MAP VIEW

Map functions are currently available for Census TableBuilder datasets only. If the table contains geographical data, then Map View can be used to display the results on a map. The Map View tab becomes enabled whenever a table containing a geographical variable is created. The maximum number of geographies that can be included in a map is 1,000. It is recommended that fewer geographies are mapped for improved performance and usability.

For optimal viewing of maps and download functionality the recommended browsers are Internet Explorer version 11, Chrome 52, Firefox 47.0 and Safari 8.0.2.

This section includes:
Create a map
Customise the map
Edit what is displayed in the map
Download the map


CREATE A MAP

1. Create a table containing a geographical variable, for example, Area. The Map View tab becomes active. Click Map View.
   
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2. Depending on the complexity of the table, this may take some time.
   
   

CUSTOMISE THE MAP

Once the map is generated, there are options to customise what is shown in the map and how it is displayed.

Field Option
Select the category or summation option to visualise on the map. The options available depend on the categories and summation options that were included in the original table.

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Data Classifier
TableBuilder calculates the ranges automatically based on natural breaks in the data. The natural breaks are calculated using the Dalenious Hodges Algorithm. Select the data ranges to be displayed on the map.

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Natural Breaks
This option is a good choice when the data is not evenly distributed. This algorithm groups data into classes that are themselves as separate as possible, but where the data values within each class are fairly close together. That is, it maximises the differences between the classes and minimises the differences within the classes. This classification can be used to discover spatial patterns within the data, but it can lead to some classes being populated by low numbers of observations.

Equal Distribution
Equal Distribution puts the same number of records into each class. For example, a dataset containing 100 records is split so that approximately 20 records fall into each class of a five class classification. When using Equal Distribution it is important to watch out for any extreme data values (outliers) that might affect the thematic map. Outliers are incorporated into a class without regard to the distribution of the remaining values in the class. This method can give the most evenly coloured map but should only be considered for datasets with a nearly even distribution.

Quantile
This option divides records into class ranges of equal spread. For example, in a field of data values ranging from 1 to 100 the records would be assigned (in the 5 class case) into the ranges 1–20, 20–40, 40–60, 60–80 and 80–100. These ranges are set to 1 to less than 20, 20 to less than 40 etc., so the classes do not overlap.

With this method classes with few or no data records can be created, depending on the distribution of your data. For example, the records 1, 4, 6, 10, 10, 89, 90, 92, 95, 100 (that is, highly skewed to either end of the overall data range) causes the middle three classes to have no records. In this case only two colours will appear on the map. To produce even colour representation on the map, the data would need to contain nearly evenly distributed values.

Custom Ranges
Select this option to choose your own data ranges. Custom ranges should always be developed with reference to the distribution of the data being mapped. The Custom Range option can be particularly useful when developing a series of maps that are designed to be compared. Enter the start and end values for each range and then click Update Ranges to update the map.

Palette
Choose the colours used to highlight the different regions in the map.

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Number of Ranges
Select the number of different coloured ranges you want to display on the map.

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Thematic Opacity
Use the slider to control the opacity of the coloured areas on the map.

• At 0% the areas highlighted on the map is completely transparent and only the outlines are visible.
• At 100% the areas highlighted on the map is completely solid and the map underneath is not visible.

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Zoom
Use the plus and minus buttons to zoom in and out of the map.

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Pan
Click and drag anywhere on the map to pan around the map.

Map Type
Select an option from the drop-down list in the top right corner to change between the drawn map and the satellite view.

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Pop-Up Information
Click any region in the map to see the name and value for this region.

.EDIT WHAT IS DISPLAYED IN THE MAP

The buttons at the top of the map can be used to change the areas that are visualised on the map from within Map View itself.

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Click one of the buttons to change the map to "Edit Mode". In this mode, all the areas currently included in the map visualisation are highlighted in a single colour.


You can then select areas you want to remove from the map, as well as add new areas to the map, even if they were not included in the table (although only add areas to the map if there is data for those areas in the dataset). Adding areas to the map also adds them to the table (switch back to Table View to see this change).

The three options work as follows:

1. Single Option
   Click an area that is currently highlighted to remove it from the map.
   Click an area that is not currently highlighted to add it to the map.
   
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2. Rectangle Option
   The rectangle is similar to freehand, except click and drag to draw a rectangle over the areas you want to toggle, instead of a freehand shape.
   
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3. Polygon Option
   Click to start drawing a shape, then click again as many times as needed to add a point and continue drawing the shape. To complete the shape, either click again on the first point, or double-click.
   - Any areas underneath the shape that are currently included in the map are removed.
   - Any areas underneath the shape that are not currently included are added to the map.
   
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After selecting regions, click Apply Changes to apply the changes and return to the map visualisation.

To exit without applying any of the changes, click whichever one of the buttons is currently selected. This exits Edit Mode without applying any of the changes.

The areas that are visualised on the map can be modified by switching back to Table View and modifying the table, then returning to Map View.


DOWNLOAD THE MAP

1. Select the download format from the drop-down list in either KMZ format (which can be used in tools such as Google Earth) or PDF.
   
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2. Click Go. The map will download at the current zoom level, showing the same section of the map that is currently visible on screen.

Maps cannot be imported back into TableBuilder. To access the same map in future sessions, save the table used to create the map. You can then reopen the saved table and click Map View to recreate the map.