Simply Analytics will prompt you to select the location or locations you want information about. You can choose multiple locations so you can run comparative analyses later.
Once you have chosen your location(s), SimplyAnalytics will prompt you to choose data variables (or "seed variables").
Your preliminary map will look something like this:
This preliminary map does not display all the variables you were given. To display the other variables, toggle the menus at the top of your map.
You can now add new variables to display on the map. Select from the categories available on the left-hand side of the screen.
These are data folders that will expand into several different variables. Clicking on "Consumer Behavior", for example, will open up that category into over 800 different variables. You can then narrow your desired variables down by clicking on the categories you wish to include in your map.
You may notice that the map only displays one variable at a time- the latest variable you have clicked on. You can use SimplyAnalytics' filtering feature to apply multiple filtering variables to the map simultaneously, however.
Begin by selecting all of your desired variables. For example, if you're interested in how much households making above $80,000 per year spend on their vehicles yearly, you could select not only "Households by Income" but "Average Total Expenditure | Transportation | Private transportation".
To apply these variables as filters on the map, select the "Filtering" dropdown above the map in the main part of the screen.
You can then select the variables you would like to filter your map by and set conditions. (I set Household Income > $80,000 and Average total expenditure | Private transportation > $1000.00).
Hit "Apply" at the bottom of the filtering screen. Your map will now display the results for your filtered variables (even though it will still only list the most recently selected variable). You can add up to four filters this way.
You can change how the map's categories are defined in the Map Legend by clicking on "Edit" at the bottom of the legend.
The Legend Editor will then give you several options to change how map data is displayed. You can change how the numbers are grouped, how many groupings there are and what colours you want.
To export your map, click the "Export" button in the top-right corner of the interface.
You will have the option to modify the layout and select a format (PNG, JPEG, or PDF).