News | SimplyAnalytics

Feature Spotlight: Custom Combination Location

Posted on November 3, 2017 by GRI Admin

This week we’ll talk about one of our favorite features in SimplyAnalytics – the custom combination location. This feature is a simple and effective means to create custom geographies where you’re able to specify the exact makeup for. Let’s jump in.

Why would I want to use this feature?

Sometimes you may want to study a neighborhood in your city, or area that you know of that isn’t necessarily a formal geography itself. One of the common questions we get asked is, “How do I get data for “my neighborhood” or “downtown”?” and that’s a fair question – the problem is, “my neighborhood” or “downtown” is not a formal Census geography, but it’s probably a combination of a few CTs or ZIP Codes. That’s where the Custom Combination Location feature comes into play.

Browsing & Searching for Businesses in SimplyAnalytics

Posted on October 27, 2017 by GRI Admin

Welcome to our first ever SimplyAnalytics blog! Every Friday we’ll post a write up on a specific feature or highlight some interesting data in SimplyAnalytics. The goal of these posts is to make you more comfortable with the program and teach some interesting tips & tricks along the way.

Today we’ll take a look at the 3 methods of browsing and searching for businesses, and how to take advantage of each. Let’s get started!

To overlay businesses onto a map or create a Business report, first ensure you have the Businesses tab selected as shown here.

As noted above, there are three ways of adding businesses.

1. A general keyword search

2. Advanced search / query

3. Browse by NAICS/SIC codes

Get ready for SimplyAnalytics at ALA Annual 2017 – June 23-26

Posted on June 2, 2017 by GRI Admin

We can’t wait for ALA Annual this Summer, and the opportunity to share SimplyAnalytics with the ALA community.

Stop by the SimplyAnalytics booth (1339) and take a peak at what we’ve been up to. We’ve taken the best functionality from SimplyMap, our award-winning geographic analytics application, and combined it with 10 years of experience and customer feedback to create the best-in-class analytics and data visualization software for academic and public libraries. Don’t forget to enter our sweepstakes for your chance to win an iPad Air 2 – we hope to see you there!

Exhibit hours:

Friday, June 23	5:30pm – 7:00pm
Saturday, June 24	9:00am – 5:00pm
Sunday, June 25	9:00am – 5:00pm
Monday, June 26	9:00am – 2:00pm

We are exhibiting at SLA June 18-20 [Booth 905]!

Posted on June 2, 2017 by GRI Admin

We will be exhibiting at SLA in Phoenix, AZ on June 18th-20th. You can find the SimplyAnalytics team at Booth #905. Stop by and check out our groundbreaking new interface, have a chocolate and enter for a chance to win an iPad Air 2!

Info-Expo Hours

Sunday June 18:   12:00-3:30 PM and 5:30-7:00 PM
Monday June 19:   10:00 AM – 3:30 PM
Tuesday June 20:   10:00 AM – 1:45 PM

Texas Library Association – Find us at Booth 2029

Posted on April 18, 2017 by GRI Admin

We look forward to attending the Texas Library Association Conference this week in San Antonio and visiting with the library community.

Stop by our new SimplyAnalytics booth (2029) and take a sneak peak at our latest release: SimplyAnalytics. We’ve taken the best functionality from SimplyMap, our award-winning geographic analytics application, and combined it with 10 years of experience and customer feedback to create the best-in-class analytics and data visualization application. Get a preview at the conference and an opportunity to enter a raffle for an iPad Air 2. We hope to see you there!

Exhibit hours:
Wednesday 4/19: 5:30-7:30
Thursday 4/20: 10:15-5:00
Friday 4/21: 9:00-4:00
Saturday 4/22: 9:00-12:00

Visualizing Brand Preference: Athletic Shoes

Posted on February 14, 2017 by GRI Admin

In previous blog entries, we highlighted the value of having a mapping application to complement premium data when analyzing America’s geographic preferences in credit cards, and mayonnaise brands. This week we’ll take a look at athletic shoe brand preference in the US for adults 18+.

Similar to the previous entries, we will use the SimmonsLOCAL data set to put these maps together. If your institution does not currently subscribe to the SimmonsLOCAL package, feel free to reach out to us about setting up a free 30-day trial. Let’s get started.

The maps below can each be generated in less than a minute! Open up the Variables panel, and find the variables in question at this path: SimmonsLOCAL » APPAREL » SHOES/ FOOTWEAR » SHOES/ FOOTWEAR – BRANDS.

We’re exhibiting! Ontario Library Association – February 1-4 in Toronto. Booth #T8

Posted on December 19, 2016 by GRI Admin

Stop by the Geographic Research booth [#T8] at the Ontario Library Association Super Conference to get a hands-on look at our latest and greatest SimplyMap offering. The conference will take place February 1-4 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

Drop by our booth, #T8, for a demonstration of SimplyMap Canada and to check out some exciting new things we have been working on.

We look forward to meeting you!

See you at ALA Midwinter in Atlanta – January 20-23

Posted on November 22, 2016 by GRI Admin

We will be exhibiting at ALA Midwinter in Atlanta, Georgia in January. You can find the GRI team at Booth 1155, where we will be catching up with customers old and new, and sharing some exciting new product developments. Stop by and say hello!

Exhibition Schedule:
Friday January 20 – 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
Saturday January 21 – 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Sunday January 22 – 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Monday January 23 – 9:00am – 2:00 pm

SimplyMap Tip – Using Tags

Posted on October 26, 2016 by GRI Admin

In this week’s SimplyMap report, we’ll take a look at the tags feature and demonstrate how it can be useful for you as you work in SimplyMap. SimplyMap users can have up to 20 tabs open in SimplyMap, each with a different map or report. As you progress and generate more tabs, it becomes useful to organize your work. This is where the tags feature comes in handy.

Let’s say for example that you want to revert back to some tabs mapping technology adoption data that you previously closed out. If you didn’t tag your work, and did not name the tab, the task of finding the right tab can become tedious. Your saved tabs list looks something like this:

Creating a Custom Location from a Map

Posted on September 15, 2016 by GRI Admin

While creating a radius location is the fastest and easiest method for creating a custom location, there may be situations that require a more specific and targeted locale. Let’s say for example that our target area for analysis are a few neighborhoods located west of Rittenhouse Square Park in Philadelphia.

A radius location would not work in this example as it will include all areas within a defined radius (e.g., 5 miles) around a specific block group. Using the process outlined below will allow you to focus in on the specific areas west of Rittenhouse Square Park, and create a custom location directly from a map. Let’s get started!

First, zoom in on the target area that will make up the custom location.

Utilize the i-tool and select the first area that will be included in your custom location. Hover over Add to Combination to select the option Create New Combination.