GPS to vCard — Preserve Location Data When Exporting Contacts

GPS to vCard: Step-by-Step Conversion Tools & Best PracticesConverting GPS coordinates into a vCard (.vcf) can be incredibly useful when you want to share precise locations via contact files, import location-based entries into address books, or keep a portable directory of places (e.g., waypoints, favorite spots, business locations). This article walks through why and when to convert GPS to vCard, step-by-step methods (manual, automated, and tool-based), practical examples, and best practices to ensure compatibility and usefulness.

Why convert GPS coordinates to vCard?

• Portability: vCard is a widely supported format for sharing contact-like information across devices, apps, and platforms. Embedding GPS coordinates in a vCard makes a location shareable in the same way as a phone number or email.
• Compatibility: Most contact managers (Google Contacts, Apple Contacts, Outlook, Thunderbird) and some mapping apps can read vCard fields or at least import the file and preserve custom fields.
• Organization: Storing locations as contacts lets you organize places by groups, tags, or notes and sync them with address books and devices.
• Automation: vCard files are plain text and easily generated by scripts or exported from spreadsheets, GPS logs, or GIS tools.

vCard basics relevant to GPS

A vCard is a text format that contains fields like FN (full name), N (name components), TEL (telephone), ADR (address), EMAIL, and more. There’s no single standardized field universally used for raw GPS coordinates, but common approaches include:

• Using the ADR field to include a textual address plus coordinates.
• Adding coordinates as a NOTE field.
• Using custom fields (X-*) such as X-GEO or GEO (GEO is part of vCard 4.0) to store latitude/longitude in the form “geo:lat,long” or “lat;long”.

Examples:

• vCard 3.0 style (custom):

  
  X-GEO:37.7749,-122.4194 

• vCard 4.0 GEO property:

  
  GEO:geo:37.7749,-122.4194 

Note: Not all contact apps fully support vCard 4.0 properties. For compatibility, include coordinates in multiple places (GEO, X-GEO, and NOTE/ADR) when possible.

Step-by-step: Manual conversion (single coordinate)

1. Prepare the GPS coordinate(s) in decimal degrees. Example: Latitude = 37.7749, Longitude = -122.4194.
2. Create a plain text file and start a vCard block:

   
   BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 FN:San Francisco — Favorite Spot N:Spot;Favorite;;; NOTE:Coordinates: 37.7749, -122.4194 X-GEO:37.7749,-122.4194 END:VCARD 

3. Save the file with a .vcf extension (e.g., san_francisco_spot.vcf).
4. Import the .vcf into your contacts app. If the app supports GEO or custom fields, it may map the coordinates to location fields; otherwise the coordinates remain as a note or custom property.

Batch conversion: Spreadsheet → vCard

Useful if you have many coordinates in CSV/Excel.

1. Prepare a CSV with columns such as Name, Latitude, Longitude, Address, Notes.
2. Use one of these approaches:
   • Use a script (Python, PowerShell) to read CSV and write .vcf files.
   • Use an online CSV-to-vCard converter that supports custom fields.
   • Export as vCard from a contact manager that can import CSV and then export vCard.

Python example (minimal):

import csv with open('locations.csv', newline='', encoding='utf-8') as csvfile:     reader = csv.DictReader(csvfile)     for i, row in enumerate(reader, start=1):         lat = row['Latitude'].strip()         lon = row['Longitude'].strip()         name = row.get('Name', f'Location {i}')         with open(f'{i}_{name}.vcf', 'w', encoding='utf-8') as vcf:             vcf.write('BEGIN:VCARD ')             vcf.write('VERSION:3.0 ')             vcf.write(f'FN:{name} ')             vcf.write(f'NOTE:Coordinates: {lat}, {lon} ')             vcf.write(f'X-GEO:{lat},{lon} ')             vcf.write('END:VCARD ') 

This yields individual .vcf files for each row. You can also append multiple vCards into a single .vcf file to import at once.

Using mapping and GIS tools

• QGIS: Import a CSV or GPX with coordinates, create point layer, and export attributes to a custom script or plugin that generates vCard entries. QGIS gives strong control over coordinate reference systems and batching.
• GPSBabel: Convert between GPS formats (GPX, KML) and then use a small conversion script to create .vcf files from the exported GPX waypoints.
• Google My Maps / Google Contacts: My Maps stores markers but doesn’t export direct vCards. Export KML, parse coordinates, and convert to vCard via script or a conversion tool.

Tools & scripts (quick list)

• Small custom scripts (Python/Node.js/PowerShell) — best for batch, privacy, and custom formats.
• GPSBabel — convert GPX/KML to CSV and then to vCard.
• Online CSV → vCard converters — convenient but consider privacy for sensitive location data.
• QGIS plugins or custom processing — best for complex GIS workflows.

Best practices

• Use decimal degrees for clarity and consistency (e.g., 37.7749, -122.4194).
• Include coordinates in multiple fields for compatibility: GEO (vCard 4.0), X-GEO (custom), and NOTE/ADR.
• For batch exports, produce a single combined .vcf containing multiple VCARD blocks to simplify import.
• Keep filenames simple and descriptive; avoid special characters that could break imports.
• Test imports with your target apps (Apple Contacts, Google Contacts, Outlook) because support for GEO/X-GEO varies.
• Preserve metadata: include timestamps, source (GPS device), and accuracy in NOTES if relevant.
• If sharing sensitive location data, sanitize or obfuscate coordinates as needed and avoid uploading to unknown web services.

Examples

1. vCard with GEO (vCard 4.0) and fallback:

   BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:4.0 FN:Golden Gate Bridge N:Bridge;Golden Gate;;; GEO:geo:37.8199,-122.4783 X-GEO:37.8199,-122.4783 NOTE:Source: GPS logger; Accuracy: ~5m END:VCARD 

2. Combined .vcf with two entries (append multiple BEGIN/END blocks in one file) — useful to import multiple locations at once.

Troubleshooting

• Imported vCards show coordinates only as notes: The target app likely ignores custom fields; search the app’s import documentation or try mapping CSV columns instead.
• Coordinates flip or misinterpreted: Ensure decimal point vs comma and strip non-numeric characters. Ensure no locale-based CSV separators interfere.
• Apps fail to import .vcf: Validate vCard syntax, use VERSION:3.0 for maximum compatibility, and test a minimal vCard first.

Privacy considerations

Treat coordinate data as potentially sensitive. Avoid uploading private location lists to unknown third-party converters. Prefer local scripts or trusted desktop tools when handling personally identifiable or private location data.

Converting GPS to vCard is straightforward once you pick a compatible approach: for single locations, edit a .vcf manually; for many locations, script or use GIS tools; always include fallback fields for compatibility and test with your target contact application.