Using Excel to assign a name to a geographical location using GPS coordinates

[brooks02]

I have 3 research sites (A, B and C) separated by a few miles that water quality is being taken at. Within each site there are 5 square plots. The boundary of each of the square plots is set by 4 GPS points, one for each corner (so 20 GPS points for each site, and 60 overall for the entire area). Each set of square plots are right next to each other, in a line running either north-south or east-west. Every time a water quality sample is taken from the middle of each of the plots, a GPS location is also taken at the same time with a separate handheld Garmin. In the end, I have two sets of data, one with water quality and one with Garmin GPS data. I am able to combine the data sets by matching up the time stamps for each. Right now I have to manually cut and paste Garmin GPS coordinates from the spreadsheet to Google maps to verify that the sample was taken from the correct location. Is there a way to have Excel look at a latitude and longitude, and tell me if that point is within the boundary of a plot and output the name of the plot? I have the GPS coordinates for each of the corners for each plot, as well as the GPS coordinates for the center of each of the plots.

Using Excel Mac 2011

 

[slinky]

As a GPS coordinate is just a pair of numbers, it's relatively easy to determine whether a value is within a bounded box of data.
I wrote something a while back to take an average fuel tank reading between two known GPS points on a circuit, but I can't find that right now. I'll have a nose and see if it's something that could be re-purposed.