New Features in Previous Versions of PCensus

Version 8.0

 

Version 7.6

 

 

 

 

 

New Features Introduced in 8.0

SiteScan - Scanning an Area for Potential Sites

The SiteScan feature allows us to search for potentially favorable sites (for retail outlets or other businesses or public services that require a local user base).  SiteScan quickly analyses a large number of sites to find the locations that best meet specific criteria (e.g. a minimum population or sufficient households with a specified income level, education, children or dwelling types) within a specified distance or drive time.

 

When we do not have a specific candidate business location, it is desirable to be able to create profiles for a large number of locations, which we can rank according to demographic criteria and display in a “hot spot” map that will indicate the areas where we should look for potential business locations.

 

SiteScan lets us to define a “Market Area” as a rectangle of any size.  Within this area, a regular grid of sample points is established, using a spacing specified by the operator, for example 0.5 mile.
Each point is used to generate a circle or drive time of specified size (representing a potential Trade Area), for example 1 mile radius.
Each circle is searched, and the demographic results for each circle are used to generate a thematic “hotspot” map using grid squares centered on each point.
Note that this thematic map is very different than a standard “boundary thematic” map (e.g. using block group boundaries).  In the SiteScan hotspot map, each region is colored according to its “accessible population” (in this case population within one mile of the cell’s center), whereas in a conventional thematic the colors represent data within the block group itself.

 

It is quite possible for a grid cell to have a large accessible population even though the cell itself is situated in vacant land (which could make it an ideal site for a new business location!)

 

MapPoint Functionality in PCensus for MapInfo


PCensus for MapInfo users who also have Microsoft MapPoint installed on their computers can now access a number of useful MapPoint features, including:
 

Seamless display of the MapPoint map layer, integrated with the installed MapInfo layers
 

MapPoint address searching and geocoding (does not require the presence of MapInfo street layers.
 

  • MapPoint drive time polygon generation (does not require the Freeway drive time generator).

An important benefit of this combination is that MapInfo-generated thematic maps can be displayed in the context of the MapPoint street layer.

If PCensus for MapInfo detects the presence of Microsoft MapPoint, two special icons are added to the bottom of the MapInfo tool-bar.

The MapPoint Layer Icon displays the MapPoint street map layer.

The MapPoint Tool-bar icon   displays the MapPoint Extender tool-bar at the bottom of the map window.



 

 
The MapPoint Extender toolbar contains controls that let you specify how MapPoint and MapInfo will interact.
 MapPoint Layer on Bottom places the MapPoint layer below all open MapInfo layers, for example to display a boundary layer in the context of the street map. In this mode, a thematic map will obscure the underlying street map.
 MapPoint Layer on Top places the MapPoint layer above all open MapInfo Layers. In this mode, a thematic map will be obscured by the opaque MapPoint layer (unless translucency is specified (see next paragraph).

 
 The Translucency slider control makes the MapPoint layer progressively more transparent, so that underlying thematics or other map layers become visible.

 
 The Transparent Color control lets you select a color from the MapPoint layer and make it invisible.  For example, you can make the Street Background invisible, which has the effect of making the underlying thematic visible, while the streets are still opaque.

 
 The Show/hide Navigation Controls button toggles the MapPoint Navigation bar.

 

 

Improved Thematic Mapping Controls

The thematic mapping controls are now implemented as part of the Study Area Wizard. Improvements to the controls include:
 

Consistent controls for all mapping platforms (MapInfo, MapPoint and ArcView).
 

  • Multiple thematic maps can be created in a project; for example one study area with a boundary thematic can be overlain by a second point thematic.


     

  • Selection of color schemes defined by “ramps”, with preferred selections remembered from session to session.


     

  • More intuitive assignment of data to map boundaries; for example ZIP code level data will be automatically assigned to an open ZIP code map layer.
     

  • Automatic mapping of “dominant” variables as “unique values”.
     

    • Refresh Projects with New Data

    You can open a saved project that was created with an obsolete database, and regenerate its predefined or mapped study areas using up-to-date data.
     

    New Options for exporting to a Point File
    Point files can now be created in Microsoft Access (.mdb), Microsoft Excel (.xls) and comma-delimited formats, as well as dBase (.dbf). 

     

    New Features introduced in version 7.6

    Multi-column Report Formatting

     PCensus profiles can now contain multiple data columns, allowing side-by-side display of data components; for example data for different years can be compared directly in a spread-sheet format.

     

     

    Executive Summary Reports

    The Executive Summary feature displays an attractive narrative report summarizing selected aspects of a study area.



         Click here to view a complete sample executive summary in PDF format.

     

    Data-Fit Circles and Drive Times

    The Data-fit feature allows us to define a circle or polygon study area based on a demographic characteristic. For example, we can fit a circular area with a population of 10,000, or a drive time area containing 1000 homes built before 1970.

     

    Improved Print Formatting

    PCensus 7.5 provides increased control over the appearance of printed reports, including the ability to suppress grid lines and to add company logos.


     

    Tool-tips

    Extensive use is made of tool-tips to provide additional information about profile and target browser contents by hovering the mouse over an item.
     

    Improved Integration of the Template Editor

    All the features of the template Editor are now controlled by a single “floating” dialog box, allowing changes to the profile browser to be seen in “real time”.  The dialog box contains controls for defining the properties of detail lines, categories or the entire template.  Formulae can now be viewed or modified by double-clicking numeric values in the browser. Profile and Target browser columns can be re-sized and re-ordered by dragging.


     

    Ability to Open a Map created in Microsoft MapPoint (MapPoint Version)

    It is now possible to open a MapPoint (.PTM) map that was created in Microsoft MapPoint.  This allows maps that include custom graphics, territories, route plans and imported data to be displayed in PCensus.


     
     

     

    Map Imported Data

    The Data Import feature contains a new Wizard to import geographically referenced data to create a point map from your own database table.  The imported data will be included as a MapInfo "tab" layer, or as a MapPoint pushpin map.
     

    Data Import Enhancements

    The Data Import Wizards ("Extend" or "Create" database) now prompt you automatically to create a new project with the imported database.
     

    Target Properties

    Right clicking an area in the target list allows you to display the Target Information dialog.


          
     
         The Contained Geographies tab shows the component target geographies into which the selected target can be divided.  For example, Whatcom County contains County, Place, ZIP code, blockgroup and block targets.  The Create ... Target List button creates a target list at the selected level, using Whatcom County as the study area.  This operation is called "drilling down".

    The Containing Geographies tab lists the larger geographies of which the selected target is part;  for example Whatcom County is located in the Bellingham MSA and in the State of Washington.  The Profile ... button creates a profile column for the selected geography.  This operation is called "drilling up".
     

    Create Batch Sites for Selected Targets

    Right-clicking in the target list allows you to create batch sites for selected targets.  This can be done with any target type, but it is most likely to be used with "point" type data such as shopping centers or imported point data.





     "Previous/Next" Map View Controls (MapInfo Version)

    The MapInfo mapping toolbar now contains Previous Extent and Next Extent controls similar to the Back and Forward buttons in a Web Browser, to facilitate navigation.


     

     

    New Features introduced in version 7.0

    New Study Area Wizard

    The Study Area Wizard guides the user through all of the steps required to define Profile reports, Lifestyle Target reports, Thematic Maps or Pointfiles. The Wizard is more comprehensive and intuitive than in previous versions.
     

     

    Microsoft MapPoint 2002 Integration

    PCensus uses the detailed street maps of Microsoft MapPoint 2002 to provide address searching for all of the United States and Canada. Demographic data can be mapped thematically by colored areas or symbols, as well as advanced multivariate data representations such as pie-chart maps.


    MapPoint allows generation of accurate drive-time polygons that take account of factors such as one-way streets and expected driving speeds for each road type.
    In addition to street addresses, MapPoint can locate by “points of interest” such as Wal-Mart stores, restaurants or the Seattle Space Needle.


    The MapPoint version provides highly detailed and attractive maps without the necessity of installing files from CD for each area where they are required. It is the only version where a seamless map for North America can be easily installed. Users of PCensus for MapInfo and ESRI may find this version appeals to staff that do not need or want to use a full featured GIS package.
     

    Census Block Precision

    Using a block retrieval process substantially enhances the resolution of data retrieval for circles, polygons and drive time areas. A method of data prorating census blocks “on-the-fly” keeps database sizes to a reasonable level. 


    Block Groups or DAs Blocks in the same area

     

    Country

    Basic Geographic Unit

    		 Number of Blocks Improvement in Precision
    Name Number
    United States Block Group 208,648 8,262,363 40 times
    Canada Dissemination Area (DA) 52,993 478,707 10 times

     

    Save a Project to a Microsoft Word Document

    A new one-button control creates a Microsoft Word document containing all the elements of a project, including Profiles, Target lists, Graphs and Maps. The document can be printed or used as a basis for embedding text and graphics in other Office applications.


     

    New Profile Browser Features

    The Profile Report browser has been extensively updated for improved appearance and functionality

    • Columns can be reordered and sized by dragging.
    • Text can be highlighted using color, bolding or italics.
    • True indentation allows better organization of complex reports, including indentation of long, wrapping lines.
    • “Find” control is useful for finding a specific data item in a large database, for example to locate lines containing the words “Average Income”.
    • Dominant Group now lists the Top “n” in a group, instead of listing only the dominant entry.


       

    Integrated Template Editor

    Template editing is integrated with the browser so that reports can be modified “on the fly”.

    • The template editor is accessed by “right-clicking” in the profile browser.
    • True cut/copy/paste uses the clipboard, allowing the transfer of lines from one category to another.
    • Edit Line Properties: Change indentation, bolding etc.
    • Support for multiple selection to set indentation etc. for a group of lines.
    • Reorder lines by dragging.
    • Undo function.
       

    Improved Median Calculations

     Medians are calculated dynamically on the basis of distributions (for example households by income), allowing display of accurate median values even in study areas that aggregate data from multiple database records.
     

    Benchmarking and Indexing

    Designate a study area column as a Benchmark (for example All of U.S.) and compute indexes for variables in another column (study area; for example California).


     

    New Target List Features

    The Target List browser has been updated for improved appearance and functionality.
     

     

    • Columns can be reordered and sized by dragging.
    • Cumulative and graph columns have separate subheadings.
    • Total lines shows Rejected and Accepted totals.
    • Control menu is available by “right-clicking” in the target browser.
    • Automatically create profile columns for the aggregate of accepted or rejected targets.
       

    On-line Help

    Context sensitive help is available for all screens and dialog boxes via Help buttons or F1 key. The Help system also provides background information program operation and on the Census geography of the United States and Canada.
     

     

    Create PCensus Databases from Your Own Data

    Organizations maintain databases containing location-based data such as:

    • Address lists of clients or contacts
    • List of business locations (shopping centers, bank branches, hospitals, etc.).

     

    You can use this data with PCensus to create profiles or target reports. For example, given a database of cafes that serve tea and coffee, create a target list of those locations in a market area defined as a 10 minute drive time from one of the cafes.



    The target list displays the nine cafes within a 10 minute drive of the Colophon Café.The profile summarizes the Total Tea and Coffee consumed in the market area.
      

    Enhanced Batch Site Processing

    Batch Site Processing provides several new options, including controls for setting drive time speed limits and other options. In PCensus for MapInfo, batch processing can now be initiated from the Use Selected objects (polygons or points) function.
      

    On-The-Fly Geocoding

    In previous versions, the Batch Site Processing and Create PCensus Database features required that the imported database must contain location records geocoded to latitude and longitude. PCensus now provides the option to geocode the imported data based on street the addresses of locations.
       

    Penetration Analysis - A CRM Tool

    Use a combination of the tools provided by PCensus to implement a CRM solution to identify and target your best customers. For example, you might build a database of customer information (perhaps based on exit surveys or customer loyalty programs). This resource can be used to match product plans, offerings and service locations with customer needs. PCensus can be used to assess the performance of your business in the contexts of customer data and demographics, and to locate new areas of opportunity.
     

    Advanced Thematics

    Use the Advanced Thematic Mapping feature to create a “pie chart thematic map” showing the proportions of rented and owned residences.
     

    Map from MapPoint Version Map from MapInfo Version

     

    Dot Density Thematic Maps

    Dot Density thematic mapping is now available in PCensus for MapInfo


     

    Free Data Included with PCensus

    Databases Level
    2000 United States SF1 Census data Place, County, MSA and State
    2000 United States SF3 Census data Place, County, MSA and State
    1990 United States STF1A Census data Block Group, Place, County & State
    2001 Canadian Census Population & Dwelling Counts Dissemination Area and higher
    World Population (1950 to 2020) Country


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    New Features introduced in version 6.5

    • Project Start-up Wizard - Guides the new or casual user through the steps to create reports, maps and graphs for demographic analysis.
    • Batch Processing Profile Reports - The user prepares a file with one record for each location (e.g. retail outlets, restaurants, hospitals, etc).  Each record must have longitude/latitude coordinates and [optionally] the radii that defines circle(s) or the drive time(s) that define the isochrones about each location.  This feature is useful when you have many locations to analyze at once.
    • Batch Printing of multiple study areas as separate reports.

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    New Features introduced in version 6.1

    Import and link your data with PCensus demographic databases.  Your data could be customer information, hospital admission records, facility locations or demographics from other sources.  For example, customer loyalty card system record the number of visits, value and type of purchases.

     

    Linking customer data with demographics is used for market penetration analysis;  e.g. in a study area there may be 1,000 households with an aggregate income of $50 million.  In the same area, there are 150 of your customers who together spend $150,000 at your facility.  Thus you have a market penetration of 15% of the households who spend 3% of their household income in your store.

     

    To link you data with demographics, each record must have a census or postal code:

     

    		 To link a customer record with the corresponding PCensus block group or ZIP code database, each record must include a census block group (FIPS) code or ZIP code (this is usually included with street address).  FIPS codes  can be added to records by using a geocoder such as MapInfo MapMarker, or by using the geocoding service provided by Tetrad (contact us for details).
     

    		To link a customer record with the corresponding PCensus Enumeration Area (EA) or FSA database, each record must include an EA code or FSA code (this latter is usually included with the street address).  EA codes can be added to records by using PCode, a companion program for PCensus.  This program adds census Enumeration Area codes to a file containing 6-character Postal codes.  Contact Tetrad for further details and pricing of PCode.

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    New Features introduced in version 6.0

    • Graphs and bar charts display relative values of key demographics for different study areas.
    • Multiple Drive Time polygons can be used to define study area (requires Drive time option).

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    New Features introduced in version 5.0

    • Targeting Lifestyles based on demographic characteristics that describe your Target group.
    • Maps are displayed within PCensus to define study areas and create thematic maps.
    • Program "tabs" let you move quickly between maps, demographic profiles, target lists and graphs.
    • Thematic mapping has been simplified.  Also the advanced thematic mapping features of MapInfo Professional are now available.
    • Street address or street intersections can be used to define Circle or Drive Time locations.
    • "Dominant Groups" can now be displayed in reports; for example show the dominant age group or dominant income group.
    • HTML output of demographic profiles and target area reports for use with web browsers on the Internet.
    • Drive-time polygons define the study area covered for the time it takes to drive in any direction from a location (this options available for the United States or for Canada - contact Tetrad for details)..

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