Examples of Interactive Maps
During the Pandemic
During the development of COVID-19, new outlets used interactive maps to highlight differing rates of infections by city, state, and country. Users could zoom in on various areas within the map to search for specific data.
Electoral Maps
Political parties will develop interactive maps to forecast and predict electoral outcomes whenever people are called to vote.
Business Growth and Development
Anyone working within sales, logistics, or marketing understands the impact interactive maps hold for short-term and long-term planning. These maps help guide sales territories, highlight marketing departments, and offer invaluable resources to coordinate supply chains.
Best Online Tools for Interactive Maps
When you want to capitalize on data, or you’re curious about the development of your customer base, finding the right online mapping software can make all the difference. To help get you started, here are three online tools to help you create interactive maps that can offer the data you need in an easy-to-understand way.
Maptive
Potentially the most versatile online tool for anyone wanting to develop interactive maps, Maptive has everything you could want from software. Users can implement data without coding skills, using all features to display geographic data. After creating an account, upload all data sources to the platform from Google Sheets or Excel. From there, users can customize a world map, embedding interactive maps on a blog or webpage, and more. Maptive excels at being user-friendly. Users can get started free and upload the data within minutes. They offer various customization options, with photos, colors, markers, and unique icons. Advanced business users can take advantage of territory mapping, drive time polygons, heat mapping, or multi-stop route planners. Finally, this software works with small data sets or extensive portfolios of content, making it adaptable to every business and industry.
MapBox
This software is great for creating interactive maps but holds a technical requirement that may stretch beyond the average user. MapBox is like Photoshop, offering designers control over everything within the map. This software integrates live-updating map data but is recommended for developers instead of the average business owner.
Google Maps
Most individuals use Google Maps for directions and locating a few restaurants, but the Google Maps API allows businesses and individuals to create interactive maps. Pricing with Google Maps API varies on usage and scale but might require a developer or coding expert to implement all functionality. Many design features don’t require coding, but there is a significant learning curve to implementing advanced features. The Google Maps application does contain a comprehensive tutorial library, but this can prove time-consuming for the average business owner.
Benefits of Interactive Maps
Visual Display of Data
Most individuals will process visual data much faster than the written word, making interactive maps essential to understanding relevant data. Different layers allow various datasets, giving users control over the information available.
Maintain the User Flow
Users can gather the information they need effortlessly and clearly when implementing an interactive map in your company. An interactive map should intuitively display relevant information to keep users on the intended flow. For instance, showing your sales team the projected growth within a geographic area, avoid unnecessary text or multiple pages. The quicker an individual can receive the information, the faster they’ll move on to the next step, improving the sales process overall.
