GIS Day is held the third Wednesday in November every year. It takes place during Geography Awareness Week, a geographic literacy initiative sponsored by the National Geographic Society. In honor of GIS Day, we at MarketMAPS would like to introduce you to some of our geographic data maps.

At MarketMAPS we offer a wide range of GIS products to enhance business performance. We provide maps with more coverage of US states, counties and cities than any other company. Right on your map we can include the information you need like demographics, sales data, customer and competitor locations and more.

Our custom maps can be tailored to your exact boundary and data specifications. Your maps can be color coded by ZIP Code or even carrier routes – showing any level of detail and scale. We can input your own company data as well as our data from leading providers such as Nielson, AGS and Experian.

Visit our site or give us a call and our experts will create the map you need. 1-888-434-6277

Image via cdc.gov

The internet is abuzz with Google searches for flu symptoms, flu vaccines, flu remedies, and maps showing where the flu is most prevalent.  If you look at the latest flu maps, no state has escaped the reach and intensity of this year’s flu, which is far worse than the early-season flu of 2009-10, and is only hinting at a plateau.

Boston, Massachusetts recently declared a state of emergency as influenza infections increased tenfold over the last few days.  In Missouri, the Department of Health reported a 1,800% increase in positive flu tests.  The flu, which is often an annoyance to most Americans, can be life-threatening for the elderly and young children.  During the last 10 flu seasons, between 50 and 150 children have died, with an average of 20,000 children under 5 hospitalized each year.

The CDC and the FDA have been encouraging Americans to get their flu shots as soon as they can, stating that there is “no excuse” to skip the shot.   The vaccine, however, has only been about 60 to 70% effective in protecting individuals against the virus recently.

Image via abcnews.com

Unless you live in Takoma Park—a city just outside Washington, DC—Beverly Hills, California, or Reno, Nevada, you are highly at risk of getting the flu.  A good way to track whether or not your area has widespread flu infections, local flu infections, or sporadic flu infections is with a map.  digital maps can give you the latest flu data for your area and show you the geography of America’s flu problem.

Maps are great visualization tools.  They can help us better understand data that is often too large to even imagine.  University researchers and government officials use maps to better understand how diseases spread.

MarketMAPS creates custom maps of anywhere in the USA and the world.  If you want to map locations where the flu is most prevalent, or if you want to know the demographics of heavily infected areas, MarketMAPS can help.  We can plot locations and can add 1000s of demographic variables to your map.  Call us today and we can help you create the perfect map for your project.

Contact MarketMAPS today and discover how our maps can help you visualize important data

Image via gizmodo.com

Brandon M Anderson is the mind behind this interactive digital map.  Using population data from the 2010 US Census, Brandon created a zoom-able map that represents each US resident with a single dot.  From far away, the map may just look like a few smudges, but try zooming in.  You will see a small black dot representing each individual counted in the US Census.  Click here to view the interactive census map. 

All 300,000,000 or so US residents are displayed on this map, as hard as that may be to believe.  Census maps like these are a great way to visualize expansive data that is normally too huge to even imagine.  With a population map, you can see the spread of population density throughout the entire country.

Image via wikimedia.org

The US Census Bureau distributes the census every 10 years to measure the population and determine which areas are growing and which are shrinking.  This helps apportion the correct amount of representatives to each district within a county or state.  But other than population size, the census measures important demographic data, such as age, race, gender, and income level.

Census maps and data are vital tools for businesses.  Companies in virtually every industry rely on demographic data from the US census to guide their direct mail campaigns, target marketing strategies, and advertising.  Knowing the demographic makeup of your area gives you valuable insights into your customers and helps you better manage your business.

If your business needs a way to view census demographics for anywhere in the US, contact MarketMAPS.  We provide the highest quality demographic maps created to your specifications.

Contact MarketMAPS today and get the demographic wall map, map book, or digital map that you need

When a business owner wants to expand, a natural step is to look for a second, third, or fourth store location.  Gas stations, restaurant franchises, retail stores: each of these businesses benefit from having multiple locations.  But when your stores are spread out over a wide area—a city, a county, a state, or the entire country—managing and understanding each business site can be a bit tricky.

A business owner should know his stores inside and out.  This means knowing the customer base, market share, and competition for each location.  This may be a simple task when you have 1 store, but when you have 5, 6, or 10 stores, acquiring that knowledge can be difficult.

Business Location Map

Start by marking your business locations on a map.  Mapping your business locations will help you analyze things like demographics, drive time, distance, competitors, and other factors that impact your business.

Use demographic maps to better understand your customer base and the potential of a particular location.  You can also plot competitor locations onto a demographic map to determine your market share.

A map is a great way to geographically organize data and to better understand the impact of locations.  If you need to plot any locations onto a map, view demographics for any area, or create a custom map, contact MarketMAPS.  We publish the most complete selection of maps of the US and the world.  We also create demographic, business location, and custom maps created to your specifications.

Contact MarketMAPS today.  We can help you better manage multiple business locations

Spain Wall Map

Barcelona is the largest metropolis on the Mediterranean Sea.  It is the capital of Spain’s Catalonia region, situated on the northeastern tip of Spain.  Barcelona was originally founded as a Roman city in the 3^rd century BC.  Some remnants of Roman architecture still exist in the city’s Gothic Quarter, a section of Barcelona that has maintained its labyrinthine street plan.

Barcelona is situated between the mouths of the rivers Llobregat and Besòs and is bounded to the west by the Serra de Collserola mountain range.  Within this range is Tibadabo, a 1,680 foot tall mountain that offers an astonishing view of Barcelona.  Here is a Barcelona map showing the city’s many regions. 

While atop Tibadabo, try locating Barcelona’s famed architectural sites, many of which were designed and built by Antoni Gaudi.  The immense Sagrada Familia church is a must see, as is the Casa Batllo.  Don’t forget to visit Park Guell, a garden complex situated on the hill of El Carmel.

You can speak Spanish with Barcelonans, but most of them speak Catalan, a language unique to the Catalonian region.  A few simple Catalan phrases to help you in Barcelona:

Image via wikimedia.org

If you’re planning to travel to Barcelona, start your journey with the right map.  MarketMAPS publishes the most complete selection of maps of anywhere in the US and worldwide.  Plan your travels with our wall maps, map books, digital maps, and custom area maps.

Contact MarketMAPS today.  Discover new adventures around the world with our maps

Digital Maps

Digital maps are growing in popularity.  These are downloadable maps of specific areas—a state, county, city, or custom radius—which can be saved and viewed on laptops, tablets, and smartphones.

People have begun to gravitate toward digital maps for a few reasons.  Firstly, they are smaller than physical maps.  Also, you don’t need internet access to view a downloaded digital map.  A digital map can be a great asset to a business that has geographic sales territories, franchise territories, or any business that needs a way to geographically manage marketing.

Image via bismarck.org

Map Books

A map book divides a map into pages so each page illustrates a detailed section of the map.  Map books include street and address indexes, which make finding specific locations as easy as reading a table of contents.  An address index will tell you which page of the map book an address is on, and where on that page it is located.  Map books are great tools for delivery drivers, sales people, and other professionals that need to be familiar with the addresses, streets, and business locations within their service area.

Wall Maps

A wall map is a physical map that can be mounted, stuck, or nailed to the wall.  They come in sizes up to 9 x 12 feet, and they can display a variety of information—from demographics to custom territories to crime statistics and more.  Wall maps provide vast options for businesses looking to visualize important data.  They can be drawn on, marked, colored, shaded, pinned, hung, and framed.

For many companies, wall maps are indispensable tools used to organize marketing, deliveries, territories, direct mail and more.  They can be hung in restaurants or real estate offices to help familiarize employees with their service areas.  They can be displayed in sales offices to help sales people visualize their territory boundaries.  Wall maps help you manage any area of your business affected by geography, locations, or demographics.

If you need help deciding which map format best suits your needs, contact MarketMAPS.  MarketMAPS has over 25 years experience publishing digital maps, map books, and wall maps.  We can provide you with the map you need in the format that’s right for you.

Contact MarketMAPS today.  We offer the most complete selection of maps of the US and worldwide

Demographic Maps

2012 marked the first year in US history where more babies of minority status were born than white babies.  This trend of increasing racial and ethnic diversity echoed throughout the year as we saw an increasing number of minority franchise owners, and more minorities attending 4-year universities than ever before.

But the area where demographics played the largest role was in this year’s elections.  While conservatives targeted their typical voter base, Obama and the Democrats tried appealing to minorities, younger voters, and women—all growing demographic groups in the US.  Their strategy paid off.  Obama’s targeted political message earned him 4 more years in the White House.

In the 2012 elections, we also saw a large amount of senators and representatives of minority status elected to office, including 100 women and 43 African-Americans.

Image via wikimedia.org

Many analysts believe that demographic trends that began in 2012 will help improve the dismal housing market in 2013.  Baby Boomers have entered the age group where they are most likely to buy a home, and their children have entered the age group where they are significantly more likely to own a home.

In 2012, demographics affected everything from elections, to the housing market, to television ratings.  And you can expect demographic trends in 2013 to affect a large range of things as well.  If you own a business, staying up-to-date on demographic trends is vital to your success.

MarketMAPS creates high quality demographic maps of anywhere in the US and Canada.  Choose from 1000s of demographics such as age, gender, income, and crime risk to display on your map.  We use only the most up-to-date demographic data on our demographic maps, allowing your business to analyze trends, target direct mail, and manage marketing with detail and accuracy.

Contact MarketMAPS today.  We create demographic maps to help your business stay up-to-date

1. Versailles, the would-be biggest house in America

2. 100 Places You Need to Visit: Prague, Czech Republic

3. Swim the Clearest Waters on Earth

Image via images.nationalgeographic.com

4. “The Man Who Lived On His Bike” – The Perfect Branding Tool

5. Mapping the Lewis and Clark Journey

6. 100 Places you Need to Visit: Easter Island

7. New York’s Parks Go Underground

8. 100 Places you Need to Visit: the Great Barrier Reef, Australia

9. KeepAmerica.com Inspires American Made Products

10. Unusual Business- Fangweng, the Hanging Restaurant

We noticed that our 100 Places You Need to Visit series is very popular; make sure to check back every week for the next hot location, and leave a comment on which locations should make our list!

If you’re planning to travel to any of these great locations, start your journey with the right map. MarketMAPS publishes the most complete selection of maps of anywhere in the US and worldwide. Plan your travels with our wall maps, map books, digital maps and custom area maps. In addition, maps make a great keepsake reminder of your great adventures.

Contact MarketMAPS today. Discover new destinations around the world with our maps.

Image via wikimedia.org

The Great Wall of China is a series of fortifications made of stone, brick, wood, and other materials that date back as early as the 7^th century BC.  It follows most of China’s northern border and was originally constructed for the purposes of defending the Chinese against attackers.

The Chinese were familiar with the technique of wall-building as early as the 8^th century BC.  Many of the warring states within China built walls around their territories to keep enemies out.  When Qin Shi Huang unified China in 221 BC, he ordered the destruction of the walls that divided his empire along former state boundaries, although many wall sections were left in place.  When the Chinese were threatened by the Xiongnu people from the north, Qin ordered the connection of the existing walls along the country’s northern border.

Image via wikimedia.org

Wall builders used whatever local materials were available to construct the unifying wall along China’s border.  During different Chinese dynasties, forts, watchtowers, and other additions were made to the wall.  Today, the wall is approximately 5,400 miles long, stretching from Shanhaiguan in the east, to Lop Lake in the west.

More than 4 million people visit China’s Great Wall every year.  There has been controversy surrounding the Wall’s visibility from space, but the claims that the Great Wall can be seen from the moon have been laid to rest.  Apparently, viewing the Great Wall from the moon would be like viewing a human hair from 2 miles away.

Image via mapsales.com

If you’re planning to travel to China to see the Great Wall, start your journey with the right map.  MarketMAPS publishes the most complete selection of maps of anywhere in the US and worldwide.  Plan your travels with our wall maps, map books, digital maps, and custom area maps.

Contact MarketMAPS today.  Discover new adventures around the world with our maps

Czech Republic Map

Prague, Czech Republic

Head to the banks of the Vltava River at midnight on Dec 31^st and celebrate the New Year in the Czech Republic.  Fireworks over Prague Castle, a beautiful stone castle built in the 9^th century, are worth the visit alone.  Shops in Prague don’t close for New Year’s Eve, giving you access to countless markets and historical sights.

Image via wallpapersdb.org

New South Wales, Australia

While large cities like Sydney have massive fireworks displays, other areas of New South Wales offer more secluded New Year’s celebrations.  Along the southern coastline of New South Wales, you can see shooting stars and have bonfires with your friends.  Away from the large Australian cities, places like South Durras and Narooma allow you to celebrate the New Year with the sounds of the sea and the solitude of nature.

Image via wikimedia.org

Dublin, Ireland

Dublin is a town that knows how to party.  Around New Year’s time, fireworks fill the Dublin skies while fire breathers and stilt walkers fill the streets.  But as usual, the real action is found in Dublin’s lively pubs.  Kehoe’s, The Long Hall, and Hartigan’s are local favorites.

Image via wikimedia.org

Chiang Mai, Thailand

The northern Thai city of Chiang Mai provides a perfect mix of cheap drinks and cultural adventures.  Spend the New Year in Chiang Mai’s comfortable 80 degree weather.  Check out great Thai rock concerts and keep your eyes glued to the skies as thousands of Chinese lanterns are released into the air.

Spend your New Year exploring a new location.  Visit a country, city, or state that you’ve never been to.  And to help you plan your trip, make sure you grab a great map.  MarketMAPS publishes the most complete selection of maps of anywhere in the US and worldwide.  Use our map books to plan road trips, and our wall maps to commemorate your travels.

Contact MarketMAPS today.  Use our maps to help you find the best destinations for any holiday