PolicyMap » Print a Map

Did you know… (My PolicyMap Categories)

Phil Vu — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 19:33:35 +0000

Welcome to our series on helpful tips for PolicyMap. With over 10,000 indicators of data and many features, we hope our series can help users better utilize PolicyMap. For a complete training, please join a free online session here: Click Here

Did you know your My PolicyMap page has been updated to load a bit faster. Now when you open the My PolicyMap page, each category of saved items are collapsed and just need to have individually loaded. All of your saved work is still there. All of the functions are still available; open a file, download a previously printed item, edit the file name, and even sharing custom regions.

To expend a category, just select the (+) sign. This will load all the saved items for that category. Selecting the (–) sign will collapse the category again.

As stated, you have all the functionality that was previously available. Including generating reports for custom regions on the fly or even sharing a custom region with another subscriber using the Share Custom Region feature.

Read our Quick Start Guide to learn the basics of PolicyMap and jump right into using the power of data.

If you wanted to know more about a feature or topic, send your request to info@policymap.com subject “Did you Know…”

Sincerely,
The PolicyMap Team

Did you know… (New Print Function)

Phil Vu — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 13:42:53 +0000

Did you know that printouts for maps, tables, and reports will no longer email you a copy? We have eliminated the process of sending a copy of a printout to your email address, and instead have created an alert that will appear once your printout is ready to download. This saves the time it takes for us to send you a copy and you can continue to work while the printout is generated.

You still have the same options when printing; change the map name, what print formats you would like, have the map display in landscape or portrait, and even what is shaded on the printout. Printouts are still saved in your My PolicyMap page to be able to download again.

After you set the options for your printout and select the Print button, our system will take a moment to generate your printouts and an alert box (like the one below) will appear on top of your map, table or analytic.

Select “Click Here” to download each format of printout you selected and “close” when you are done. A copy of all printouts are saved in your My PolicyMap page, which can be access in the upper right corner. Just select the corresponding color icons for each print type (blue = JEPG, green = PNG, and orange = PDF)

Read our Quick Start Guide to learn the basics of PolicyMap and jump right into using the power of data.

If you wanted to know more about a feature or topic, send your request to info@policymap.com subject “Did you Know…”

Sincerely,
The PolicyMap Team

New printing options

Phil Vu — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 15:59:15 +0000

With the helpful feedback from our users, PolicyMap has recently added a new printing option. The PNG (or High Resolution) option allows users to print an electronic copy that might be slightly larger in size but offers more detail and a finer quality. The JPG printout still provides a quick and easy way to share maps, tables, Analytics from PolicyMap, and a PDF (which uses the JPG images) is formatted perfectly so you can simply print and insert into handouts.

Here are side by side examples of a PNG printout and a JPG printout, and links to the original files.

As you can tell, the PNG files does offer smoother text and street lines, but remember the JPG files are a little smaller and still offer the unique ability to share data visually through maps.

We also added a new icon in your My PolicyMap to reflect the PNG file type. Now you can re-download any printouts by selecting

the blue icon for JPG
orange for PDFs
and green icon for the new PNG files

You can rename any saved item in My PolicyMap by selecting

the new Edit icon
and delete any saved item by selecting the delete icon

If you would like more options for printouts our export files in PolicyMap, please make a suggestion in the comments below. We continue to add features built around the needs of our users, so your feedback and suggestions is greatly appreciated and definitely looked at. For more information on other features, please contact us at pmap@policymap.com.

July 2010 Updates

Phil Vu — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 21:24:49 +0000

All the data you need. All in one place. All online. | July 2010

You asked. We listened.

Better print resolution and aerial imagery for your maps are here. And you can find them both for FREE in PolicyMap. As a registered user or subscriber, just login and check them out.

Higher Resolution Maps: You‘ve had the ability to print maps as both JPEGs and PDFs and incorporate them in your own work. Now, make your work even more sophisticated by creating high resolution maps. Just select the PNG file option when you click “print”. Check them out, and let us know what you think!

Aerial Imagery from Google Maps: Using Google’s public API, we’re bringing you Google aerial imagery in PolicyMap. Map your area of interest, then click “aerial” in the bar below the map. You’ll get side-by-side maps. PolicyMap on the left; Google aerials on the right. Pan, zoom in or zoom out, and the maps stay in sync. Create custom regions in PolicyMap and see them on the aerial view. Cool stuff.

Subscriber Highlight! IFF – a CDFI based in Chicago – was one of our earliest clients here at PolicyMap, and they are now one of the first to roll out a series of “widgets” on their website. They regularly upload information about where they make investments across the Midwest as a way of better understanding the neighborhoods in which they invest – and how those markets are changing. Through PolicyMap, they can check out the demographics, incomes, school test scores, unemployment and more in the areas they care about. Now, these widgets – interactive maps powered by PolicyMap – allow IFF’s website visitors to do the same. See what IFF is doing in Chicago, St. Louis, and Milwaukee.

Updated Home Sale Data! Subscribers can now look to PolicyMap for year-end home sale statistics for neighborhoods across the nation. These home sale statistics are aggregated from actual sales data and can give you information down to the block group. With home sale statistics available on annual basis from 2000 through 2009, you can see how very discreet areas are doing. Read about the latest quarterly update and we will have more in the coming weeks, so visit our blog for updates.

Take the PolicyMap Survey! We know everyone is inundated with surveys now, but this one is truly special. First, it will help us continually improve our product for you and second, you just might win a very cool TRF cap or water bottle. Be one of the first 50 people to respond to the survey here and we’ll mail one of these great gifts! Click Here

As always, check our blog for the latest goings on. We recently attended the American Library Association Conference in DC and are following up with a number of libraries interested in setting up subscriptions for their universities. If you are interested as well, just let us know and we will call you

PolicyMap enters the Sunlight Foundation’s Design for America competition

Maggie McCullough — Tue, 18 May 2010 20:08:08 +0000

We’ve entered a new free widget into the Sunlight Foundation’s Design for America competition. It’s called the Health Widget and contains a number of health indicators from HHS, CDC, USDA and Census. Like our current widget, it gives people the ability to push interactive maps to their own website. This one, though, is new and includes rankings, data download and print features. You can see our entry here: http://sunlightlabs.com/projects/PMAP2010WIDGET/

Feel free to copy and paste the iframe. It’s there for you.

We’ll be updating our other widgets with these features soon. Stay tuned.

Did you know… (Island Printing)

Phil Vu — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:27:32 +0000

Welcome to our series on helpful tips for PolicyMap. With over 10,000 data indicators and many online features, we hope our series can help users better utilize PolicyMap. For a complete training, please join a free online session here: Click Here

Did you know you can print a map of just your target area shaded and have the surrounding area clear? We call this feature "island printing." To use island printing:

Search for your default location. Your searched location will be the area the map will shade by. (i.e. searching for Chicago will only shade the city of Chicago when you choose "island printing.")
Create a map as normal with a data layer and Add Sites.
When you are ready to print the map, choose "only shade selected region."

Map of only Chicago shaded

Subscribers can choose to have an island printed map of just their target area (or custom region) shaded. Just load your custom region from the Maps page or from My PolicyMap, load the data layer and Add Sites to display on the map, and print using the "only shade selected region" option.

Map of only custom region shaded

Read our Quick Start Guide to learn the basics of PolicyMap and jump right into using the power of data. If you wanted to know more about a feature or topic, send your request to info@policymap.com subject “Did you Know…”

Sincerely,
The PolicyMap Team

Updated Home Sale Data, Enhanced Printing, and more on PolicyMap

Phil Vu — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 21:22:16 +0000

PolicyMap is a CNET Webware Winner! | Late September 2009

In this update

Enhanced Printing
State Map Boundaries
1st Quarter 2009 Home Sale Data
Homeowner Affordability for 2009
ARRA Transportation Stimulus Investments
EPA Brownfields
Updated Jobs by Industry Concentration
Monthly Unemployment from BLS
DHS Green Card Recipients
Homelessness Data

Visit our Blog

New Features

You asked – we listened.

Enhanced Printing Options: As a Registered User or Subscriber, you can now print a map of a single geography, rather than having to include surrounding areas in your printout. Set your map location in the search bar across the top, add a data layer, and select “Print”. You can choose between shading the entire map or only shading your selected geography!

State Map Boundaries: Now available in the Map Options at the bottom of the map is the ability to add state map boundaries to all of your maps.

Updated Housing Data

Home Sale Data: Home sale stats for the first quarter of 2009 are now available for subscribers. Check out how the number of home sales and median sales prices have changed in your target neighborhoods since the end of 2008. PolicyMap licenses this data from Boxwood Means, Inc. and displays it at the block group or census tract level.

Homeowner Affordability: Check out the number and percent of homes affordable to 4-person families in 2009, based on HUD’s designated Area Median Income. Users can access this data for free in the Owners & Renters tab in the Add Data Layer menu.

New Add Sites Data

Federal Transportation Stimulus Investment: PolicyMap now shows transportation projects made possible by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for 11 of the 50 states: Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

Users can access this data for free in the Add Sites menu on the bottom left and selecting Federal Transportation Stimulus Investments.

US EPA Brownfield sites: We’ve added the EPA’s directory of brownfields. These are locations for which the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of the site may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.

This data is available for free and can be found in the Add Sites menu on the bottom left and selecting Environment.

Updated Data

Census County Business Patterns: PolicyMap now has the latest 2007 Industry Concentrations data. You can explore industry concentration now by metro area as well at the county, zip code, and state-level.

All users can find this free job concentration data in the Jobs & Economy tab in the Add Data Layer menu.

Monthly Unemployment from BLS: Check out the latest June and preliminary July 2009 employment, unemployment, and labor force data for states, counties, metropolitan areas, and many cities, by place of residence. This monthly and annual data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is available for free in PolicyMap. Visit our blog to see which cities have the highest unemployment rates.

Find this data for places you care about in the Jobs & Economy tab in the Add Data Layer menu.

Department of Homeland Security Green Card Recipients: We’ve added data for FY2008 for non-nationals receiving Legal Permanent Residence (LPR) status in the US.

Users can find this data for free in the Immigration section under the Demographics tab in the Add Data Layer menu.

New Data on PolicyMap

Homelessness Data from HUD: All users can now access 2006 through 2008 estimates of homeless population rates, counts of unsheltered vs. sheltered homeless populations, and 2008 bed inventories for homelessness services by state.

This data is available for free and can be found in the Demographics tab in the Add Data Layer menu.

As you can see, new datasets continue to come in from a wide variety of sources. What else do you need? Let us know. Send your responses to info@policymap.com.

The PolicyMap Team

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Embed your own maps and print bigger, better maps!

Phil Vu — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 16:35:39 +0000

December 2008 Update

Now on PolicyMap!

New Features:

Embed Your Own Map: Posting a data rich map to your website or blog has never been easier. The embedded map serves as a live link to the actual map on PolicyMap, which provides additional details such as a complete legend and details on the data used. The embed feature is available for free to all PolicyMap registered users and subscribers. Once you create a map you want, all you have to do is click on the “embed” button, copy the html code provided, paste it into your own website and you are done! Read more.
Bigger, Better Maps: Creating PDFs and JPEGs of your custom maps to incorporate into your own presentations and reports never looked better. PolicyMap now offers full-page printing and the ability to choose between printing in landscape or portrait. We’ve tried hard to make what you see in your printed material mirror what you are seeing on the screen you’ve created. They’ll look great in your presentations and proposals. Check it out here
Map Options: Customize your map by turning off the parks, water and landuse areas or by adding state legislative
boundaries to you map. Find these options and more under the Map Options tab in the bottom right of your map.
Improved Census Tract Search: PolicyMap got smarter and can better help you find the census tract you need in a map, table or report.

New and Updated Data:

Jobs: Find the latest job information from County Business Patterns. You’ll now have access to job information for 2006 and for those years going back to 2003. Find this under the Jobs tab in Add Data Layer menu. Available for free to registered users.
Home Sales: Annual home sale statistics for 2007 are now available down to the block group level. Track the change in home sales and median prices at the block group level annually from 2000 through 2007; and quarterly from Q1 2007 through Q1 2008 at the census tract level. Find this under the Real Estate Analysis tab in the Add Data Layer menu. Available to subscribers only.
Fair Market Rents: Find the latest 2009 FMRs from HUD. Find this under the Owners and Renters tab in the Add Data Layer menu. Available for free to registered users.

Seasons Greetings!

Here at TRF’s PolicyMap, we wish you a healthy and peaceful new year. We look forward to helping you with your data and mapping needs in 2009. Look for health insurance coverage data, home sale statistics for Q2 2008 and even more customizable mapping tools in January! Improved functionality comes from feedback by our PolicyMap users, so please send your suggestions to pmap@policymap.com.

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New PolicyMap Feature Simplifies Online Map Sharing

Phil Vu — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 16:16:43 +0000

New PolicyMap Feature Simplifies Online Map Sharing

Online Mapping Tool Now Lets Users Embed, Share Thematic Maps on the Web

(Philadelphia) December 16, 2008 – PolicyMap, the online data mapping tool, today unveiled a new functionality that allows users to embed customized, data-driven maps into their own websites and blogs. Through this new functionality, users can easily share thematic data from www.policymap.com on any website of their choosing.

PolicyMap offers quick and easy access to a wealth of market and demographic data for policymakers, professionals, and the general public. PolicyMap users can map and analyze by geography more than 4,000 data indicators related to demographics, real estate markets, education, employment, money and income, crime, energy, and public investments. These indicators are aggregated from a variety of sources including U.S. Census, Claritas, FBI, IRS, the Postal Service, and the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act.

For full directions on how to embed a map, visit: http://blog.policymap.com/?p=1520

The embedded map serves as a live link to a full-scale map on PolicyMap, which provides additional information such as a complete legend and details on the data used. The embed feature is available for free to all registered PolicyMap users.

Nearly 150,000 people have utilized PolicyMap since the site launched earlier this year. To date, PolicyMap has more than 8,000 registered users. Its varied subscribers include foundations such as the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, state agencies including the New Jersey Housing Mortgage Finance Agency, private entities like Comcast as well as nonprofit community organizations nationwide.

About PolicyMap

PolicyMap is an online mapping tool that makes it quick and easy to gather and analyze geocentric information. PolicyMap is a service of The Reinvestment Fund (TRF), a not-for-profit leader in the financing of neighborhood revitalization. TRF developed PolicyMap to empower decision makers with better access to credible market and demographic data. To utilize PolicyMap, visit www.policymap.com. To learn more about TRF, visit www.trfund.com.

Bigger, Better Maps

Phil Vu — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 15:19:36 +0000

Bigger, Better Maps: Creating pdf and jpegs of your custom maps to incorporate into your own presentations and reports never looked better. PolicyMap now offers full-page printing and the ability to choose between printing in landscape or portrait. We’ve tried hard to make what you see in your printed material mirror what you are seeing on the screen you’ve created. We think they’ll look great in your presentations and proposals.

Printed portrait maps will now have over 50% more map shown.

Users can also choose to print maps in either the above portrait layout or new landscape layout
To show even more area in a printed map, users can now print maps during the expanded map view. To access the expanded map view, look for Expand Map on the bottom right of the map area. Choosing to Print while in the expanded view, will shwo even more map area.

Tables have also been updated. Now printouts can be printed in landscape or portrait, covers the entire printing area, and include the table and bar graph.

Please attend our free online training sessions to learn many more features on PolicyMap: Training Calender