Power BI: Using Maps

How I’m Using Maps for Analysis

I find maps really helpful in picturing where the “action” is congregated. In my case, when I’m looking at where the coronavirus is especially severe, a top ten list of states, shown in map form, can sometimes highlight that a certain area of the country is undergoing a surge much better than a list or a line/bar graph.

I’ve put two examples of maps that show the current state of affairs in the US: surges are clustered around the Great Lakes area, in the eastern part of the Midwest and in the Northeast. A table of data, which I’ve included, usually don’t help me picture what part of the US the surges are occurring; hence, a map really does the job. The map on the left shows the top 10 states with cumulative number of cases over the last 21 days, as of 12/15/2021. The map on the right shows the top 10 states with the most cases on 12/15/2021 (a single day).

It’s almost, but not quite, the story of a same set of states that are showing high number of cases on 12/15/2021, have been racking up the count over the last 21 days. I prefer to look over 14 or 21 days to get a sense of which state is surging rather than just one day because a lot of states don’t report every day. Michigan reports every other day, and yet, it is tops in cumulative count for 21 days.

While a single day can be deceiving, I like to look at a single day because I can get a sense of each state’s daily levels, something that 14 or 21 days hide. I’m looking at how high the count gets for a single day. That aspect also interests me.

By the way, the data comes from John Hopkins University, See the “Sources of Data” box at the end of the post.

Types of Maps

Just a little note on the map tools that I choose. I previously was using the ArcsGis (I think that is what it is called) but I have stopped because a change was made, and it appears I now have to log into their site. I just don’t want another login id and password and don’t want to go through that hassle. I might even have to pay to subscribe.

So I’m using Microsoft’s version, but I will say, the ArcsGis are nicer because you have some ability to control the set up. I will have to play around some more to see if Microsoft’s maps do provide more flexibility than I’m thinking.