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.

How to Use It:

In this example, we’re going to make the Greenwich Village and Soho neighborhoods in Manhattan.

1. Click on Create New Combination Location found within the Locations tab towards the left of the screen.

2. Give your location a name.

3. Enter in the locations that comprise your target area - in this case, the Greenwich Village and Soho neighborhoods consist of ZIP Codes: 10012, 10013 and 10014.

4. Select Save

Use your Location:
Now that your custom location is saved, you are free to use it in Maps and reports. Your custom location will be stored within the View your Custom Locations option in the Locations tab.

SimplyAnalytics will calculate the #, % and Average variables for you in reports:

And that’s it for today! In a future post, we’ll talk about creating combination locations from your recently used and favorite locations.