Which origins and destinations belong in your distance comparison? With a long location list, you may be examining trips between depots and customers or the distances among the locations themselves. Each number needs to describe a connection that matters to your work.
| Question | Maptive workflow | Output scope |
|---|---|---|
| How far apart are two selected points? | Single Point Distance Measurement | Straight-line distance for the selected points |
| How long is this sequence of points? | Multiple Point Distance Calculator | Measurements along the clicked sequence |
| How far are mapped locations from an origin? | Distance Radius Circles and distance export | Selected locations within the radius results |
| Which nearby locations should I inspect? | Location Finder | A requested number of nearby results |
These workflows have their own selection rules. None of the procedures in the table produces an unrestricted all-pairs matrix.
Decide which distances you need
Define the comparisons before measuring. An ordered path connects locations in a chosen sequence. A hub-to-many list measures each selected destination from one origin. Matched pairs compare specified origin and destination records, while an all-pairs request compares every origin with every destination.
The difference affects the size of the output. For example, 3 origins and 20 destinations make 60 possible pairs when you measure from each origin to each destination. If you need only 20 preassigned pairs, the other combinations don't help answer that question. If you need all 60, a nearest-only list would leave some out.
Keep readable location names and stable IDs in the data. Two branches may have similar names, and two customer records may share an address. You need to distinguish their records even when their positions match. Preserve the fields that show which locations are origins and which are destinations.
If the locations are already mapped, inspect a few known addresses. If you're importing them, check the location-column matches and confirm their positions before measuring. A wrong address can produce a precise-looking distance to the wrong place.
Choose the measure and units for the job. Straight-line distance helps describe geographic separation. Driving distance follows road travel, and driving time answers a travel-duration question. Keep those measures distinct in the output so a number in miles isn't mistaken for minutes or for a road measurement.
Measure selected points on the map
Check two locations
Click the Distance Calculator Tool icon on the right side of the map. Choose Single Point Distance Measurement, then click the first point and the second point. The measurement stops after the second point. Use the X at the end of the line to remove it.
This measures straight-line distance. It can be useful for checking two nearby locations or examining a pair that looks unusual in a larger distance file. Click the intended positions carefully, especially when several markers are close together.
Keep the two location IDs with any distance you record. If you're checking an exported pair, compare the same origin and destination in both places. A point selected on a nearby road or another marker isn't the same pair, even if it looks close at the current zoom.
Measure an ordered point sequence
Choose Multiple Point Distance Calculator to continue through several points. Click the first point, then each successive point in the order you want to measure. Stop by clicking the calculator icon or closing the polygon. Use X to remove the dotted line.
The order matters because it defines the line you're drawing. Clicking A, B, and C connects that sequence. It doesn't automatically measure the separate A-to-C comparison that an all-pairs table would include.
Use this workflow for a selected straight-line sequence or area measurement. If the question is how far vehicles travel along roads between many locations, move to a distance export with the driving fields. A sequence of straight segments won't supply road mileage or travel time.
Export distances from an origin
For one origin and several destinations, open Map Tools and select Distance Radius Circles. Enter the Starting Location, or use Add Radius from the origin marker's tools. Set Proximity Within and choose miles or kilometers, then click Add Proximity Radius.
The circle selects mapped locations within a geographic distance from its center. Choose a radius large enough for the destinations you intend to compare. A finite circle leaves out locations beyond its edge, even when those locations are in your source table.
Keep that geographic selection separate from the distance columns you export. The circle's boundary doesn't become a road-distance boundary because you select driving distance in the file. A location inside it can require a longer road trip than its straight-line distance suggests.
Open the circle's three-dot menu and choose Export Locations. Select XLSX, TSV, CSV, or Clipboard for the output. Choose the straight-line distance fields or the driving time and distance fields you need, then click Export Now.
Read the result as travel from the center to the selected location. Road travel can differ in the reverse direction because of one-way streets and turn restrictions. If the return trip matters, keep it as a separate comparison rather than assuming it matches the outward trip.
Inspect the origin and destination information in the file. Keep the origin's ID or name with the distances, even when every row currently shares that origin. Once you combine results from several runs, a distance without its starting location becomes difficult to use.
Compare several origins deliberately
Use a source column to identify the origin group, such as a record-type field distinguishing depots from customer locations. This lets you create circles at the relevant origin markers while keeping each record identifiable in the data.
In Distance Radius Circles, change Apply To from Individual Location to Group. Choose Select Group Column, then Select Group, and click Add Proximity Radius. Maptive adds a circle at each matching marker.
Apply the same radius when the comparison calls for the same geographic selection rule. Then inspect the outer destinations for each origin. A location included around one depot may fall outside another depot's circle, so the resulting comparison needs its selection rule attached.
Use Export File for the circles together. Choose all qualifying markers when you need the complete radius results. A nearest specified number is useful for a shortlist, but it doesn't have the same scope as all qualifying locations.
Pay particular attention to the option that returns each row only once for its closest circle. Use that when you want one closest-circle assignment. Leave it off when you need comparisons between the same destination and several qualifying origins. Otherwise, the destination may appear only once where your question requires several origin relationships.
Check filters before exporting. Filtering the data also filters the circles, so removing origin markers from the view can remove their circles. Confirm that each intended origin is still represented in the results you're exporting.
Inspect the file's origin labels and destination IDs. Don't assume that a row count by itself proves every wanted pair is present. Keep a list of the intended origins and check the qualifying destinations under each one. If your task calls for matched pairs, use those IDs to identify the relevant comparisons in the exported data.
Find nearby locations when a full list is unnecessary
Open Location Finder on the right side of the map, enter a starting point or use the current-location default, and choose the number of results. Click Find Now. The results appear in a list beside the green origin pin, where you can inspect locations, open directions, or export to XLSX, TSV, CSV, or Clipboard. Use this for a nearby shortlist. If your decision depends on road travel time, check that measure separately rather than treating the nearest-result order as a driving-time ranking.
Verify the distance file's scope
Check what the file contains before using it in a comparison. Each distance needs an origin, a destination, a measure, and units. Keep the run date with the result so someone can identify when the output was made and distinguish it from a later run using changed locations.
Start with a nearby pair and a far pair. Compare their source addresses with their mapped positions. Inspect a pair whose distance looks unexpectedly short or long, and check any records plotted at the same position. Identical positions may be legitimate, but they can also point to an address or matching problem.
For driving fields, keep the direction clear. Origin-to-destination travel and destination-to-origin travel can have different distances and times. Use the direction needed for the actual task, particularly if you're comparing outward service trips with returns to a depot.
Compare the result with the pairs you need. Check whether a location you need is outside the radius. Look for a limit on the nearest results or an option that keeps each row only once for its closest circle. Either setting can remove pairs you need. Correct the relevant selection and export again when the scope is wrong.
Treat an absent pair as an absent result. It doesn't mean the distance is zero. Investigate a blank travel field before using it in a spreadsheet calculation. Keep unresolved results separate until you know what they mean.
A selected-radius file should retain that description when it's passed to someone else. Label the origins, destination selection, radius rule, and chosen distance fields. Before calling the work complete, confirm that every required pair is present or identify the comparisons that still need to be measured.
