I have been working with Google Sheets that contains location data and I want to build a route map using Google Maps API. My goal is to display the complete path between all points and show markers for each stop location.
Below the map visualization, I need to show detailed route information like:
Starting point with departure time
Each waypoint with arrival time and distance from last location
Final destination with arrival time
Is this kind of integration between Google Sheets data and Maps API achievable? What would be the best approach to pull the spreadsheet data and render both the visual map and the route details summary?
Yes, this is absolutely achievable. I’ve implemented similar integrations in past projects. You will utilize the Google Sheets API to extract your location data and the Google Maps JavaScript API coupled with the Directions Service for routing the points. The process involves authenticating with Google, fetching the coordinates from your Sheets, and then using the Directions Service to plot the routes. The API provides you essential details like duration and distance for each leg of the journey, which can be displayed below the map. Just a quick note: there’s a limit of 25 waypoints per request on standard accounts, so if you have more points, you’ll need to divide them accordingly. Ensure your spreadsheet data is clean, as any discrepancies can lead to issues in geocoding.
Building this from scratch is a nightmare with all the API calls and data syncing. I just dealt with something similar last month - needed real-time route updates from multiple spreadsheets.
Getting data out of Sheets isn’t the hard part. The real pain is handling Maps API rate limits, managing auth tokens, and keeping everything synced when your spreadsheet changes.
Skip coding this manually. Use Latenode instead - set up a workflow that pulls location data from Google Sheets, runs it through Maps API, and spits out both the visual map and route details.
Best part? It triggers updates whenever your spreadsheet changes. Someone adds a new stop or tweaks departure times? Your route visualization updates automatically.
Latenode handles all the auth headaches and API management. You just configure the data flow between Sheets and Maps.
This integration works great, but you’ve got to plan your data structure carefully. I built something similar for delivery tracking and made the mistake of not setting up my Google Sheets columns properly from day one. Make sure your location data uses consistent formats - either proper addresses or lat/long coordinates, not a mix of both. The trickiest part? Both APIs are asynchronous. When you pull from Sheets and pass to Maps Directions, you need solid error handling for geocoding failures. I’d add a validation step that checks each location before sending the batch to Maps API. The Directions service gives you everything - departure times, arrival estimates, distances between waypoints. Parse that data and format it however works for your interface. Just remember those time estimates use current traffic unless you set a future departure time.
for sure! u can use the sheets api to get your loc data, then pass it to the directions api to get the map stuff. it’ll give u all the timing and distances u need. easy peasy!