Submit Data

The first step in submitting the data is collecting the information. The preferred method is to use a GPS device to obtain the coordinates. Coordinates can also be obtained via topographical maps, but problems can arise with accuracy and conversion of datums.

You will want to collect the following information

	Waypoint's name: Name of cemetery
	State: Use the 2 character USPS designation
	County: Use the county name
	Latitude: In DEG MM.MMM format
	Longitude: In DEG MM.MMM format
	Method of collection: GPS, Topographic map, etc.
	Notes: If cemetery is located on private property, please use this field to indicate as such. Can also be used for any other notes you feel would help a researcher. Limited to 254 characters.

The data must then placed into an "ASCII comma delimited' file (also known as CSV). You can use Microsoft Excel or any database program that can save the data in CSV format.

The order of the fields must be in the same order as outlined above.

The Latitude and Longitude fields must be in the correct format.

The US GeoGen Project ® has standardized on the WGS-84 Datum, and the Coordinate format of DEG MM.MMM, or Degrees, Minutes, Decimal Minutes. (See the FAQS page for information) This is commonly known as Garmin format.

This is an example of the correct formating

	Latitude is N40 18.726, you would enter N40 18.726 in the Latitude field
	Longitude is W077 00.680, you would enter W077 00.680 in the Longitude field
	Note: Latitude is 11 characters long, Longitude is 12 characters long.

You can download a blank Microsoft Excel spread sheet with the correct file format on the Downloads Page

Submitting the data

You can submit the data as frequently or infrequently as you like.

There are two types of submissions

	New data can be submitted anytime. Only submit the new data
	Corrections can also be submitted any time. You must submit all of your data for the county that contains corrections. When you submit a correction file for a county, the 1st thing I do is remove all records for that county from the database prior to adding the corrections file.

Submit the data to the State Coordinator who will review the file for proper formatting prior to submission to the national database.