I get a lot of inquiries about the SAS Visual Analytics geospatial features. Typically, customers are interested in knowing how specific geo plotting can get. Many are concerned that the application is focused mainly in the US and thus probably doesn’t go any deeper – but that’s not true.
In this post, I’ve assembled landmarks from around the world to give you an idea of how specific the plotting can be with OpenMaps, which is inside SAS Visual Analytics. [If you have the newer SAS VA versions – you can get ESRI maps as well!]
It’s All About Your Place on the Globe
The great feature about the geo-plotting is that it uses latitude and longitude to show where in the world you are trying to locate. If you have never played with the coordinates, here is a site that allows you to search for a location and show you the coordinates. You can see the SAS Headquarters in Cary, NC but you should try to plot your office or your home. [More data prep background on SAS VA geoplotting.]
Here’s a partial view of my data. I just imported this text file to SAS Visual Analytics Designer.
This data source was assembled by checking Google which made the data easy to cut and paste. However, remember that with latitude and longitude that south and west are negative numbers. When I first plotted my data, several of the locations were in the wrong hemisphere or continent. So a negative number makes a big difference when you are trying to find your location on the globe. But explore your data to understand if it is ready for this step.
I should have used a utility that converts addresses to latitude/longitude, such as this one from Steve Morse, this Batch Geocoding one, or this GPS Visualizer one. If you are doing this task often or working with confidential data, then you might have to purchase a utility to assist you.
Create a Custom Geo Data Item
If you are using geo-coordinates for your data, then you need to create a custom geographic data item. Here’s a quick overview of how to do that with a categorical data item. Notice I do have the latitude and longitude available in the data.
Let’s see where in the world we are
When I first create the geocoordinate map, I see an overview of all my locations. By hoovering I can see what each item is depicting. The Venetian in Las Vegas is the location of the 2016 SAS Global Forum maybe I’ll see you at the TweetUp. I’ll be one with the #RockTheFedora party. There is a navigation bar that allows you to zoom in on a location on the left side. By sliding the bar upward you can increase your magnification.
Here are some close-ups of other locations in the world, such as this royal palace in Britain. You can see on the navigation bar that I’m not as close on the map as I could be. I could still get closer.
It’s for Honeymooners
Recently Chris Hemedinger was discussing this US location and his father’s connection to it. Visual analytics empowers you in so many ways.
A magical place in Oz
Michelle Homes, Metacoda, could probably offer more details about this location.
Go here for a chance meeting with Prime Minister Putin
Business users appreciate the opportunity for report and dashboards rich with details.
You can play golf here as well?
Remember that you can also review these reports and dashboards on mobile devices.
Built for a princess?
Population = 0 but view is incredible
Who doesn’t want to see something Forbidden?
Sounds beautiful and mysterious
Wonder how you get permission to this 18th Century holy place?
Here are some additional tips about plotting coordinates on a map.
All screen captures are from SAS Visual Analytics 7.3.
Interested in SAS Visual Analytics? Contact Zencos for a free demo.