MapBusinessOnline newsletter – May 2017

Advanced Territory Mapping - We Just Made Flexible, Affordable

This month marks the release of MBO 5.0 - Advanced Territory Mapping. Advanced Territory Mapping means MBO users can now create territories by ZIP code (county, state, Census tract) and then gather those territories into Regions, and Regions into Divisions.
This support is known as hierarchical territory support. Users are free to adjust the names of the layers in MBO using Map & Data. For example, change Region to Zone or Division to District.

With this capability also comes the ability to define the boundaries marking the Territories, Regions, and Divisions. For instance, you can have a color shaded territory layer with Region and District boundaries highlighted - all while removing the internal ZIP code boundaries. Users can also color code territories by demographic or aggregated imported data. Territory labeling is also more flexible with MBO 5.0. Users can append up to five data references to the Territory, Regions and District labels. The Data Window view of aggregated imported data now allows territory names to be added to client data lists.

Users interested in hierarchical territories should begin by considering how their layers will be constructed. Are your territories based on ZIP codes or Counties? Will your Regions be based on territories? Will there be overlap? Think these things through before starting more complex territory maps.

Next MBO Webinar - Advanced Territory Mapping

Join us on May 25, 2017 at 11:00 EST for a Webinar dedicated to the MBO 5.0 release - Advanced Territory Mapping. We'll explore setting up Territories, Regions and Districts on one map layer; territory boundary lines, and reverse spatial queries. Register here to attend our territory mapping webinar.

MBO Tips & Tricks - Good-to-Know Territory Mapping Tips

• NEW! Edit territories based on the intersection of a map object and a selected territory. Great for testing new territory geographies. Place comments in the new notes section on each territory, to explain your work
• NEW! Color code territories by demographic, calculated, or imported data layers
• NEW! The data summary button can be applied to territory geographies! Click the territory boundary and choose the Summary button (A sideways "M" icon) to build a quick exportable spreadsheet of your territory data
• NEW! Transparency controls over lines and fill on map and territory layers adjustable by scroll bar, giving users gradation control from opaque to transparent

Lightning Video - NEW! Reverse Spatial Search

MBO 5.0 adds a new twist to our standard spatial search function. Just like before, users can search data within a radius or a polygon map object. But with MBO 5.0 there's a few more options to consider, so take it slow. After you've created a circle or polygon to search for data within that circle click the Binoculars. You'll see data options listed - with a few more options than usual like territories or regions. You'll note the ability to search for the 100 (or you pick a number) nearest locations. Click Next.

On the second page, there are three things that have changed:

1. You can add notes to your file for later reference
2. You can click Invert/compliment. This choice lets the user conduct the reverse spatial query. Instead of searching for what's inside the map object, choosing Invert returns a result of all the locations outside of the map object
3. In the list save options you'll see Update and Intersect listed as additional options. Update will update an existing list. Intersect will display the search results as defined by an overlap of map objects

Here's the lightning video!

MBO Feature of the Month - Territory ZIP Code Filler

Especially out West, our states have many public lands that are not associated with a ZIP code. This is all fine and good in vacation mode or if you're on the lamb, but if you're building color shaded territories by ZIP code you need an easy way to fill in those ugly white areas in your carefully crafted territories.

In the MBO Map & Data control box choose the Edit Gear on the Mini Toolbar. Now select the ZIP Codes tab. In the drop-down list choose ZIP Codes with Fillers. Moving forward (not retroactive) you have the choice to fill in those ugly national parks. Conduct a polygon search and add the selected ZIP codes to your territory. Bye-bye holes.

MBO Community - Software Updates

Professional software products are developed with an eye toward achievable objectives, to assure releases occur on a timely basis while still providing significant value to the end user. Over the last three years, MapBusinessOnline software developers have carefully planned the new product feature lists, enhancing the product's capability in a way that is intended to support most users. You certainly can't please everyone with every release.

Listening to our customers, especially since the cancelation of Microsoft MapPoint, advanced territory mapping has been, one of the most requested capabilities. With the release of MBO 5.0 we sincerely hope our users find enhanced features that support the core of what they do with business mapping software.

As always, we greatly appreciate your business.

Share Your Map Story

As always we are interested in ways to make MapBusinessOnline the best mapping software possible. Send us your business mapping software application examples. There are many map users who would like to learn about your application of business mapping.

Referrals

Referrals to friends, relatives or business associates are the highest compliments we receive from our clients. We appreciate your referrals.