How can we visualize data using customized interaction maps from Tableau?

Customized Interaction Map in Tableau Software

For companies whose field of activity is carried out in several locations around the globe or in several work points, a centralized analysis of all the data or their evolution over a period of time is required. Data analysts from global companies need data analysis solutions according to locations, regions, countries or cities.

Tableau Software offers geospatial analyzes as customized interaction maps that have the role of answering questions about how the organization’s activity evolves or unfolds in a certain region. In other words, gives answers to questions regarding to the existence or evolution in a specific area of a situation or topic of interest.

Customized Interaction Maps from Tableau

In Tableau Software a customized interaction map can be tailored according to the user’s preferences, considering how he wants to analyze the data in a selected region. Therefore, a customized interaction map can be built with six background map styles: Normal, Light, Dark, Streets, Outdoors, and Satellite.

Also, the users can choose different types of maps that can be build. For example:

Proportional symbol maps: They are used when we want to display quantitative data, in individual locations.

Choropleth maps (filled maps): They are used when analyzing statistical data, such as obesity or life expectancy.

Point distribution maps: They are used for displaying groups of data on different locations on the used map.

Heatmap (density maps): They are used to display the trends of the analyzed data groups on a particular map.

Flow maps (path maps): They are used to analyze the course over time of a subject.

Spider maps (origin-destination maps): They are used to view the connection points between multiple locations or how they interact.

In conclusion, in Tableau Software the users can import their own map background. Also, they can hide or display data layers to analyze multiple elements at the same time. When building a customized interaction map we can choose the type of map and we can add different colors. The size of the points on the map is adjustable, and additional information can be added when the user clicks on certain regions.

Below you can find a step by step guide which shows you how to create a customized interaction map in Tableau:

Step 1: Connect to data/report

→ In Tableau Desktop, connect to Superstore provided by Tableau to use Overview Dashboard.

Step 2: Activate/Deactivate map options

→ Can activate or deactivate the map options from Map -> Map Options

→ Check / Uncheck Allow Pan and Zoom to activate the option to zoom in or to zoom out inside the map view.

→ Check / Uncheck Show Map Search to activate or deactivate the option to search.

→ Check / Uncheck Show View Toolbar to appear or disappear the toolbar.

→ Check / Uncheck Show Map Scales to activate or deactivate scaling.

→ You can fix the map from the Toolbar from the map by selecting the pin Fix Map.

By Ciprian Nastasiu

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