Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Services:
How do I create a shapefile from Latitude/Longitude Coordinates?

Follow the below instructions to turn an Excel file containing latitude/longitude coordinates into a Shapefile using ArcMap.

Click here to watch a demo of this process
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How to create a shapefile from XY coordinates using Excel and ArcMap:

1. Open ArcMap.
2. Go to File -> Add Data -> Add XY Data.
3. In the "Add XY Data" dialog box, browse to your Excel file (can be in Excel 97-2003, 2007, or 2010), and select the worksheet that contains your table of coordinates.
4. The X Field should be Longitude and the Y Field should be Latitude.
5. If you know the spatial reference of the input coordinates, click the "Edit..." button and select it, then click OK.
   

   For example, if your coordinates are based on a WGS84 Geographic Coordinate System,
   Click the "Edit..." button, then the "Select..." button, Geographic Coordinate Systems -> World -> WGS 1984.prj -> OK.

   If you do not select a spatial reference, the shapefile may have an Unknown Coordinate System, or take the incorrect one from the data frame's properties.
6. The coordinates should plot as a point event theme. Note that it is not a shapefile, just an event theme. To create a shapefile from the event theme, right-click the layer in the TOC and select Data -> Export Data.... Then select a location for the new shapefile, name it and click OK.

TIP: Make sure that coordinates South of the Equator and West of the Prime Meridian are negative, or your points will plot in the wrong hemisphere!

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