[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-\u002Fblog\u002Fland-manager-google-sheets-batch-convert-legal-land-descriptions":3},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"body":7,"category":389,"cover":390,"date":391,"description":392,"extension":393,"meta":394,"navigation":395,"path":396,"seo":397,"stem":398,"tags":399,"__hash__":404},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fland-manager-google-sheets-batch-convert-legal-land-descriptions.md","The Land Manager's Guide to Google Sheets: Batch Convert Legal Land Descriptions with a Formula","Township Canada",{"type":8,"value":9,"toc":377},"minimark",[10,14,22,25,30,42,55,59,62,68,118,125,138,142,145,246,249,252,256,266,273,280,284,295,302,310,314,329,333,340,348,352,361],[11,12,13],"p",{},"You have a Google Sheet with 140 surface lease descriptions in column A. Your GIS team needs GPS coordinates to plot them for a pipeline route assessment, and the deadline is end of week. Copying each description into a converter and pasting the result back - 140 times - is not a real workflow.",[11,15,16,17,21],{},"The Township Canada Google Sheets add-on puts a legal land description formula directly inside your spreadsheet. Type ",[18,19,20],"code",{},"=TOWNSHIP(\"NW-25-024-01W5\")"," in any cell and GPS coordinates appear. Reference a column of descriptions, drag the formula down, and 140 descriptions become 140 coordinate pairs in a couple of minutes - no copy-pasting, no tab-switching.",[11,23,24],{},"This guide covers the complete formula-based workflow: installing the add-on, setting up a multi-column coordinate sheet, catching data errors automatically, and batching larger lists with the sidebar.",[26,27,29],"h2",{"id":28},"installing-the-add-on","Installing the Add-On",[11,31,32,33,37,38,41],{},"Open any Google Sheet. Go to ",[34,35,36],"strong",{},"Extensions → Add-ons → Get add-ons",", search \"Township Canada\", and click ",[34,39,40],{},"Install",". The add-on requests permission to run custom functions and make external calls - both are required for the formula to work. The install takes under a minute.",[11,43,44,45,48,49,54],{},"The add-on includes 10 free conversions per month to test with immediately. For production lists, connect your Township Canada API key in the Settings dialog (",[34,46,47],{},"Extensions → Township Canada → Settings","). If you already have an ",[50,51,53],"a",{"href":52},"\u002Fapi","API subscription",", your existing plan covers add-on usage at no additional cost.",[26,56,58],{"id":57},"the-four-formulas","The Four Formulas",[11,60,61],{},"After installation, four custom functions are available anywhere in your sheet.",[11,63,64,67],{},[18,65,66],{},"=TOWNSHIP(\"LLD\")"," returns a formatted coordinate pair. For individual fields - better when you're building a structured export or joining against another dataset - use the three companion functions:",[69,70,71,84],"table",{},[72,73,74],"thead",{},[75,76,77,81],"tr",{},[78,79,80],"th",{},"Formula",[78,82,83],{},"Returns",[85,86,87,98,108],"tbody",{},[75,88,89,95],{},[90,91,92],"td",{},[18,93,94],{},"=TOWNSHIP_LAT(\"NW-25-024-01W5\")",[90,96,97],{},"Latitude (decimal degrees)",[75,99,100,105],{},[90,101,102],{},[18,103,104],{},"=TOWNSHIP_LNG(\"NW-25-024-01W5\")",[90,106,107],{},"Longitude (decimal degrees)",[75,109,110,115],{},[90,111,112],{},[18,113,114],{},"=TOWNSHIP_PROVINCE(\"NW-25-024-01W5\")",[90,116,117],{},"Province name",[11,119,120,121,124],{},"Use these with cell references rather than hardcoded strings. ",[18,122,123],{},"=TOWNSHIP_LAT(A2)"," reads the description from cell A2 and returns its latitude. Drag the formula down to row 141 and the entire column converts.",[11,126,127,128,132,133,137],{},"The formulas handle any Canadian survey system the ",[50,129,131],{"href":130},"\u002F","Township Canada converter"," supports: ",[50,134,136],{"href":135},"\u002Fguides\u002Fdominion-land-survey-system","DLS"," quarter sections and LSDs, NTS grid references, Geographic Township lot-and-concession descriptions, River Lots, UWI, and FPS Grid. A column with mixed formats - Alberta DLS descriptions alongside Saskatchewan NTS references - converts without any special setup.",[26,139,141],{"id":140},"setting-up-a-multi-column-coordinate-sheet","Setting Up a Multi-Column Coordinate Sheet",[11,143,144],{},"For most land management exports, you want latitude and longitude in separate columns. Here's a practical layout for a surface lease inventory:",[69,146,147,163],{},[72,148,149],{},[75,150,151,154,157,160],{},[78,152,153],{},"A",[78,155,156],{},"B",[78,158,159],{},"C",[78,161,162],{},"D",[85,164,165,187,206,226],{},[75,166,167,172,177,182],{},[90,168,169],{},[34,170,171],{},"Legal Description",[90,173,174],{},[34,175,176],{},"Latitude",[90,178,179],{},[34,180,181],{},"Longitude",[90,183,184],{},[34,185,186],{},"Province",[75,188,189,192,196,201],{},[90,190,191],{},"NW-25-024-01W5",[90,193,194],{},[18,195,123],{},[90,197,198],{},[18,199,200],{},"=TOWNSHIP_LNG(A2)",[90,202,203],{},[18,204,205],{},"=TOWNSHIP_PROVINCE(A2)",[75,207,208,211,216,221],{},[90,209,210],{},"NE-14-032-21W4",[90,212,213],{},[18,214,215],{},"=TOWNSHIP_LAT(A3)",[90,217,218],{},[18,219,220],{},"=TOWNSHIP_LNG(A3)",[90,222,223],{},[18,224,225],{},"=TOWNSHIP_PROVINCE(A3)",[75,227,228,231,236,241],{},[90,229,230],{},"SE-22-045-14W4",[90,232,233],{},[18,234,235],{},"=TOWNSHIP_LAT(A4)",[90,237,238],{},[18,239,240],{},"=TOWNSHIP_LNG(A4)",[90,242,243],{},[18,244,245],{},"=TOWNSHIP_PROVINCE(A4)",[11,247,248],{},"Enter the formulas in row 2, select B2:D2, and drag the fill handle down to the last row of your list. The Google Sheets legal land description formula fills in automatically for every row.",[11,250,251],{},"Column D earns its place even when your current project doesn't cross provincial lines. Surface lease lists that span Alberta and Saskatchewan look identical in DLS notation - the province column catches any descriptions that drifted into the wrong dataset.",[26,253,255],{"id":254},"catching-meridian-errors-automatically","Catching Meridian Errors Automatically",[11,257,258,259,261,262,265],{},"A transposed meridian in a DLS description places a location 250 kilometres from where it should be. ",[18,260,210],{}," is near Drumheller. ",[18,263,264],{},"NE-14-032-21W3"," is in Saskatchewan. Both are valid descriptions that convert without error - but they're not the same place.",[11,267,268,269,272],{},"The province column catches this automatically. If a description is supposed to be in Alberta but ",[18,270,271],{},"=TOWNSHIP_PROVINCE()"," returns \"Saskatchewan\", that row has a data entry error. One visual scan down column D after the formulas run flags problems that would otherwise surface when a field crew shows up at the wrong location.",[11,274,275,276,279],{},"For a detailed look at how meridians, ranges, and township numbers work together, the ",[50,277,278],{"href":135},"DLS system guide"," covers the full notation system.",[26,281,283],{"id":282},"batch-converting-larger-lists-with-the-sidebar","Batch Converting Larger Lists with the Sidebar",[11,285,286,287,290,291,294],{},"For lists over 200 descriptions, or when you'd rather keep the sheet formula-free, the add-on includes a sidebar batch converter. Open it from ",[34,288,289],{},"Extensions → Township Canada → Open Sidebar",", select the range containing your descriptions, and click ",[34,292,293],{},"Convert",". The sidebar writes coordinates to adjacent columns and shows a progress bar as it runs.",[11,296,297],{},[298,299],"img",{"alt":300,"src":301},"Batch conversion of legal land descriptions to GPS coordinates","\u002Fimages\u002Fguides\u002Fbatch-conversion.webp",[11,303,304,305,309],{},"The sidebar processes up to 200 descriptions per run. For inventories in the thousands - quarterly AER filings, post-hailstorm insurance triage, farmland portfolio analysis - the ",[50,306,308],{"href":307},"\u002Fguides\u002Fbatch-conversion","web-based batch converter"," accepts CSV uploads and returns results in KML, Shapefile, and GeoJSON in addition to CSV. For the add-on's free tier of 10 conversions per month, use the sidebar or formula for smaller workflows.",[26,311,313],{"id":312},"format-tip-prevent-auto-formatting","Format Tip: Prevent Auto-Formatting",[11,315,316,317,320,321,324,325,328],{},"Google Sheets sometimes treats legal land descriptions as dates or numbers. A value like ",[18,318,319],{},"06-32-048-07W5"," may get reformatted unexpectedly. Before entering descriptions, select the column and set the format to ",[34,322,323],{},"Plain Text"," (",[34,326,327],{},"Format → Number → Plain Text","). This prevents the sheet from touching the raw description strings before the formula reads them.",[26,330,332],{"id":331},"exporting-to-gis","Exporting to GIS",[11,334,335,336,339],{},"Once the coordinate columns are populated, go to ",[34,337,338],{},"File → Download → Comma Separated Values (.csv)"," and import into ArcGIS, QGIS, or any GIS tool that accepts coordinate-based point layers. The original legal description column carries through as an attribute, so the DLS reference stays linked to each GPS point.",[11,341,342,343,347],{},"For teams already inside Esri's environment, the ",[50,344,346],{"href":345},"\u002Flearn\u002Fhow-to\u002Farcgis-pro-legal-land-description-locator","Township Canada ArcGIS integration"," adds a native DLS and NTS locator directly inside ArcGIS Pro - an alternative for organizations where GIS is the primary tool and the Sheets step adds an unnecessary round-trip.",[26,349,351],{"id":350},"get-started","Get Started",[11,353,354,355,357,358,360],{},"Install the Township Canada add-on from the Google Workspace Marketplace - search \"Township Canada\" in ",[34,356,36],{},". Type ",[18,359,20],{}," in any cell to test it immediately with the built-in sample data.",[11,362,363,364,368,369,373,374,376],{},"When you're ready to convert a production list, connect your API key in the Settings dialog. For the full add-on overview including installation details and sidebar batch converter walkthrough, see the ",[50,365,367],{"href":366},"\u002Fblog\u002Fgoogle-sheets-add-on-convert-legal-land-descriptions","Google Sheets add-on guide",". For individual lookups or lists that don't fit a spreadsheet workflow, the ",[50,370,372],{"href":371},"\u002Flsd-converter","LSD converter"," and ",[50,375,308],{"href":307}," handle both cases directly on the site.",{"title":378,"searchDepth":379,"depth":379,"links":380},"",2,[381,382,383,384,385,386,387,388],{"id":28,"depth":379,"text":29},{"id":57,"depth":379,"text":58},{"id":140,"depth":379,"text":141},{"id":254,"depth":379,"text":255},{"id":282,"depth":379,"text":283},{"id":312,"depth":379,"text":313},{"id":331,"depth":379,"text":332},{"id":350,"depth":379,"text":351},"guides","https:\u002F\u002Fb9bukyyl5yuyveqq.public.blob.vercel-storage.com\u002Fimages\u002Fblog\u002F2026-04\u002F22d95573-a308-442f-aa1f-1198bb821a52.jpeg","2026-04-18","Batch convert legal land descriptions to GPS coordinates in Google Sheets using =TOWNSHIP(). Step-by-step tutorial for land managers working with DLS, LSD, and NTS data.","md",{},true,"\u002Fblog\u002Fland-manager-google-sheets-batch-convert-legal-land-descriptions",{"title":5,"description":392},"blog\u002Fland-manager-google-sheets-batch-convert-legal-land-descriptions",[400,401,402,136,403],"Google Sheets","Batch Conversion","Legal Land Description","Land Management","1h7QBo2wj22Lhq0wRMnNh-UI6rsMWDGKlLQgmcaCl4c"]