User guide

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this workbook simply by copying and pasting it or by opening it and saving
with a different name.
E.4. The Geography and Filters Worksheet
This worksheet lists the geographic features you have data for and any
links and filters you care to define. All of the geographic features in the
base geography of your report must appear in this worksheet. Remember
that the base geography is the set of geographic features that you wish to
produce a thematic map for. For example, if you have crime statistics for
community districts in New York and you wish to make a thematic map of
these, the base geography for your report will be New York community
districts.
For each base geography feature you can optionally supply filter
information. In InstantAtlas reports, a filter menu allows you to apply filters
to the data displayed.
You have the option to include comparison geographies in this worksheet.
Comparison geographies are displayed in a separate table in an
InstantAtlas report. For example, if your base geography is New York
community districts, your comparison geographies might be New York City
and the USA. This would enable you to compare data for individual
community districts to the city and national averages.
For each geographic feature you enter the following:
1. A unique code (column A)
2. A name (column B)
3. A link to an external file (column C) - optional
4. Filter information (columns D onwards) - optional
The ‘Geography and Filters’ worksheet is permanently active. It should not
be renamed.
E.4.1. Entering Codes (Column A)
The type of the digital map file used as the base geography for a report is
defined in cell A1. Digital map files can be one of the following geometry
types: polygon, line or point.
For example, if you publish a report with the boundaries of New York
community districts (i.e. polygons) as your base geography, cell A1 should
contain ‘polygon’. If you publish a report with the Canadian rail network
(i.e. lines) as the base geography, cell A1 should contain ‘line’. If you
publish a report with Scottish cities (i.e. points) as your base geography,
cell A1 should contain ‘point’.
From row 3 down, column A should contain codes for the geographic
features in a report. It is essential that you populate column A with the
correct codes. These must be exactly the same codes used to identify
features in the digital map files published in your report. If you type in
arbitrary codes that do not exist in your digital map files, your dynamic
report will not be able to match data values to geographic features.
Because the codes in your Excel workbook must be the same as those in
your map files, the same rules apply:
1. Codes must be unique (i.e. no code is repeated)
2. Codes must not include spaces
3. Every geographic feature must have a code