Reverse Geocode

Overview

Lookup runs in two steps, both against bundled offline data. First the point given by `lat` and `lon` is placed in a country using country boundary polygons. Then the nearest entry in a US and Canada postal location dataset is found for that country, and its `city`, `state`, `state_abbr` and `zipcode` are returned. Coordinates in any other country are outside the dataset and are not supported.

Results are only as fine-grained as the dataset: the answer is the closest postal-code location, not the containing boundary, so points near a town or ZIP line can resolve to the neighbouring one. `latitudeClosest` and `longitudeClosest` are the matched location's coordinates, returned as strings, and `distance` is how far it lies from your point. `latitude` and `longitude` echo the input and `countryCode` is the two-letter code from the first step.

`nearestCities` is built by matching the resolved city name against a worldwide city list: it holds up to 20 unique city names that contain that name, such as Brooklyn Park and East Brooklyn for Brooklyn, in list order rather than by distance. `distance`, the closest coordinates, `estimatedCity` and `nearestCities` are null on the Free plan.

Live Test Reverse Geocode Source →

Formula

One function covers the whole catalog: the first argument names the source, the next are its inputs, and the field after them says which single value lands in the cell. Formulas covers the grammar that applies to all of them.

=VERVE("reversegeocode", A2, B2, "zipcode")

=VERVE.CALL("reversegeocode", A2, B2, "zipcode")

A2 holds lat, B2 holds lon. Arguments go in that order — the same order as the table below.

With literal values

Nothing has to come from a cell — typed values work the same way.

=VERVE("reversegeocode", 40.714224, -73.961452, "zipcode")

=VERVE.CALL("reversegeocode", 40.714224, -73.961452, "zipcode")

Inputs

Required inputs are positional, in the order below, followed by the field. Everything else is passed as a "name", value pair after that — the same shape as SUMIFS. Premium inputs are accepted on every plan but only take effect on plans that include them.

Passing an option

=VERVE("reversegeocode", A2, B2, "zipcode", "geocodes", "true")

=VERVE.CALL("reversegeocode", A2, B2, "zipcode", "geocodes", "true")

What lands in your sheet

The field — the argument after the inputs — is what makes the formula resolve to one cell. Its value is a dot-path from the table below, so swapping it is how you pull a different value — one formula per column.

Seeing everything at once

Leave the field out and the formula returns the whole response instead: two columns, field name on the left and value on the right, spilling from the cell you typed in.

=VERVE("reversegeocode", A2, B2)

=VERVE.CALL("reversegeocode", A2, B2)

Response fields

Paths are relative to data. Each one is exactly what the field argument accepts, so swapping it is how you pull a different value into a cell. On a plan without a Premium field the cell reads #PREMIUM(field) rather than a value, so a locked field never looks like a real answer.

Filling a whole column

Both platforms make one batched call for a column rather than one request per cell, and both cost the same — 6 credits per row looked up. How you write it differs, because the two runtimes batch at different points.

=VERVE("reversegeocode", A2:A100, B2:B100, "zipcode")

In Google Sheets, give the arguments ranges and the answers spill down from the cell you typed in. Custom functions there run synchronously and in isolation, so dragged cells cannot be coalesced — the range form is how a column becomes one call. The field is required here: a per-row two-column table has nowhere to spill. Use a full column per input (A2:A100, not A2) — a single-cell reference is read as row 1 only and the rest of the column comes back blank.

In Excel, type the formula once and fill down — no range form and none needed, because its runtime is asynchronous and the add-in coalesces the calls a fill produces into a single batched request. Do not hand VERVE.CALL a range: Excel flattens it into positional arguments, so A2:A100 arrives as a hundred separate arguments and the cell reads #ERR rather than filling.

Either way, column A holds your lat values and the answers land beside them, one row each, blank rows skipped.

When a cell doesn't fill

A failed lookup returns readable text starting with #ERR rather than a spreadsheet error, because Excel cannot show a custom message on a real error — you would get a bare #VALUE! with no reason. The trade-off is that IFERROR() will not catch it; test with LEFT(cell, 4) = "#ERR" instead. Error handling covers the rest.

Before the formula works

The add-in reads the API key you saved once in the side panel — the key never goes in the formula, so a shared sheet does not leak it and a collaborator without access simply sees the last calculated values.

1. Install the add-in for Google Sheets or Excel.
2. Open the side panel and sign in, or paste a key from your dashboard.
3. Type the formula above into any cell.

Use cases

Fleet Telematics Tracking

Logistics systems match vehicle GPS pings against city and state boundaries to generate human-readable trip summaries for dispatchers.

Mobile Photo Geotagging

Camera apps read coordinate metadata from uploaded photos to display the city and state where each picture was taken.

Delivery Address Autofill

When a customer shares device coordinates at checkout, ecommerce apps automatically populate the city, state, and ZIP code fields.

Field Service Dispatch

To assign incoming repair tickets, maintenance platforms convert technician coordinates into local municipality names and postal codes.

Other ways to use Reverse Geocode

Set up Reverse Geocode on VerveSheets, or reach the same source a different way. Your VerveSheets account and credits work on all of them — one key, one balance.

Related

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