Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Applications
    • Applications

    Microsoft Excel Power Map Gains Custom Regions

    By
    Pedro Hernandez
    -
    May 19, 2015
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin
      Power Map for Excel

      Microsoft has added bring-your-own-region support to Power Map for Excel as part of the May 2015 update for Office 365. Power Map, formerly GeoFlow, enables users of the popular spreadsheet application to visually overlay data over 2D and 3D maps provided by Bing Maps.

      Custom Regions “allows data to be mapped to the regions that matter most to you, even if they are not the traditional zip code, county, state or country regions,” Igor Peev and Daniel Witriol, Microsoft Power Map program managers, wrote in a company blog posting. Effectively, the feature allows users to translate their data into map-based visualizations that may not fit into the borders of predefined areas.

      “Custom regions are useful for scenarios involving sales districts, school districts, congressional districts, land lot development, crop rotation, geological analysis, and anything else using custom-defined polygons,” Peev and Witriol wrote.

      The feature relies on custom polygons from imported Keyhole Markup Language (KML) or Shapefile (SHP) files, both of which can be used to define geographical areas. The latter must adhere to the WGS 84 standard coordinate system projection for Custom Regions to work, they wrote. “Once imported, you can use custom regions in the same manner as you would use standard regions such as zip codes.”

      After importing the data, Power Map allows users to apply a friendly name to custom regions. “This is helpful when working with more than one set of custom regions. In the case of SHP files, there is also a drop-down allowing you to specify which field in the SHP file contains the names of your region,” they noted.

      The Power Map update also includes new customization options that help users emphasize important information.

      “You can now customize the formatting of your legends. Simply right-click the legend and choose Edit,” instructed Peev and Witriol. “You can also customize the background color of text boxes, date/time boxes, legends, and annotations to create emphasis or have it blend in.”

      Microsoft also made it easier for users to label and fine-tune the display of their Power Map data. The company has done away with “the extra green bar chrome you saw when you hovered over text boxes, date/time boxes, legends, and 2-D charts,” they reported. “Now it’s easier to line these boxes up or position them in corners. Click anywhere on the box to drag it around and then double-click or right-click to edit, or right-click to remove.”

      Organizations are increasingly turning to the insights provided by geospatially enabled technology solutions to help solve problems, improve business outcomes and overcome the challenges of serving a global marketplace.

      Geographic information system (GIS) solutions, like those from smart mapping specialist solutions provider Esri, are enabling companies like Starbucks to grow in targeted and sustainable ways. GIS mapping is also helping to halt the spread of Ebola, create efficient transportation infrastructures and help drive STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education.

      Pedro Hernandez
      Pedro Hernandez is a contributor to eWEEK and the IT Business Edge Network, the network for technology professionals. Previously, he served as a managing editor for the Internet.com network of IT-related websites and as the Green IT curator for GigaOM Pro.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×