What Is a Geospatial Spreadsheet?

A geospatial spreadsheet is a spreadsheet where cells can hold geographic data -- coordinates, routes, polygons, and other spatial values -- as first-class data types. Instead of treating locations as plain text that you copy into a separate mapping tool, a geospatial spreadsheet lets you store, display, analyze, and compute with spatial data directly in the grid.

GeoSheet is built around this idea. It combines a full-featured spreadsheet (140+ formulas, real-time collaboration, charts) with native spatial capabilities (geocoding, routing, map visualization, spatial analysis).

How It Differs from a Regular Spreadsheet

In a traditional spreadsheet, you can store an address like "350 Fifth Avenue, New York" in a cell -- but it is just text. To do anything geographic with it, you need to:

Export the address to a geocoding service to get coordinates
Import coordinates into a GIS tool to see them on a map
Use a separate routing API to calculate drive times
Manually reconcile results back into your spreadsheet

In GeoSheet, all of this happens in the cell:

Traditional spreadsheet	GeoSheet
Address stored as text	Address geocoded to a POINT with `=GEOCODE(A1)`
Export to GIS to see a map	Create a map chart directly in the sheet
External API for distances	`=DISTANCE(A1, B1)` returns km in the cell
Separate tool for drive times	`=DRIVE_TIME(A1, B1)` returns a duration
Manual polygon analysis	`=CONTAINS(polygon, point)` returns TRUE/FALSE

What Can a Cell Hold?

GeoSheet cells support these spatial data types:

POINT -- a single location (latitude, longitude). Created with =POINT(40.71, -74.00) or =GEOCODE("New York").
LINE -- a connected path of points. Created with =LINE(A1:A5) or =ROUTE(A1, B1) for a driving route.
POLYGON -- an enclosed area. Created with =POLYGON(A1:A10), =ISOCHRONE(A1, 30) for a drive-time area, or =BUFFER(A1, 5, "km") for a radius.
MULTIPOINT, MULTIPOLYGON, COLLECTION -- compound types for complex geometries.

Spatial cells display with color-coded indicators (blue for points, amber for lines, purple for polygons) so you can see at a glance which cells hold geographic data.

What Can You Do with Spatial Data?

Geocoding

Convert between addresses and coordinates:

=GEOCODE("Sydney Opera House")                  # Address to POINT
=REVERSE_GEOCODE(POINT(-33.8568, 151.2153))    # POINT to address

See Geocode Addresses for a full tutorial.

Distance and routing

Measure how far apart locations are:

=DISTANCE("Paris", "London")          # Straight-line distance (km)
=DRIVE_DISTANCE("Paris", "London")    # Road distance (km)
=DRIVE_TIME("Paris", "London")        # Driving duration
=ROUTE("Paris", "London")             # Full route as a LINE

See Calculate Distance Between Addresses and Calculate Drive Time Between Locations.

Spatial analysis

Analyze spatial relationships:

=CONTAINS(polygon, point)       # Is the point inside the polygon?
=INTERSECTS(A1, B1)             # Do two geometries overlap?
=NEAREST(A1, B:B, 5)            # 5 nearest points in column B
=BUFFER(A1, 10, "km")           # 10 km radius around a point
=ISOCHRONE(A1, 30)              # Area reachable within 30 min

Map visualization

Select cells containing spatial data and create a map chart. Points, lines, and polygons render on an interactive map with zoom, pan, clustering, and multiple tile styles. See Map Data in a Spreadsheet.

Who Uses a Geospatial Spreadsheet?

Logistics and supply chain -- warehouse coverage analysis, delivery route planning, service area mapping
Real estate -- property location analysis, market area comparison, proximity to amenities
Retail -- store site selection, customer proximity analysis, trade area mapping
Field operations -- territory planning, technician routing, asset location tracking
Research and planning -- demographic analysis with boundaries, environmental data with polygons, infrastructure mapping

The common thread: you have data with a location component, and you need to analyze it without becoming a GIS specialist.

Getting Started

If you are new to GeoSheet:

Create an account and set up your first spreadsheet
Try geocoding some addresses to see spatial cells in action
Create a map from your geocoded data
Explore the Formulas reference for the full list of 140+ functions

If you already work with GIS tools and want to understand how GeoSheet fits in: GeoSheet is not a replacement for a full GIS. It is a replacement for the spreadsheet-plus-lightweight-GIS workflow -- the one where you constantly move data between Excel and a mapping tool. GeoSheet keeps everything in one place.

Next Steps

Getting Started -- create your account and first spreadsheet
Spatial Features -- full reference for all spatial capabilities
Map Data in a Spreadsheet -- visualize your data on maps
Using AI to Analyze Spreadsheet Data -- let Geovani handle complex spatial analysis