Using the Drawing Tools in Maptitude, you can create a lasso and generate a report on the enclosed area. This report will include demographic information as well as a report for each point layer you have in the map, detailing which points from that layer fall inside the lassoed area.
In this article, we will use the Maptitude Healthcare layers, available as a free download for any use with the latest version of the software, in order to find the list of available healthcare locations inside a custom drawn boundary. The analysis, however, can be done with any point layer.
Step 1: Add the Data to the Map
- Download and install the Healthcare layers (see this article for more details)
- Open a map you would like to analyze
- Go to Map>Layers and click Add Layer
- Navigate to where you installed the Healthcare Layers (the default location is C:/ccdata)
- Select the layer(s) you would like the report on and click Open. For this example, I will be using the Hospital and Healthcare Organization layers
Step 2: Draw the Lasso and Export
- If the Drawing Toolbar is not visible, go to Edit>Drawing>Toolbar and make sure it is checked
- On the Drawing Toolbar, click
- Start drawing your Lasso:
- Single Click to place a corner on the boundary
- Double Click to close the loop
- See here for a video demonstration
- When you are happy with the shape of the lasso, right-click inside the boundary and choose Export to Excel
- Choose an appropriate name for the Excel Report and click Save
Maptitude will create an Excel file with several sheets:
- One sheet called Census Overlay will give demographic information for the area inside the lasso
- This data will vary based on the country package you are using. See here for more information on customizing the fields reported
- For each Point layer you have showing in the map, there will be a sheet data listing all the points inside the lasso.
- This will usually include a sheet called City/Town listing the populated places inside your lasso
- In this example, my report included a list of Hospitals and Healthcare Organizations as well