Why A Map?

Given the stacks of database reports, charts, graphs, spreadsheets, etc. already on your desk, it's OK to wonder if an interactive map would be a boon to your productivity or if it would end up being just "one more thing" that didn't deliver as promised. Fair enough. But consider this:


click to enlarge


click to enlarge
It's Visually Intuitive: most of us decode patterns of line and color far more efficiently than grids of numbers. Not only do the major trends become immediately identifiable, but so too the outlier points (e.g. the overachievers and laggards) that then can be quickly interrogated for more information.

It's Multidimensional: overlaying multiple datasets at the same time on the same map brings out relationships that are much more difficult to ascertain when you are trying to look back and forth between disparate sets of tables and charts.

It's Contextual: as you examine your data organized spatially, it meshes with your personal knowledge of areas and regions, bringing into play your accumulated experience.

It Engages Your Audience: the visual impact of a map rich with information captures your audience's attention and invites them to discover for themselves the key relationships that you are emphasizing verbally. Weaving a coherent narrative around a single interactive map that allows you to zoom, pan, and query particular data points minimizes the disruptive effects of sprinting through dozens of slides burdened with superfluous graphics, hard-to-read tables, and unsubstantiated bullet-point pronouncements.

It Uses Your Data In Its Existing Form: no new "systems"(!).
We read data from your spreadsheets and databases and combine it with a vast library of boundary geometry (borders of countries, states, MSAs, counties, zip codes, census tracts, etc., etc.). Our goal is to make your workflow more efficient—not to turn it upside down while promising grandiose returns sometime in the distant future.

It Facilitates Better Project Management: whether they be down the hall or a continent away, keep everyone on your team on the same page by keeping them on the same map. The way that you share information—email attachments and posted web links—can now include interactive maps containing the most current data. In addition to tracking project-related metrics, geographically organizing links to all relevant documents (spreadsheets, PDFs, Word docs, etc.) lets your team get what they need efficiently, instead of wandering aimlessly around the folder structures on the company server.