Creating Widgets: Scatter Maps

Scatter Maps allow you to visualize geographical data as data points on a map, such as the number of ideas submitted by country. A cloud service is used to load the background tiles of the map, and position data points on the map using a geocoding service.

The map distinguishes data using different colors and sizes for the data points on the map.

Adding Data

In the Location panel, you can add any field(s) that contain geographic data, and the map will find the most appropriate point.

Supported Location types are:

• Country
• City
• State/Province
• Latitude/Longitude (for example: 37.5601, -122.50131, but not 37.5601° N, 122.50131° W).

If you have a country field, using it by itself will visualise the countries on the map. If instead you have a city field, using it will visualise the cities on the map automatically.

Improving Geographic Accuracy

Use multiple geographic fields

• To improve accuracy, it is recommended to use more than one geographic level. For example, if you have both a country and a city field, add both of them to the Location panel.

Defining the location type

• Clicking on the geographic field’s menu will present a location type sub-menu, which contains the following options:

  • Auto

  • Country

  • State/Province

  • City

    

• By default, Auto is always selected. This option always tries to figure out which fits best. For better accuracy, you can specify the appropriate location type.

Using Latitude and Longitude data

Colour

Select a numeric field here to colour the scatter points on the map according to their value and colour rule.

The value of the field is displayed in the tooltip of the scatter point on the map. Hover over the point to see it.

Size

Select a numeric field here to make the size of the scatter points on the map relative to their value in the field’s value range.

Details

You can select additional data (numeric or descriptive) that will appear when hovering over the data point in the map.

Designing the Scatter Map

Fine-tune the appearance of the Scatter Map Widget, using the following tools.

• Marker Style: Choose between various marker styles.
  

• Marker Size: Select the relative size for the markers.
  
  When the Size has a field in it, the slider has two levers controlling the minimum and maximum size of the points.