Thematic mapping is a powerful way to analyze and visualize your data by enhancing your map with a display theme. Themes assign specific data values in your table with shades of color, fill patterns, symbols, bar or pie charts, or grids. Themes clearly reveal patterns and trends that are almost impossible to otherwise detect in the data.
MapInfo Pro lets you create thematic maps using the following methods:
- ranges of values: applies a fill color to each range of values, such as for showing population density by region
- graduated symbols: applies a symbol size to each range of values, such as low, medium, or high shipping volume for each store location
- dot density: shows a dot for each data instance to show spatial patterns, such physical assaults on a crime map
- individual values: applies a color to individual values to create a matrix, such as for a precipitation map
- bar and pie charts: shows data comparisons for each record, such as sales by gender within each market area
- continuous grids: shows continuous change of your data across an area
There are also several variations on and options within these methods, such as bivariate thematic mapping and inflection point, that give you even more ways to analyze your data. More than 40 thematic templates ship with MapInfo Pro.
Each theme has its own purpose and unique attributes. For example, using a Ranges of Values theme, you could thematically shade a map according to population density. The data is shown sequentially using graduated color where the darkest color represents the most densely populated regions and the palest color represents the least densely populated regions. The variation in the color indicates intensity (the progression of the data), so you can easily see the distribution of the population.
Figure: Population density shown sequentially with the color red
Some themes show diverging data, where data ranges are shown above and below a middle value.
Figure: World literacy shown as divergent ranges above and below a value (there is no data available for countries shaded green)
You are not limited to representing numeric values with thematic mapping. Nominal values also may be shaded thematically. For example, you have a table of underground cables. Those cables that have not been serviced in the past six months are labeled priority status. Using an Individual Values theme, you can shade the cables according to their repair status. All records with the same value will be shaded the same.
Whatever you need your map to say, whether it is to convey information, calculate distances between health care providers and their patients, or get a count of the number of customers that live within a given radius of an outlet location, MapInfo Pro can help you do that. By making selections from your table, you can extract information from sets and subsets of your data or see patterns and distributions, getting answers to such questions as: Which of my customers bought more than $5000 of equipment? Which of my customers is located within a 200 mile radius of my warehouse? Which of my customers bought more than $5000 of equipment and is located within a 200 mile radius of my warehouse?