Business Mapping as Database Management

Business mapping software provides location-based map visualizations of your business which include a basic database of associated records that you can easily control. In other words, a business map lets you highlight or color shade a specific area of geography and then select from a variety of data sources, data related specifically to that area of interest.

Business map users or creators might decide to build a map based on a circular or a rectangular area. Or they could also decide to view a number of zip codes or Census tracts. Perhaps a county or two? Whichever area or shape they chose to view, business mapping software shades or colors in that area of interest in the map view, defining the area for business analysis purposes.

Once your area of interest is established the user can begin the process of appending data to that geographic object; adding data layers or data columns to the analysis. Often this appending process starts by the assignment of zip codes.

Map Business Online Map Business Online users establish a geographic base map layer for their area of interest – zip codes, counties or states. You can add Census tracts, city limits or MSA districts from the premium layer button.

With zip codes turned on and an area of interest defined, the application creates a color shaded area on the map and assigns the list of impacted zip codes to the data sheet view. Map Business Online assumes the users wants certain columns of data included in their zip code map analysis. All that data gets automatically added to the data view of your map analysis. Many of these auto assigned columns deal with overlapping zip codes and counties. The user can get rid of these in a few mouse clicks and replace the information with data more pertinent to your specific analysis.

Map Business Online Data Base Management

Your area-of-interest database can be adjusted and appended by clicking the More Data button in the lower right view of the data window. This opens up a panel with two distinct sections – left and right. You’ll notice two Blue Arrows located between the two panels. Those arrows move selected data from the right side to the left, or vice versa.

I usually start by removing data I don’t think I’ll use from the right to left. Then on the left side I click the Drop Down associated with the General category. Here you will also find Demographic data, any imported data layers of your business, and data you may have Calculated will be listed there.

A datasheet view in Map Business Online

A data sheet view in Map Business Online

If you click on some of the datasets listed under General, you’ll find access to all the associated data columns. Simply select a column and move it to the right. This will add that data column of data to your area-of-interest data view. When you’re done, hit the Set data columns button.

Also available in that left side data repository is Map Business Online demographic data. Simply choose Demographic Data and move data columns from the left to the right. And if you’ve applied calculated data columns to multiple Demographic Data layer options, that calculated sum will also be available for inclusion in your data.

In this way, Map Business Online is a database management tool. It’s not super fancy, nor is it super complicated. If you can import a location-based or address based dataset of information into your map view, you can append your data analysis with columns from that data. You’ll have a map based area of interest with all sorts of data possibilities:

  • Counties, zip codes, city limits, Census Tracts and MSA’s
  • Demographic data like income, population ethnicity, and many more categories
  • Calculated data – Compiled Census data layers – like populations across multiple year categories
  • Imported data – Sales, products, fund-raising totals – anything you have in columns

Once you’ve imported this data into your Map Business Online Data Window view you can conduct filtering queries on the data using the Data Window tool bar. You can export your data and any query results, out of the mapping application as a CSV file.

Map Business Online provides a great business map background for your business analysis, over which you can layer a variety of data layers. “And I would do all of this why?” You might ask. Why to answer key questions in your business like:

  • Where are we conducting our most profitable business and why?
  • Where are our best customers located?
  • Why does my competition have a store in that city?
  • Approximately how far would my wife and I have to relocate to avoid unannounced in-law drop-bys on Saturday mornings? (Hint – it’s further than you think.)

Find out why over 25,000 business users log into www.MapBusinessOnline.com

Contact: Geoffrey Ives geoffives@spatialteq.com (800) 425-9035, (207) 939-6866

MapPoint users – please consider www.MapBusinessOnline.com as your MapPoint Replacement.

Please read customer reviews or review us at Capterra, or at the Salesforce.com AppExchange.

About Geoffrey Ives

Geoffrey Ives lives and works in southwestern Maine. He grew up in Rockport, MA and graduated from Colby College. Located in Maine since 1986, Geoff joined DeLorme Publishing in the late 1990's and has since logged twenty-five years in the geospatial software industry. In addition to business mapping, he enjoys playing classical & jazz piano, gardening, and taking walks in the Maine mountains with his Yorkshire Terrier named Skye.
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