Lightweight GIS &
Teaching

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As a lightweight GIS & for teaching
Why? What can you do?

● Anyone that knows how to use Google ● Import & Upload Data (mixed Geometries
Drive can do it okay)
● From spreadsheet to map in 60 seconds ● Merge & Filter
● Intuitive to understand spreadsheet + map ● Map & Graph
= attribute table + vector geometry
● Easy to maintain queryable master table for
small to medium datasets
Potential Workflows
Fusion Tables
Tool Export as Import into Notes

Spreadsheet KML/CSV My Maps

Filter &“+” Map Use FT to manage,
Shapefile Open
Refine
My Maps to Style &
(via shp escape)
KML Publish

Filter &“+” Map KML or Google Use GE interface

Map Styles & KML network Earth /Export as Image
Info Windows link

Map Styles & Link Layer Wizard Publish to

Info Window FT ID Carto website
Styles + Maps API
Publish + No
Embed Code intermediary
Some Issues & Solutions
Issues
● Editing of attribute data in FT clunky
● Editing of Geometry in FT is clunky
● Layering not easy in Fusion Tables
Workarounds
● Include an ID column; Export as CSV, edit in
Excel, import as new table, use merge tool
to rejoin
● Include an ID column, Export KML, edit in
Google Earth, import as new table, use
merge tool to rejoin
● Export as KML network links to Google
Earth; Import to My Maps as KMLs for web
maps (alternatives: Google Crisis Map,
Carto, Maps API)
# 2 For mobile data collection &
with Earth Engine

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With mobile data collecting
Why?
● Set up mobile data collection with ODK
collect and use “publish to fusion table”
option from Aggregate to dynamically
update vector data in Earth Engine Analysis
● Dynamically update (and display)
crowd-sourced or collaboratively collected
mobile data
● Import vector data into Earth Engine
What can you do?
● Set up semi-real-time data collection &
mapping with Form to Fusion Tables
● Map responses from Google Form (or other
survey instruments) surveys
● Set up mobile data collecting to link to Earth
Engine using Fusion Table ID
● Import Vector data into Earth Engine (via
ShpEscape or Google Earth Pro)
Potential Workflows

Intermediate Export as Import into Notes

Tool
Spreadsheet Fusion Earth FT mechanism to get
ShpEscape
Shapefile Open
Table ID Engine vector data into EE
Refine Google Earth
KML
Pro
Google Form
Form to Fusion Ft ID Earth Engine
Tables Link Website
KML Google Earth
CSV

ODK Collect & FT ID Earth Engine

Aggregate - KML/KML Website
publish to FT network link Google Earth
Some Issues & Solutions
Issues Workarounds

● Form to Fusion Tables and ODK Aggregate ● Explore ODK collect & aggregate or
clunky in different ways Form-Fusion Tables as alternatives -
suggestions?

● Size limits for large vector datasets ● Go to the Earth Engine sessions :)

● Other?
● Other?
# 3 Web Maps & Sharing
data with non-GIS
professionals

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Web Maps & Sharing GIS data with non-GIS professionals
Why? What can you do?

● Easy upload, style & publish
● Easy to collaborate on with non-GIS
professionals
● Easy way to share data with non-GIS
professionals
● Upload & share GIS data
● Create beautiful maps & info windows
● Create layers for more advanced web map
applications
Potential Workflows

Fusion Table Export as Import into Notes

Tool
Spreadsheet Links Google Earth For sharing with
Styling, Filter,
Shapefile Open
Layers in Maps Browsers other people within
Refine Facets, Graphs
KML KML network an org
link
Styling, Filter, Ft ID Web Maps For publishing
Facts, Graphs Link (via Carto, maps to a broader
Embed Code Maps API audience
etc.)
Website
Some Issues & Solutions
Issues Workarounds

● Form to Fusion Tables and ODK Aggregate ● Explore ODK collect & aggregate or
clunky in different ways Form-Fusion Tables as alternatives -
suggestions?

● Size limits for large vector datasets ● Go to the Earth Engine sessions :)

● Ethics
● No workaround - consider on case-by-case
basis
Other uses: with
ArcGIS/QGIS, Geocoding

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Discussion
Some issues

● Geocoding alternatives: My Maps & Google

Earth Pro (& non-Google options)
● Fusion Tables interface (via KML) with
ArcGIS/QGIS
More uses, use-cases,
examples?
Discussion

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Thank you & Acknowledgement
Roddy Fox, Rhodes University

Trainer Network:

● Brian Thom
● Michael Norelli
● Cynthia Annett
● Stace Maples
● Ron Hall
 Thank you!
a.devos@ru.ac.za

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