Crabby Office Lady

Everyone has a different idea of what a map should do. No matter what your style requires, MapPoint offers a variety of ways to help you — and your customers — get to the destination.

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Back-seat drivers. Folks who never use their turn signals. Men who never ask for directions. Women who berate men who never ask for directions.

All of these clichés have a great deal of truth to them (or they wouldn't be clichés — they'd be myths...and we all know that they are not just myths). When you're getting ready to travel, be it by car, plane, boat, or train, it's nice to know where you're going and the route you'll be taking. And whether it's a short trip to visit your in-laws who've moved to your city (for the grandchildren, not just to irritate you) or a cross-country trip with your buddies, there are lots of different ways to figure out how to get from point A to point B (with stops at X and Q along the way).

Sure, there are Internet sites designed to guide you there, and some have turn-by-turn directions as well as maps, but what free Internet site offers a data-mapping wizard that lets you create your own maps with your own data? None. And which free Internet site helps you import or link information from Excel, Access, and Outlook? Again: None. And just to add insult to injury, which free Internet mapping site offers you voice and text directions from your GPS device? Right again! None of them do!

We all learn differently

Before I start on the hard sell here and tell you why you should not leave home without consulting MapPoint, let's talk about how we learn, kids. While I think I'm a visual learner (I mean, I have eyes that work so I figure that's the obvious choice), I don't do well with someone drawing a map for me on a cocktail napkin, slamming my car door, and sending me on my way. I usually — eventually — find myself barreling down some dirt road (that I shouldn't have taken in the first place) turning that shredded napkin this way and that trying to figure out which way is North, which way is West, and what my excuse will be for being so late to the party.

However, there are those of you who do better with a map. You like the visual impact of seeing how the streets are laid out, the landmarks, the rivers, the hills, and so on. (You're the ones usually getting me lost with your so-called perfect hand-drawn maps). My friend Will, in Portland, Oregon, is amazing at reading a topographical map (which appears to me as a child's rudimentary drawing of a bunch of squiggly brown and blue lines with a hump thrown in here and there). When we used to go backpacking, we counted on Will to lead the way. Without his great map-reading skills, I wouldn't be here today writing about other ways to get around. No, I'd be a bag of bones with a half-eaten cereal bar still clutched in my dead hand…this close to the summit of Mount Hood (the cereal bar still completely edible after 15 years, of course).

But I digress. (And Will, if I haven't thanked you for your skills, I'm thanking you now.)

MapPoint: Find your own path your own way

These days are different. Now that I use MapPoint, I can usually find my way around anyplace, be it here in my hometown or somewhere across the country. And why is that? Because this handy little program gives you options, that's why. I'm going to tell you some of the key features this unbelievable program offers, and then let you explore it a bit yourself (by, yes, reading about it or even better, buying it).

 Note   Eventually (soon) MapPoint 2006 will have a trial version available and when that comes out, I'll add a link to it here.

Let me quickly tell you about some of my favorite features of MapPoint before I jump into the technical jargon that you may gloss over (BUT SHOULDN'T):

• You can have a map, yes, have turn-by-turn directions, or you can have both (and can print out both, in any sort of arrangement you like).
• You can use the trip-planning feature to figure out the quickest way to get somewhere, the most scenic way, and you can also learn which campsites are along the way and when the highways are in the midst of being repaired (thereby making good use of our hard-earned tax dollars, albeit at the most inopportune time).
• You can put in your average speed and the program will tell you how long it will take to get you to your destination.
• You can use "pushpins" to mark a single place, or to represent data you've imported to your map. Think of pushpins as the physical kind — the ones you mark up your work map with to show off your world traveler status whenever someone visits your office.
• But the coolest thing here is that MapPoint completely integrates with Office. You can insert maps into Word documents and PowerPoint presentations, and you can create maps from data stored in current versions of Excel, Access, Outlook, Microsoft SQL Server™, or other database sources.
  

  Here are some articles to help you get an idea of what you can do:

  • Add a map to a slide
  • Use geographic map shapes in Visio 2003 diagrams
  • And here is an add-in from one of our Marketplace partners for MapPoint to create mileage charts and tables in an Excel spreadsheet: MileCharter (from Winwaed Software Technology)

OK, now on to the features that you really need to know about.

Core features of MapPoint 2004 and 2006

MapPoint 2006 is the newest version of MapPoint, but of course, there is always MapPoint 2004, which, at the time of this writing, is also still available. Here is what they both offer:

• Data Mapping Wizard   Create maps with your own data. Step-by-step instructions guide you through applying your sales information and demographic variables to custom map types.
• Territories Wizard Group  Group common areas and overlay key information to create customized maps of any region.
• Drive-time Zones  Turn simple routes into an analysis tool by generating drive-time zones to and from destinations.
• Import/Link Data Wizard  Step-by-step instructions help you import or link information from Excel, Access, and Outlook to a MapPoint-based map.
• Custom and Multisymbol Pushpins  Create your own pushpin icons and use them on your data maps. Or, choose multiple symbols that best represent a series of data.
• Customized Output  Choose from five different map styles for printouts, including strip maps and turn-by-turn directions.
• Map Annotations   Add custom directions or highlight important areas on your maps by using the familiar tools on the drawing toolbar.
• Drawing Tools  Create maps that fit your needs. Personalize your map with radius circles, ovals, scribbles, and freeform shapes.
• Save as Web Page  Make your maps more accessible to co-workers without MapPoint.
• Output to Word and PowerPoint  Easily copy and paste your maps into presentations and proposals.
• Of course, don't forget about MapPoint 2004 Europe  These European maps contain detailed geographic and demographic coverage for 8 European countries: Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, and Great Britain/UK. Coverage of Europe outside of these regions is limited to political boundaries and populated places.

   Note   MapPoint 2006 European edition is coming Summer 2006.

New features in MapPoint 2006

Sure, you can buy MapPoint 2004, but why? You may as well get the latest and greatest, and they cost exactly the same (approximately $299). Here are some of the newest features in MapPoint 2006:

• Completely Refreshed Data  Use updated geographic and demographic data sets in MapPoint to display trends and illustrate key points on maps.
• New Advanced GPS Features  The new GPS task pane uses information from your connected, compatible GPS device to display your current location, speed, and traveling direction.
  
• Voice and Text Directions for Windows XP Users  New Driving Guidance finds your location from a connected GPS device and combines it with a route you have created to give you voice-prompted driving directions.
• Microsoft Location Finder   New Location Finder uses your computer's wireless network capability and a database of known Wi-Fi access points to display your location on maps, even if you don't have a GPS device.
• New Map Style for Low-light Conditions   New Map style for low-light conditions makes it easier to view maps on your laptop computer.
• Pocket Streets Microsoft  Pocket Streets makes it easy for you to create custom maps in MapPoint and then export them for use on your Microsoft Windows Mobile®–based Smartphone or Pocket PC.
• Visualize your business in a whole new way  Create and view sales territories, analyze trends, and evaluate performance by geography. You can also combine business data with demographics to target potential customers and focus decisions. Also, create custom territories and evaluate performance.
  

MapPoint-related technologies

While basic (and I use that term loosely) mapping software may be all you need for your business and personal needs, I'd like you to take a look at some of the other mapping-related technologies.

• Microsoft Virtual Earth  Microsoft Virtual Earth, which is Microsoft's next generation mapping and location service. It combines the MapPoint Web Service with exciting new innovations around bird's-eye, satellite, aerial imagery, map styles and usability, and enhanced local search. The Virtual Earth platform has become the best solution available on the market for businesses and government customers. Read more about Microsoft Virtual Earth. In fact, while you're at it, read some Case studies about how companies in various business sectors, from real estate to food service, and from travel to transportation, are using Microsoft Virtual Earth (and MapPoint, too). If you need to take your Web sites to the next level with three-dimensional maps, this is the program for you.
• Streets & Trips 2006  This is the customizable trip planning software that helps you get accurate directions, easily explore new areas, and find the services you want and need along the way. With more personalized trip planning features than online mapping sites, and complete map coverage of both the USA and Canada, it's no wonder Streets & Trips is the #1 best-selling travel and mapping software. Read more about Streets & Trips 2006.
• Microsoft MapPoint Web Service  The MapPoint Web Service helps your company improve business results through better discoverability of your store locations and business assets. You can improve your customer satisfaction by more seamlessly integrating location of assets into a Web presence, and increase your sales by improving the online purchase process experience. (I'm not in the business of selling stuff, but that sounds pretty good to me.) Read more about Microsoft MapPoint Web Service.

If you get lost, don't blame Crabby

Hey, I've tried to guide you to the best mapping software in the biz, so if you find yourself lost on the highways or biways of this great land of ours, don't come crying to me (if you can even find me). Stop at your local computer store, pick up a copy of MapPoint, load it up, and be on your way. And hey, if something really cool happens along the way, will you send me (crabby@microsoft.com) a digital postcard?

"Maps encourage boldness. They're like cryptic love letters. They make anything seem possible." — Mark Jenkins

About the author

Annik Stahl, the Crabby Office Lady columnist, takes all of your complaints, compliments, and knee-jerk reactions to heart. Therefore, she graciously asks that you let her know whether this column was useful to you — or not — by entering your feedback using the Was this information helpful? tool below. And remember: If you don't vote, you can't complain.

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