Geo Charts Basic

1. Who can create a map chart and what do you need?

Any Zoho Analytics user who wishes to visualize geographical data can create this chart. You will need a location-specific data column to create this chart.

2. What kind of data can be visualized in map charts?

If your dataset contains location information (say, country, county, city etc) then you can use map charts to visualize your data. Zoho Analytics will auto-identify the columns types while importing and set the corresponding Geo data type. Currently, Zoho Analytics can auto-identify 5 types of Geodata.   

• Continent - If your column contains the names of the continents or their codes.
• Country  - If your column contains the names of countries or their codes (alpha 2-code, alpha 3-code).
• County - If your column contains the names of counties.
• State/Province - If your column contains the names of states/provinces,
• City  - If your column contains the names of cities.
• Zip Code - If your column contains postal code of locations.
• Latitude and Longitude - If your column contains latitude and longitude of locations. Click here to know about the supported DMS formats.
  
• Airport - If your column contains airport IATA code.
  
• Geometry column and Custom Geometry column   - If your column contain geometric data for spatial table.

3. Will Zoho Analytics automatically identify the Geodata?

Yes, Zoho Analytics will auto identify the column that has Geo data.

Names or Codes: If the data contains names of countries, Alpha-2 and Alpha-3 country codes, names of continents, states, cities, districts, counties, or provinces, then the data type of those columns will be automatically identified as geo location.

Note: 

Zoho Analytics will not identify the columns as geo location:

1.  If there are spelling errors in the location's name. In this case, you can use the Find and Replace  option or use
   Zoho DataPrep  during import to correct the misspelt locations. 
   
2. If the latitude or longitude columns have any other DMS format other than the supported formats, the data type of those columns will not be automatically identified.
   

4. How do I set the data type of a column as Geo?

When you import the data into Zoho Analytics if your dataset contains a geographical column (continent, country, state, city or district) it will be automatically set to the corresponding Geo data type. If your existing table contains a geographical column and you wish to change the data type,

• Right-click the column header and select  Change Data Type
• Select the correct Geo data type from the  Data Type  drop-down
• Click  OK

5. I get an error message "Invalid GEO LOCATION" while importing geodata into Zoho Analytics. How do I resolve them?

This error message will be displayed when your geo data contains duplicated/ambiguous location names, misspelled locations, colloquial names for places, etc. You can resolve these issues from the imported table or from the geo map chart. Click here to learn more .

6. I have Latitude and Longitude specific information in my dataset, can I create a map chart using that?

Yes, you can. To create map chart using latitude and longitudes, you need both latitude and longitude data as different columns in your dataset and set the data type of the columns to Latitude/Longitude.  

Follow the below steps to change the data type of your column. 

1. Right-click the column name and select Change Data Type . 
2. Select the Latitude/Longitude  from the drop-down.
3. Click OK .
   
   

You can choose the format for the latitude and longitude column using the Format Column option.

Note: Make sure that the data type is changed to Latitude or Longitude to use the format specific to the latitude and longitude columns.

1. Right-click the column name and select Format Column from the drop-down 
   
2. In the Format Column dialog that opens, Specify the Alignment
   
3. Choose the preferred format from the Display Format drop-down. Supported formats are,
   
1. Decimal
   
1. (+/-) 12.3456789
   
2. Degrees Minutes Seconds (DMS)
   
1. (+/-) 12° 34' 56"
   
2. 12° 34' 56" (N|S|E|W)
   
3. (+/-) 12d 34m 56s
   
4. 12d 34m 56s (N|S|E|W)
   
5. (+/-) 12.3456°
   
6. 12.3456°  (N|S|E|W)
4. Click  OK.

7. I have postal zip code in my dataset, can I create a map chart using that?

Yes, you can.  To create a chart using this you need to change the data type of the column to Zip code.  

Follow the below steps to change the data type of your column to Zip Code. 

1. Right-click the column name and select  Change Data Type . 
2. Select the  Zip Cope  from the drop-down.
3. Click  OK .

Once you have set the data type as Zip Code. You can create reports using this. 

8. I have airport IATA code in my dataset, can I create a map chart using that?

Yes, you can.  Zoho Analytics will automatically identify your data as IATA code. In case it is not identified, then you need to change the data type of the column to Airport .  

Follow the below steps to change the data type of your column to Airport. 

1. Right-click the column name and select  Change Data Type . 
2. Select the  Airport  from the drop-down.
3. Click  OK .

Once you have set the data type as Airport. You can  create reports  using this. 

9. What are unresolved locations and from where do I access the list?

When you plot a map chart, sometimes Zoho Analytics might not plot all the data points in the map. This could be due to issues in resolving the geolocation such as duplicated/ambiguous location names, misspelled locations, the colloquial name for places etc.

When Zoho Analytics is not able to identify a location, it lists it as an  Unresolved Location(s)  for the user to rectify the issue. You can find the list of unresolved locations

10. I have created a map chart but there are some unresolved locations, how do I resolve them?

Unresolved locations as mentioned in the previous question are geo locations (places) that Zoho Analytics is not able to identify. You can help Zoho Analytics to resolve them, by providing the required/missing information, as described in the below steps.

Resolving through Geo Column Mapping

Mapping it to a country column:  This will allow Zoho Analytics to identify the country in which the unresolved place is located and plot it appropriately. If you have a country column in your data-set, you can map it to resolve the unresolved locations.

In case you do not have a country column, but all the state/cities belong to a single country, you can use  Provide the Location  option and enter the name of the country. 

Mapping it to a state column : This is in addition to mapping the location to a country column. If your dataset contains a state column further mapping it to a state column will help Zoho Analytics identify the state in which the unresolved location is located. 

In case you do not have a state column, but all the cities belong to a single state, you can enter the name of the state by selecting  Provide the Location  option as described above in the case of a country. 

Note:  Alternatively, you can resolve these issues from the parent table as well.

Correcting Misspelt Locations

Zoho Analytics will not be able to identify the location if the spelling of the location is not correct. For example., Hong Kong spelled as Hongkong or Brooklyn being spelled as  Broklyn.

In this case, we recommend you to correct the spelling either in the original data and then import it into Zoho Analytics or make the necessary corrections in the Zoho Analytics table. 

Plotting the Latitude and Longitude

You can also resolve the issues by specifying the latitude and the longitude values of the corresponding location in the unresolved locations page.

Pick the Location

You can also pick the location by clicking the  Pick Location  link. Search the location in the map using the given search field. Place the picker in the correct geolocation in the map and click  Apply . The latitude and the longitude values for the selected location will be auto-filled in the respective fields.  

Creating Geo Charts

1. What are the supported map chart types?  

Currently, Zoho Analytics supports the following types of map charts,  

• Map Scatter
• Map Bubble
• Map Pie
• Map Bubble Pie
• Map Filled  
• Geo Heat Map

Zoho Analytics will auto-identify the appropriate Geo Map type from the columns used in the chart. You can also choose to change the chart type using the Other Charts option.  

2. How do I create a map chart?

You can create a map chart by dragging and dropping a geographical column (a column of type "Geo") into the X- Axis shelf and the required columns in other shelves.  The below animation shows how to create a map chart.

3. How do I create a Geo Heat Map chart?

Geo Heat Map chart displays data in a geo-map, color coded based on the density of points in a particular area. This enables you to identify the geographical location with a high contribution of your data such as region with most deforestation and climatic changes, where your traffic sources are from, region with most sales, etc., 

The below animation shows how to create a Geo Heat Map chart illustrating regions with high level of earthquakes in North America based on its magnitude.

4. Can I create a map chart for specific countries alone and hide the rest of the map?

Yes, you can create a map chart for specific countries alone by selecting the country-specific map. You can change the map type from the Maps tab of the Settings page.

The below animation shows you how to create a chart over specific countries. 

5. How do I create a map chart using the latitude and longitude columns?

To create a map chart using the latitude and longitude information, you need to ensure that the data type of the column is set to Latitude and Longitude. Refer to this section to learn how.

The below animation shows you how to create a chart using Latitude and Longitude data. In this chart, we have plotted the total profit gained in a location grouped by product category.

6. How do I create a map chart using the Airport information (IATA Code)?

To create a map chart using the airport information ( IATA code ), you need to ensure that the data type of the column is set Airport . Refer to this section to learn how .

The below animation shows how to create a chart using Airport data. This chart plots the busiest airports in the US, based on the number of flights per day. 

7. I have a column whose data-type I do not want to change to "Geo". Can I still create a map chart using it?

Yes, you can do it using the Treat as Geo option in the chart designer. When you use this option data type of the column used in creating the report will be considered as a Geo Data Type only for that particular report.

In the below animation, the column ' State ' is of string data type. We have created a map chart using this column by using the option ' Treat as Geo '.

 8 . I have a few location-specific data imported into Zoho Analytics. However, I do not find the map charts option in my chart designer while creating reports using this data. What could be the possible reason?

1. Right-click the required column and select  Change Data Type  from the drop-down.
   
   
   
2. In the  Change Data Type  pop-up menu, choose the required  Geo-Location  data type from the list of options available.
   
   

9. What are the interaction options available on map charts?  

Zoho Analytics provides an immersive geo map visualization with its wide range of interaction options. You can interact with the overall map chart using the map toolbar options that appear on the left corner of the map. Regular chart marker and legend specific interactions are also available, providing an immersive geo map visualization experience.

Interactions using the Map Toolbar

• Search - Allows you to search the location 
• Home - Fits the map to screen 
• Grab Area - Zooms the selected area
• Zoom in - Zoom to view till the street 
• Zoom out 

Chart Interactions

You can use all the regular interaction options over the chart marker & legend that are listed below:

• On-mouse over effect
• Drilldown
• View underlying data
• Legend filter

Creating Spatial Data Geo Charts

1. What is a spatial data file?

A spatial data file contains the location, size, and shape of a geometric value. Using a spatial data file, you will be able to plot custom locations/shapes while creating geo-map charts in Zoho Analytics.

2. How do I analyze spatial data files in Zoho Analytics?

With data from Spatial files, you can create geo-map charts. These files contain location-specific points in the data, thereby helping us plot the data to the correct location in the map charts.

Let us see how to analyze spatial data file with the help of the video below.

3. What are the supported geometry data types in Zoho Analytics?

The supported geometry data types in Zoho Analytics are:

• Point
• Polygon
• Multi-Polygon

4. What are the supported file formats of spatial data in Zoho Analytics?

The supported file formats of spatial data in Zoho Analytics are:  

• Shapefiles (Zip format with all the dependent files)
• TopoJSON files
• GeoJSON files 

5. Who can create a spatial map chart?

Any Zoho Analytics user with a spatial data file can create spatial map charts. 

Choose the Spatial File option available inside the Files/Feeds tab when your file contains geo-spatial data and the file format matches the list provided above . 

6. What is a geometry column in a spatial data table?

A geometry column contains the geodata information which helps in plotting the locations on a map chart. You cannot import a spatial file without the geometry column into Zoho Analytics.

7. Will Zoho Analytics automatically identify the geometry column?

Yes, Zoho Analytics will automatically identify the geometry column in your spatial data file during import.

8. What is a custom-geo column in a spatial data table?

The custom-geo data type are columns in your data that contain unique data and can be used in place of geometry column in the maps you create. Zoho Analytics also identifies custom-geo columns in your data and maps them with the geometry column in the spatial data.

9. Can I import spatial data into an existing table?

Yes, you can import spatial data into an existing table provided the table also contains spatial data. 

Note

• You can only Delete existing records and add . 
• Other file formats import is not supported into a spatial data table. 

Follow the below steps to import spatial data into an existing table:

1. Open the table into which you want to import data.
2. Click Import Data > Import Data into this Table . The Import wizard to import data into that table will open. 
   
   

The rest of the steps are same as importing a spatial data file . 

10. Are there any restrictions/limitations while importing spatial data files into Zoho Analytics?

In Zoho Analytics, while importing a spatial data file, you must ensure the following:

• You cannot import a spatial file without the geometry column.
• You cannot have multiple geometry columns in a single spatial data file.
• You cannot create a lookup relation with geometry data columns.
• While sharing a spatial data table, you cannot exclude the geometry data column.
• You cannot delete the geometry column in the spatial table.
• You cannot auto analyze a geometry column.
• When you auto-generate reports, the geometry column will not be included in the reports created. 
• You cannot create formulas with a geometry column.
• When you export/backup a spatial file, it will not be saved as a spatial data file. 
• Zoho Analytics allows you to import a data file having up to 15 MB spatial data.

Creating Geo Charts with Image Background

1. What are geo charts with image background?

In Zoho Analytics, you can blend geo data points (XY coordinates and geo locations) with images to create geo charts with image background. This way you can provide more context to the data being analyzed and gain deeper insights.

Say, you want to analyze a sports team's performance. The team's performance data plotted on the layout of the field/court will provide deeper insights than simply analyzing it as a table or a chart. The below chart illustrates the performance analysis of the basketball team, the Los Angeles Lakers in one of the games.

The below chart is a geo chart with image background that illustrates apparel sales based on brand.

2. What type of data values can be visualized in geo charts with image backgrounds?

You can plot geo data types (both coordinate values and geo locations) over an image. 

Coordinate Values (XY)  - The coordinate data points are image-specific location points. Say, you want to analyze the floor plan of a construction site. You will have the coordinate values that map to a particular floor plan. Using the geo charts with image background option, you can plot the coordinate values with the corresponding floor plan.

If you do not have the coordinate values of the image being analyzed, you can encode the same from third-party tools like  make sense  and use the generated values to create geo charts with image backgrounds in Zoho Analytics.

Geo-Location (Lat/Lng)  - You can use the geo charts with image background to visualize your geolocation information (say, country, county, city, etc., or latitude and longitude points) over an image.

Note : Ensure that the coordinate/location values are  set to geo data type  while importing the data into Zoho Analytics.

3. What are the image types supported in geo charts with image background?

Zoho Analytics supports images in .jpeg, .jpg, and .png formats. Ensure that your data tables have the relevant coordinate/geo data points for the images that you are planning to use.

4.How to create geo charts with image background for coordinate values?

The coordinate values are image-specific location points. You can create geo charts with image background if your data tables contain the coordinate values (XY) of the corresponding image that you are planning to use. The below illustration is created with coordinate values corresponding to the human body parts to analyze the apparel sales based on their brands

Let us see how to create the above geo chart with image background. 

1. From your workspace explorer, click  Create  >  Chart View  and select the data table on which you want to create the chart in the  Select Base Table  dialog. Alternatively, you can also click  Create  >  New Chart  from the required data table. You will get navigated to the chart  Design Area .
   
    
2. In the  Chart Design Area , drag and drop the X and Y coordinates to the X and Y shelf. Ensure that these values are set to geo data type. You can also change your data type while plotting your charts. To do this, click the  Summary Function  drop-down in your dropped column and set X -  Geo > Longitude  and Y -  Geo > Latitude .
   
   
   
3. Add the other required columns to the corresponding data shelves.
4. Navigate to  Settings  >  Maps .
5. In the  Map Chart Settings  page, click the  Image  option in the  Background  field.
6. In the  Image  section,
   
   
   
   
   • Click the  Choose Image  box and add the required image.
   • In the  Image Scale  field, select X and Y scales.
   • Mention the  Image Scale Values . The image scale values are the plottable image area. It represents the boundary points of the image with respect to the data being plotted. The data values beyond the provided scale values will be ignored. In our case, the X value ranges between 0 to 702 and the Y value ranges between 2122 to 0.
     
     
   • Lock Aspect Ratio -  Select  Lock Aspect Ratio  if you want to maintain the original ratio of the image. The image aspect ratio will not be retained upon deselecting this option, and it might pixelate the image as the chart size changes.
   • Fit to Screen -  Select  Fit to Screen  option if you want to display the images in full-screen mode. You can maintain the aspect ratio of the image when it is enlarged to the screen size by choosing  Lock Aspect Ratio  along with this option.
   • Image Position  - Set the image placement location in the draw area using the  Image Position  drop-down.
   • Image Opacity -  Set the display opacity (transparency) level for the background image using the  Image Opacity  scale.
   • Data Label  - This option allows you to add the Y-axis value as data label on the map chart. 
   • Fill Opacity  - This option allows you to specify the opacity of the chart series color. 
7. Click  Apply .

Geo charts with image background will be successfully created in Zoho Analytics.

Note : If your image data coordinates and the data you want to analyze are in two separate tables in Zoho Analytics, you can join them using a Lookup relationship and create charts using data columns from both the tables.

5. I have image coordinate values in my data table, but I do not see the Map charts option in Zoho Analytics. Why?

You might have not set the data type of the coordinate values to geo data type. You will be able to see geo map chart option only if your coordinate values is set to geo data type.

Alternatively, you can set the coordinate values to geo data type even while plotting the chart. To do this, click the  Summary Function  drop-down inline to your dropped column and set X -  Geo > Longitude  and Y -  Geo > Latitude .

Customizing Geo Charts

1. How can I customize the map chart settings?

Zoho Analytics allows you to easily customize the look and feel of your map chart from the settings option.

1. Click the  Settings  option in the toolbar Select the Map tab.
2. The  Map Chart Settings  page will open as shown below. Please do note that the options on this page will differ based on the type of the map chart selected.
   
   
   • Theme  - This option allows you to  customize the theme  of the map chart.
   • Data Label  - This option allows you to add Y-axis value as data label on the map chart. 
   • Fill Opacity    (not applicable for Map - Scatter) - This option allows you to specify the opacity of the chart series color. 
   • Markers Type  ( applicable only for Map - Scatter) - This option allows you to add a  custom marker  for the scatter chart.  
   • Display Specific Country Map  - This option allows you to  add a map of a particular country  alone for the chart.
   • Heat Radius (applicable for Geo Heat Map chart) - This option allows you to specify a boundary to combine the data points for heat calculation. 
   • Heat Intensity (applicable for Geo Heat Map chart) - This option allows you to specify the percentage to intensify the heat of the chart. 
   • Heat Opacity (applicable for Geo Heat Map chart) - This option allows you to customize the opacity (transparency) of the heat map. 
3. Once you modified the necessary settings click  Apply .

Zoho Analytics offers a wide range of options to customize the chart.  Refer here  to know more chart setting options that improve the overall appearance of your chart. 

2. How do I customize the map chart Theme? 

Zoho Analytics provides three themes for the map chart. They are:

• Light  - Applies a light grey theme.
• Dark  - Applies a dark grey theme.
• Blue  - Applies a blue theme.
• Custom  - Applies a theme based on custom chosen color. 
• Satellite  - Applies a satellite map.

Follow the below steps to customize the theme.

1. Open the chart you want to customize. 
2. Click the  settings  icon. The  Settings  page will open.
3. Open the  Maps tab.
4.  Select the required theme. 
5. You can choose to invert the land and water color using the  Invert Color  toggle button. This is applicable for all theme except Satellite map. 
   
   
6. Click  Apply . The selected theme will be applied.
   
   

3. Can I create the map chart over the satellite map?

Yes, you can create a map chart over the satellite map. Follow the below steps to apply the satellite map theme.

1. Open the chart to which you want apply satellite map theme. 
2. Click the  settings  icon. The  Settings  page will open.
3. Open the  Maps  tab.
4. Select the  Satellite Map  as  Theme . 
   
   
   
   
5. Click  Apply . Chart will be plotted over satellite map.
     
   
   

4. Can I use a continuous color range legend for map chart?

Yes, you use a continuous color range legend for map chart and categorize the data values using color range. This will be pretty useful for visualizing data based on the volume of occurrence.

The below animation shows how to do set continuous band as the legend. 

5. Can I customize the default home screen of the map chart?

Yes, you can set the default home screen of the map chart. 

The below animation shows how to do set default home screen. 

6. How do I customize the marker used in the Map - Scatter Chart?

Markers are used to identify the location in a map. Zoho Analytics provides you 6 types of marker types to choose from.

The below animation explains how to change the marker type in a map-scatter chart.

7. How do I customize the color of the charts plotted in the map?

You can customize the chart color of your map charts as you do for other chart types. Please do refer to this documentation to learn more.

8. How do I customize the legend settings in a map chart?

Refer to the legend settings documentation in charts to learn customizing the legend settings in map charts. Please do note that you cannot change the legend position in a map chart.