Updated demographics in the latest version of Maptitude

Maptitude’s Stewart Berry spoke recently with GISCafe Voice regarding their latest Maptitude intelligent geographic information system release.

1) What current enabling technologies is the new 2012 release relying on or maximizing in order to offer specific functionality?

The latest Maptitude has completely new tools for street-based analysis. Maptitude uses extremely efficient and compact “network” data structures that are optimized for storage and the rapid processing of algorithms such as those for finding the best path or creating drive-time zones.

The updated NAVTEQ MAPS™ data in Maptitude allows the user to calculate accurate routes and includes information on a wide variety of road attributes such as one-way streets, tunnels, underpasses, and overpasses. You can create street-based rings using travel distance, time, or cost, where the cost can be any combination of factors such as distance, time, or your own values such as actual dollar cost of travel.

The drive-time rings tool has been completely overhauled and is now a simple toolbox that provides the most accurate results on the market. In addition, the tool automatically calculates Census 2010 demographics for the travel time bands, allowing a clear understanding of service areas.

The revamped shortest path toolbox also has several major enhancements including continuous live routing as you drag the mouse over the map. This provides the user with instant feedback on the shortest or fastest routes.
2) What would you say is the single most important new feature of the release?

The most important new feature is the provision of updated demographics. Caliper Corporation leads the industry in the processing and release of Census data. The 2010 Census and ACS data are included with Maptitude 2012 for most boundaries. These include U.S. Census Tracts, MCDs, MSAs, Counties, ZIP Codes, and States, while Block Groups and Blocks are available for purchase as nationwide layers.

Since 1995 the Maptitude Mapping Software has made it easy to access a wealth of U.S. Census data for the entire country. With Maptitude you can quickly visualize Census demographics using a suite of wizard-driven tools.

3) Does 2012 work on mobile devices and iPads, etc.?

Maptitude runs on Windows, while Maptitude for the Web applications are accessible via browser-based interfaces on mobile devices.

4) How is the new addition of Census Data used by your customers?

Users are able to explore the most up-to-date U.S. demographics and how these relate to their areas of interest. Maptitude provides a map library that contains pre-designed maps listed by Census category, removing the complexity associated with identifying, manipulating, and visualizing fields of Census data.  A user can choose one or more thematic maps of population, social, economic, and housing data by ZIP Code, Tract, County, and State, and can quickly analyze these demographics for any location they specify.

5) Does the product still offer a lot of free data?

Unlike many other mapping and GIS software packages that require separate data purchases, Maptitude includes extensive geographic and demographic information so that users can get started as soon as they open the box.

Up-to-date U.S. datasets are provided, including a NAVTEQ street layer that allows accurate address locating and street visualization, plus robust data on which to calculate best routes and drive-time zones.

Other new U.S. layers include urban building footprints, highways, railroads, landmarks, and the latest quarter of nationwide ZIP Codes. The points-of-interest layer contains over 2 million named locations that range from public facilities to commercial buildings including shops, restaurants, and retail stores.

All of the 2010 U.S. Census boundaries that are included with Maptitude, plus 3- and 5-digit ZIP Code areas, contain several demographic and economic variables based on the 2010 Census and the American Community Survey. These include race, gender, age, ethnicity, household, and income fields.

6) Who are most of your customers?

Our customers are as diverse as spreadsheet and database users, with organizations of all sizes and types realizing organizational benefits when exploring their data with Maptitude. The range and variety of Maptitude users can be seen in our News & Reviews section of our web site: http://www.caliper.com/ovunews.htm

7) What is the cost of the new release?

A new single user license of Maptitude costs US$695, while an upgrade costs US$395.

Tags: Census 2010, demographics, geospatial, GIS, intelligence, mapping, Maptitude

Category: Maptitude

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