ExcelBanter - GIS mapping / routing / driving / addressing / postcode information in Excel

"Will" wrote in message
...
I have a list of UK postcodes in Excel. I want to calculate the distance
(and time) from postcode A to postcode B, many times over. I see that
Microsoft has a Mappoint web service - can this be used?

Alternatively, can anyone suggest other low cost approaches to this?

Hi Will,

The subject line of your post caught my attention as I am in the GIS
industry. It's possible that Excel can handle your problem rather easily,
but we would need a better explanation of the problem.

There are not, that I'm aware of, any Excel AddIns that specialize in GIS
applications, and I am unfamiliar with the Mappoint that you mentioned.

If you need to perform these calculations based on a spatial index or a
spatial object embedded in your table, then I'm afraid that there are no
low-cost solutions that I know of. However, if it is possible to generate
the spatial coordinates through a spatial query based on the object, and
insert them into your table, then I see no reason why Excel can't be used.

Unfortunately, the tools that can perform the functions you seem to need are
very expensive, but well worth the investment. ESRI's ArcGIS offers
incredible tools for manipulating spatial data and performing database
queries and calculations. As a matter of fact, ArcObjects is a VB based
spatial scripting language that works in the VBE almost exactly like Excel
does.

Personaly I would be very interested in hearing a more detailed description
of your problem as I use Excel for GIS solutions all the time, albiet at a
great handicap when compared to ArcObjects which I am just now learning.

-gk-