Introduction to using spreadsheets as a sandbox tool for spatial applications

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This introductory module shows you how to use spreadsheets (yes spreadsheets!) as a super useful sandbox tool for geospatial applications and spatial engineering.

We’re going to look at the role they can play in that space between the back of a napkin and production level coding or commercial software. Between field notes and commercial software. When reverse engineering what a product’s doing. For some surprisingly deep levels of data analysis. And / or to help bring your analyses and algorithms to life in more efficient and typically more error free ways.

Here’s a little more on what this is all about …

This is going to be just one tool in your sandbox environment, but the goal here is to build a foundation on which you’ll be able to do everything from quickly analyzing some data, to prototyping an even-pretty sophisticated least squares adjustment or Kalman filtering algorithm – to name just a few examples. (And don’t worry if you don’t know what those are yet!)

Everything you find here applies to either Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets (with minor differences that I’ll outline for you as we go).

1. Check out the example we’ll use

This is the example we’ll be using throughout the lessons below (it’s the same one we use in the Browser-based coding as a sandbox tool module):

2. Get yourself access to a spreadsheet

The instruction in this module can be carried out with either:

• Google Sheets , which is completely free and works in your browser
• Microsoft Excel , which is the pioneer and works on a Mac or PC

Generally, it doesn’t really matter which you choose. They’re both equally powerful for what we’ll be doing. So pick one and carry on.

If you’re one of my university students I will often ask that you use Google Sheets.

3. Get started right away!

You need to be signed in and enrolled (see above) in order to do this step.