Microsoft Map

Introduction

The Microsoft Excel (or Microsoft Office) CD-ROM ships with Microsoft Map, a special software used to create maps that resemble particular charts.

Drawing A Map

To use a chart map, first get some numbers that Microsoft Excel can recognize as belonging to a map; actually you can draw a map without numbers anywhere on your worksheet, but the computer will only let you draw a map of your choice without any special formatting.

Available Maps

Various maps of different areas of the planet are configurable. Those regions include USA Canada, North America, Central America, Southern Africa, Africa, Europe, and World. To create a map for a region, you should have valuable data for the region. To start, you might have to familiarize with the area. Of course, you can draw a map of a region you know nothing about, but countries, regions and maps change. A little knowledge of the region would not hurt; a little update in geography would help.

Good Numbers

Once you have (recognizable) numbers and values, create a spreadsheet using countries or regions. After the worksheet has been created, select the countries or regions and any relevant data that obviously represents states, provinces, or countries and proceed in creating your map.

Inserting a Microsoft Map Button

By default, Microsoft Map is not installed on a regular setup.

To get Microsoft Map, first test whether it is installed, if it were, you might see its icon on the Standard toolbar and/or under the Insert menu. If it is not, include its icon manually on the Insert menu just under Chart… and/or on the Standard toolbar (or the Formatting toolbar, etc; it is up to you). You can do that using the Customize dialog gotten from the Tools menu. Once its button is on the menu and/or a toolbar, click it, then click somewhere on the worksheet and drag it as if you were drawing a rectangle. The dialog that follows will let you know whether Microsoft Map is installed on your computer. If a dialog box tells you that you can’t draw a map, click OK, insert the Microsoft Excel (or Microsoft Office) CD-ROM or DVD in the appropriate drive, run Setup, select Add/Remove Features, click the + on Microsoft Excel, select Microsoft Map, and click Update Now.

To start, we will insert a Microsoft Map button on the Standard toolbar and in the Insert menu.

Practical Learning: Creating a Microsoft Map Button

1. Start Microsoft Excel
2. On the main menu, click View -> Toolbars -> Customize…
3. On the main menu, click Insert to open the Insert menu. If necessary, move the Customize dialog to the right to make sure you can see the Insert menu.
4. From the Customize dialog, click the Command property sheet
5. In the Categories list, click Insert
6. From the Commands list, drag Map… from the list and drop it in the Insert menu between Picture… and Object…
7. Also, drag Map… from the Command list and drop it in the Standard toolbar between the Chart Wizard and the WordArt buttons.
8. On the Customize dialog, click Close.
9. Once a menu item and a toolbar button have been inserted in Microsoft Excel, now we will test Microsoft Map.
   On the Standard toolbar, click the Map button.
10. On the worksheet, click and drag from B3 to H16.
11. If Microsoft Map is not installed, you will receive a message to that effect:
    
    
    
    On the dialog, click OK.
    If Microsoft Map is already installed, a dialog will ask you to select a map, by default a US map. Select one of the presented map (this was just to test the installation) and click OK.
12. Close Microsoft Excel without saving anything.

Installing Microsoft Map

The installation of Microsoft is typical of an Add-In feature. You can proceed from two or three areas.

Installing From Control Panel

To install Microsoft Map from Microsoft Windows, open Control Panel. From the Control Panel window, double-click Add Remove Programs. From the Install/Uninstall property sheet, click Microsoft Excel (if you installed it as a stand-alone application), click Microsoft Office 2000, or Microsoft Office 97.

Click the Add/Remove button. The installation of Microsoft Office (or Microsoft Excel) will start. Then you can proceed.

Installing From The Autorun

If you received your Microsoft Office (or Microsoft Excel) on a CD-ROM, most of the time, once you insert it into the CD drive, it will open a window (because Microsoft Office or Excel has already been installed). In this case, double-click Setup and proceed.

Installing From A DVD

If you received your Microsoft Office on DVD, it usually doesn’t launch when you insert the DVD-ROM into its drive. Therefore, open Windows Explorer, expand your DVD drive, expand the O2kprem folder, and click the Cd1 folder. On the right frame, double-click Setup and proceed.
If Microsoft Map is already installed, skip the following exercise.
 

Practical Learning: Microsoft Map Installation

1. Use one of the descriptions given above to open the Microsoft Office installation.
2. On the Maintenance page, click the button on the left of the Add or Remove Features line.
3. On the Selecting Features page, click the + on Microsoft Excel For Windows
4. Click Microsoft Map and click Run From My Computer.
5. Notice that Microsoft Map doesn’t have a yellow 1 anymore 
6. Click Update Now (since this is the default button on this page, you could also press Enter).
7. Wait for the installation to proceed.
8. After Microsoft Map has been installed, a dialog will let you know:
   
   
9. Click OK.

Map Charts

To familiarize with how a map is drawn, we will create our first map from some US statistics. To create our map, we will first behave as if Microsoft Map were installed, then we will proceed with any prompt we receive.

To draw a map, create a worksheet with data you want to analyze with its states, countries, or regions. Then, on the main menu, click Insert ª Map… (or click the Insert Map button on the toolbar). Click one corner of the mapped drawing, drag to the other corner, if Microsoft Excel can recognize the values selected, for example US states, it will prompt you to a particular map or a group of maps. If you can’t recognize the values, it will present you with a list of maps where you can make your choice. Once you have selected an appropriate map, click OK. All you have to do is configure and format the map to enhance its intended purpose.

Be careful when working with Microsoft Map. As wonderful as it is, it almost never accepts any Undo action
 

Practical Learning: Creating a Map Chart

1. Open the Maps1 workbook
2. Click the US Alcohol Consumption worksheet to make it active.
   Select cells C4:D54
3. On the main menu, click Insert ª Map…
4. Click and hold your mouse on the top left corner of cell E4. Drag down and right until you get to cell L19.
5. On the Multiple Maps Available dialog, click United States (AK & HI Inset) and click OK.
6. From the Microsoft Map Control dialog, position your mouse on the Category Shading button until the pointer becomes a grabbing tool . Click and drag to the button on top of Format on the right section .
7. Close the Microsoft Map Control dialog.
8. Click cell H2 to deselect everything.
9. To move the map, position your mouse on it until the mouse pointer turns into a big + with four arrows, click and drag the map a little closer to the numbers on column D.

Formatting a Map

A Microsoft Map is very valuable and can help to perform advanced data analysis; this is because the software comes equipped with a lot of already formatted and recognizable features that you can simply decide to add to, or subtract from, the mapped area.

When using the Microsoft Map on data related to United States, for example, the software is ready to recognize US major cities, airports, and highways, etc. These are items you can add when formatting and customizing the map. You can also change the font and graphic colors used by different parts or sections. Further more, you can add other parts of the world as the map is expanding of your study is widening.
 

Practical Learning: Formatting and Control a Map’s Features

1. Click the Alcohol Consumption Map worksheet to make it active.
   One of the problems we have at this time is that the legend on the chart doesn’t clearly display all colors used on the map. If you try to move the legend, it would simply hide some of the states, making data analysis difficult. Therefore, we will reformat the legend and move it aside. We will also format the title to make it more attractive.
2. To put the map in edit mode, double-click it.
3. Double-click the title to edit it.
4. On the Edit Text Object dialog, change the New Text content to US Alcohol Consumption
5. Click OK.
6. Right-click the big title: US Alcohol Consumption and click Format Font…
7. On the Font dialog, from the Font list, select Times New Roman. From the Font Style list, select Bold. Set the Size to 14. From the Color combo box, select Blue.
8. On the Font dialog, click OK
9. Right-click inside of the legend and click Edit…
10. After reading the subsequent message, click OK.
    If the Format Properties dialog allowing you to edit the legend doesn’t appear, right-click the legend again and click Edit…
11. Delete the content of the Title text box. Also delete the content of the Subtitle text box and replace it with Legend.
12. On the right side of the Subtitle text box, click the Font button.
13. On the Font dialog, from the Font list, select Tahoma. Change the Font Style to Bold. Change the Font Size to 10. Change the font Color to Blue.
14. Click OK on the Font dialog.
15. Click OK on the Format Properties dialog.
16. If necessary, resize the legend so that its width fits the Legend title. Move the legend to the lower right corner of the map so that it displays all its content.
17. Click cell F2 to deselect everything.