What is it?
Microsoft MapPoint allows Microsoft Office users of any skill level, in any size organization, to easily visualize their business information, communicate key data using maps, and integrate maps into the work they do in Office. MapPoint is a business-mapping program that combines powerful mapping and analysis tools with the simplicity of Microsoft Office, enabling people to see how location makes a difference to their business.

You can pinpoint exact customer or business sites on the map throughout the U.S. and Canada; full address searching is available for over 6 million miles of road in both countries. (MapPoint Europe is available separately.) Step-by-step instructions guide you on how to create maps with your own data, applying sales information and demographic variables to a variety of map types. Make your map look how you want by defining data range, legend label, and ramp color palette. With a feature new to this version, you can associate more data to a map by adding pie and column charts to maps. MapPoint will calculate optimized routes based on imported addresses, and turn simple routes into an analysis tool by generating drive-time zones to or from specified locations.

Import customer and contact information from Microsoft Excel, Access, or Outlook to create a map of their locations. Also, create your own pushpin icons and use them on your data maps, or choose multiple symbols that best represent a series of data. Create maps that group common areas and overlay key information to these regions. The software also includes increased integration with other Office applications, including access points that make basic mapping functions easier to use. MapPoint supports data importation from Access, Excel, Outlook, or any SQL Server database.

Retail price: $249.99

Installation
Installing the software was a piece of cake. I was up and running in no time. Setting up the preferences may vary depending upon your individual needs and the nature of the data you intend to import. It only took me a few minutes, but I had no complicated needs. With more involved usage, the setup process could take much longer, perhaps even a few hours.

How does it work?
MapPoint has all the standard features a business map user would expect--place finder, route planner, mileage calculator, and so on--but also permits extensive data manipulation throughout the United States and Canada.

After starting up the application, a full map of North America is displayed, with legends and overviews on the left side. Click on any of the roads in the map, and text will display the name of the road. Double click on a state, and the map display switches to displaying a blown-up map of just that state (with surrounding states partially showing and grayed). Use the overview map on the left to change the view area of the main map.

Type in a location in the Find input area, and the map changes to displaying that location. For example, I typed in my address, and in a matter of seconds, the map view area changed to a close-up view of the city I live in showing my neighborhood and displaying a push-pin icon at the specific location of the address.

You can change the map types using the menu over the main map. By default, it is set to "Road Map". Other options are "Road and Data Map", "Data Map", "Terrain Map", and "Political Map". The Data Maps are maps that show data you have already stored, so if you have stored any data and choose "Data Map" only, you will pretty much get a blank map.

To add data to your map, it's easiest to use the Data Mapping Wizard. Here you choose the map type (Shaded, Pie Chart, Pushpin, etc.), you can add demographics and import data, select data fields, and setup the legend.

The route planner is quite useful as well. By selecting the Route Planner under the Route menu, you can specify a number of places or addresses, and have a route calculated between them. You can specify the driving time start for each day, the driving time end, flexibility, estimated rest stops, driving speeds, fuel, costs and segments. This was far more sophisticated than any other route planner I have ever seen. The resulting plan includes a map with text instructions of where to turn, showing accumulative distance traveled, and showing where you would be at the end of the day (for multiple day trips).

A cool new feature of MapPoint 2002 is territory creation. This allows user-defined, overlaying boundaries that are simple to create manually or compose from pre-existing data. Combining territorial categories with the vast reams of census and demographic data contained within MapPoint should yield plenty of fresh business ideas.

Features at a Glance

• Over 6.4 million miles of routable roads in North America
• Over 4.8 million kilometers of roads and streets in Europe
• In excess of 70 measures of demographic data
• Creates and licenses highest quality spatial and demographic data from GDT, NavTech and Claritas
• Create territory wizard enables users to create custom areas from existing data or manually.
• Custom designed push pins
• Charts on maps, including pie charts, shaded circles, and column charts.
• Integrate MapPoint functionality into line of business applications and custom solutions
• ActiveX control
• More comprehensive object model
• Improved support for COM Add-Ins
• Tighter Office XP integration
• Incorporate maps into everyday work
• Take data from Excel, Access, Outlook or Word
• Include maps in documents, email messages, presentations or newsletters
• Office XP Smart Tag technology
• MapPoint buttons on Office application toolbars
• Users can create custome drive time zones with MapPoint 2002

Summary
MapPoint is similar to Microsoft Streets and Trips 2001 in terms of general map creating. It's simple and fun to work with. However, MapPoint includes a whole lot of special data manipulation and organizing features that earn the high dollar value for the product. In fact, if all you are looking for is map making features, MapPoint is most likely overkill for you (there are plenty of cheaper products that will do what you want). If your needs are more business oriented, MapPoint may be the perfect tool for you. This latest edition of MapPoint is impressive; I was able to illustrate office locations, insert maps into web pages, and send directions/maps as attachments via e-mail. MapPoint 2002 is a great product for the business-oriented consumer.

Pros

• Sophisticated route planner
• Fast and accurate retrieval of map data
• Territory creation

Cons

• There is no Mac version
• A bit pricey for those just looking for simple map making features

Rating: 4 out of 5 Mice