SimplyMap Research Guide

What is SimplyMap?

SimplyMap is a web-based mapping application that enables you to create maps, ring studies, rankings and reports using demographic, business and marketing data online to support your market and business research including preparing reports and analysis relating to business planning and development activities.

What can I do with SimplyMap?

• Make a map (map)
• Compare variables in a table (Standard Report)
• Rank locations based on a variable (Rank Wizard)
• Create a demographic analysis (Ring Study)
• View and compare data for a location (Location Analysis Wizard)

Get Started Using SimplyMap

You can access SimplyMap via the library homepage www.library.yorku.ca (from off-campus locations a request for Passport York credentials is made). In the search box in the middle of the page input SimplyMap and hit GO.  Select the “Click to access this resource” link to open SimplyMap.  While it is possible to log in as a guest, first time users are advised to create an account so that work can be saved for later use.  Once you have an account you can proceed to login.

Understanding the Geography of the Census

A lot of the data variables  you select in SimplyMap are from the Census which is structured by Census Geography which uses census specific terminology,  e.g. census sub-divisions which is a rough equivalent to a city or municipality,  census tracts which is a small unit within a subdivision, and census division which is a more rural designation and  a rough equivalent to a county or regional municipality.

SimplyMap Scenarios

Listed below are three unique scenarios illustrating very common marketing analysis and  business planning research requirements/tasks and how you can use SimplyMap  to search for data  and output it in table and map formats  to support your research and analysis.

Scenario One

You want to create a demographic profile of a target market by analyzing a geographic area (province) based on key data variables to see if you should locate your business there.

You wish to establish a new outdoor lifestyle magazine and your target market is British Columbia (B.C.), both urban and rural dwellers. You want to track spending on magazines in the province while also generating data on spending on recreation equipment. You then decide your primary interest are those areas of B.C. where spending on recreation equipment is at least $1500 a month.

In scenario one we will generate the following:

• Location Analysis Report (table)- Part A
• Map of Census Subdivisions (CSD) for visual analysis- Part B

A) Generating a  Location Analysis report

The steps outlined below illustrate how to create a location analysis  report for British Columbia, showing the  average spending on recreation equipment, and average spending on magazines.  

Follow the steps below to produce a location analysis report:

1. Click New Tabular Report button at the top of the interface screen, then from the Tabular Report dropdown,  select Location Analysis.
2. Open the Variables panel, and select Household Spending >Recreation and Entertainment > Equipment>Average Spending Recreation Equipment and Associated Services. From the Actions dropdown select  Use this Variable.

Step A2  Variable selection interface

3. Open the Locations panel,  and select from each numbered area as follows: 1. Provinces, 2. Select province from dropdown (in this case British Columbia), 3. select the Use this Location
   Button.  Close the locations selection window to see the Location Analysis table underneath.
4. The table now shows the Census Metropolitan Areas in British Columbia, ranked by average spending on recreation equipment and associated services.  However, we want to show the Census Subdivisions (CSDs), which will include all municipalities of British Columbia, not just the metropolitan areas. Click on the Analyze Data by dropdown box, and select Census Subdivisions (CSD).

Step A4 Illustrating how to change to display Census subdivisions

5. We also want to compare the spending on magazines.  Open the Variables panel, and select Household Spending >Reading Materials >Average Spending >Magazines and Periodicals and then select from the Action dropdown menu - Use this Variable. Close the variable selection interface to display the refreshed table with the added variable.

6. We cannot rank the CSDs using both of these variables together, so we are going to filter the results and only show the CSDs whose average recreation equipment is at least $1500 a month. Click on  the Data filters tab at the top of the screen,  select  Create  New  Filters, select  from Select  Variables dropdown the average spending on recreation equipment.  Next select  from Condition dropdown “is greater than”, and enter 1500 in the text box.  Name this filter, and Save.

Step A6 Illustrating how to set up a filter on your results set

7. The table will now show only the CSDs with greater than $1500 in average spending for recreation equipment and associated services.  You can then sort either variable by descending values, if you click on the column title, or further filter the average spending on magazines to select CSDs that will be good for your business.

              Step A7 Illustrating a sorted table

8. You can then export your table as an .xls file, to use in Excel. Click on the Actions panel, then Download Table, and choose Excel file.

Step A8 Illustrating Actions dropdown

B) Create a map of the chosen CSDs  for a visual analysis of the data and for discovering whether  the filtered locations are clustered.  Clustered refers to whether the CSDs are geographically close to each other in a group.

1. Open the Location Analysis table you just created.  Hover your mouse over each location and  from the Actions menu select Add to favourites to add each CSD to favourites
2. Next, in order to create a new map select the New Map button at the top of the interface screen. Select the Locations variable on the left then go to Favourites, and mouse over  the  first location,   select  Add to combination, and then select Create  New Combination Location .  Type in  a  combination location         name  in the text  box.   Under Add Location,  choose a location by selecting  from  favourite locations and click on Add Location.  Repeat  the  process until all the locations you want are added and Save. 

                 Step B2 Illustrates creating and naming a combination location

3. Next, add the Recreation equipment and associated services as the variable.
4. The map will now show the CSDs highlighted in yellow, so you can choose locations that are clustered, for a better choice. 

                  Step B4 Illustrationg census sub-divisions spending most on recreation are outlined in yellow

Scenario Two (environmental scan)

You want to start a business and are scouting locations. Your decision will be informed by locating areas where spending patterns are favourable and where there appears to be scope for additional players in this line of business.

You are interested in setting up a pet store. You have identified Milton as a potential location as it is a growing community that used to be rural/agricultural. You wish to track total spending on pets and related pet products and simultaneously identify the locations of all pet stores in the area. You are interested in incomes so you can determine if you can offer more expensive products.

In scenario two we will generate following :

Outputs

• Map of locations of competitors in the category, e.g Pet Food/Pet Supplies
• Map of total spending on pets and related pet products
• Download list of competitors into a spreadsheet
• Bonus/Additional - Download report of incomes in the Milton area – list of top ten highest income, list of top ten pet spending, identify similar ones . These are independent variables – don’t necessarily relate.

A) Creating a Map

The steps outlined below illustrate how to generate a map that illustrates total spending on pets and related pet goods, and locations of competitors in the category, e.g. Pet Food/Pet Supplies.  This also facilitates the generation of a map of selected franchise competitors, e.g. Pet Valu.  

Follow the steps below to produce a map:

1. Click New Map from the top of the interface screen.
2. Open the Variables panel on the left.
3. Select Household Spending > Household Operation > Pet Expenses > Total Spending > Purchase of pets and related pet goods.  Select the arrow on the Action dropdown and select Use this variable.

Step A3 Illustrating variable selection

4. Open the Locations panel on the left, and select Milton. (Census Subdivision, Ontario, Milton, ON (CSD)). Select the Use this Location button. Then close the Locations selection window to see the map display underneath.
5. The map will then show Milton, and its total spending on the purchase of pets and related pet goods.  The data is broken down by Census Tracts, but you can further break it down by Dissemination Area, in the Map Legend. 

Step A5 Illustrating breaking the Milton area into smaller geographic areas, Dissemination areas

6. To add the locations of competitors, open the Businesses panel on the left.  Search for businesses by keyword, name or NAICS, SIC codes. Let’s type pet  and pet supplies stores in the search box and  click on Show businesses. The pet stores will then appear on the map highlighted in yellow.  If you mouse over or click on each point or cluster, the name of the pet store(s)will appear.

               Step A6 Illustrating how to search businesses  to plot business locations on a map

Step A6 Map with business locations plotted

B) Create / download list of competitors into a spreadsheet from the points on the map.

1. You can create a list of competitors from the points of Pet and Pet Supplies Stores  on the map.  Under the Actions menu on the top right of the screen, select “Make Report from  Businesses”.  This will generate a list of the pet stores in Milton, along with other information such as an address.
2. You can then download or email the table as a Excel, DBF, or CSV file, under the Actions menu.

Note: You can edit the Legend ranges by selecting the Edit Legend link below the Year of Data dropdown.

Step B1 Illustrating menu selection to create business list from plotted map

3. If you are looking for the locations of specific competitors, e.g. franchise operations, i.e. Pet Valu, go back to the Businesses panel.  Under the Advanced Search  option, click on Add Condition,  choose Name contains, and type Pet Valu in the text box.  Click Show businesses.  Only one set of points can be mapped at one time.  

4. To export your map to PDF or  JPEG, select Export Map Image in the Actions Menu. You can add a title by clicking on Add Text Label.  You may adjust the legend and title location by clicking and dragging it around the map. Next, select the format and put in your email address and click Finished.

              Step B3 Illustrating Export Map Image

C) Create  a map of incomes in Milton area.

Then generate list of top ten highest average income dissemination areas (DAs) within Milton, and list of dissemination areas (DAs) with the highest total spending on pet expenses and identify similar areas, as potential locations for your store. You can then compare this to your map of competitors.

1. Click New Map button at the top of the interface. Open the Variables panel, and select Demographic Estimates >  In 2006 Geographies > Household Income > Household Income, Average Household Income > Use this variable.
2. Open the Locations panel, and select Census Subdivision, then Ontario,  and then Milton, ON (CSD). Close the Locations selection window to see the map underneath display.
3. The map will then show the average household income in Milton by Census Tract. You can further break it down by Dissemination Area, in the Map Legend.  
4. To compare the areas with the highest average income and with the highest total pet spending,  select New Tabular Report – New Location Analysis. Your variables are Average Household Income, and Total spending on pets, and the location is Milton.
5. Here you can sort the list by either pet spending or household income by selecting the respective table column heading, and you can select census tracts that have high statistics for both. If you wish to look at locations at a more granular level you can select  dissemination areas from the “Analyze data by” button at the top right corner.

Step C5 Illustrating how to break locations down into more smaller or more granular areas

Scenario Three

You have an established retail business and want to investigate market potential for a new product line. You are interested in a tracking demographic variables and spending patterns related to this new product line specifically for populations located within proximity of your business.

You run an adult focused clothing and footwear retail store like Roots or Lululemon in Burlington.  You are thinking of launching a line of infant/childrens wear 0-4 yrs. You need to track percentage of the population within this age bracket within a one, three and five kilometer radius of your business,  as well as total spending on infant/childrens’ wear , within a one, three and five kilometer radius of your business.  

In this scenario we will generate the following outputs

• Ring Study of total spending on children’s clothing within a one, three and five kilometre radius of your business.
• Tabular report showing % of population 0-4 years of age within a one, three and five kilometer radius of your business.

A) Ring study report showing total spending on children’s

1. Create new Ring Study Report by selecting create New Tabular Report and from the dropdown select Ring Study Report . A Ring study creates a report that compares locations 1km, 3km, 5km around the specified area.  
2. Select the Location variable on the left. From the flyout box select Census subdivision from the Find Location by dropdown. Next just below select Province, Ontario and then from the Census subdivision dropdown  Burlington (Census Subdivision, Ontario, Burlington)
3. If you are not sure which tract/dissemination area your store is in, enter the address/city/postal code information.
4. Next add your variables by selecting the Variable button on the left side of the interface. Drill down through the menus by starting with Household Spending > Clothing > children’s  clothing >Average Spending  > clothing > clothing and cloth diapers. (Note: Spending on  the clothing for  children  0-4 years is not available. Selecting clothing and cloth diapers gives an idea of the clothing spending  for  children at all ages. )
5. If you would like you can add additional variables. For example demographic information about the ages of children in the area. You can do this by selecting: Demographic Estimates>Age> Population by Age >  % Total Population 0 to 4.

Note:  Demographic Estimates was used as this is the latest demographic data that is available.

Step A5 Illustrating a ring study report

6. Your report will show all variables in comparison to the rest of Canada.  You can then export it to other formats by selection the Actions dropdown at the top right corner.
7. If you want to view any of the variables in a map format, mouse over the variable and choose Create Map from the Action dropdown.  Once you generate the map you can look at the areas  Dissemination Areas (DA) by changing the View data by dropdown on the Map Legend to DA.