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Create a Map Chart in Excel to represent geographic data overlaid on a map.
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4.15 geographic-data-map-charts - Exercise.docx96.5 KB 4.15 geographic-data-map-charts - Exercise solution.docx
5.8 MB Exercise - Map Charts.xlsx
10.5 KB Exercise - Map Charts - Solution.xlsx
163.8 KB Workbook - Map Charts.xlsx
16.2 KB Workbook - Map Charts - Complete.xlsx
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Quick reference
Geographic Data: Filled Map Charts
Create and Format a Filled Map Chart in Excel.
When to use
We use a Filled Map Chart whenever we want to visualize and present geographical data in an engaging way.
Instructions
A filled map chart in Excel is a graphical representation of geographic data overlaid on a map. It allows us to visualize data spatially, showing variations across regions or countries. Map charts are useful for displaying geographical patterns, regional differences, and distribution of data points such as sales figures, population densities, or any other geographical data.
Key Features of a Filled Map Chart:
- Geographical Visualization: Displays data across geographical regions.
- Color Shading: Uses color gradients to represent different data values, making it easy to see variations across regions.
- Interactive: Allows for interactive exploration, where hovering over a region can show detailed information.
- Integration with Geographic Data: Automatically recognizes and maps geographic data like country names, state names, or ZIP codes.
Why Filled Map Charts Are Useful:
- Geographical Analysis: Ideal for analyzing data with a geographical component, such as demographic information, sales by region, or election results.
- Visual Impact: Provides a powerful visual impact by using color to represent data, making patterns and outliers immediately noticeable.
- Data Comparisons: Enables easy comparison of data across different regions.
- Decision Making: Helps in decision-making by clearly showing which regions are performing better or worse based on the given metric.
Create a Filled Map Chart
- Click in the data.
- From the Insert tab, click Maps and Filled Map.
The map shown will differ depending on the regions contained within the dataset. The map will show each region that has data, shaded according to the value.
Format the Map Chart
- Chart Title: Click on the chart title area to add a descriptive title.
- Data Labels: Add or modify data labels to display the values on the chart by right-clicking on a data point and selecting Add Data Labels.
- Colors and Styles: Customize the colors and styles of the regions by right-clicking on the map and selecting Format Data Series. Adjust the color gradient to better represent your data.
- Additional Elements: Add or remove legends, tooltips, and other chart elements as needed.
Example Use Cases for Filled Map Charts.
- Sales by Region: Visualize sales performance across different states or countries.
- Population Density: Show population density across different regions in a country.
- Epidemiological Data: Display the spread of diseases or vaccination rates across regions.
- Market Penetration: Illustrate market penetration or customer distribution geographically.
- Resource Allocation: Visualize the allocation of resources or services (e.g., schools, hospitals) across regions.
Hints & tips
- Filled Map Charts cannot be created directly from Pivot Table data. To do this, we need to copy and paste the data outside the Pivot Table and create the map chart. Once complete, we can point the chart back at the Pivot Table data.
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