Magic Maps
Irmgard Rossie
Magic Maps is an innovative tool for analyzing time-series data on a map. Simply drag in a data file (or download an example map from the Gallery) and start working with your information in a whole new way.
Maps. From the moment you import some data, states and countries immediately light up according to values of interest. And if you like, simply click the map legend to customize the colors and the numeric ranges that they represent. Or, assign colors based on text fields. Within the blink of an eye, Magic Maps gives you the high-level, full-color snapshot that you've been looking for.
Timelines. The world changes, and Magic Maps handles annual data with ease. A timeline in the bottom-left always shows you historical averages and totals. Simply click it, and Magic Maps will show you the map and numbers for any particular year. Or, press the "Play" button, sit back, and watch how your data has evolved over time. No matter what it is that you are trying to understand, gaining a broad perspective couldn't be easier.
Copy-paste images directly into email. Find something interesting? Copy it to the clipboard, paste it into an email, and fire it off to the team. Anyone can open images created by Magic Maps, and everyone will wonder how you were able to create attractive, insightful maps so quickly.
Export PDFs for presentations. With customizable colors and styles, Magic Maps look terrific in presentations. No matter how big the screen behind you, the vectorized PDF output scales up beautifully. A map can be an effective way to summarize your findings or communicate your vision for the future. Magic Maps will help you make the map that gets remembered.
Save and share Magic Maps files. Send your saved Magic Maps files around the office as easily as a spreadsheet. It's easy to collaborate on maps, share revisions, or drag and drop data from one map into another. So let the data expert inspect the numbers, the design genius tweak the style, and the boss make the final call. Since Magic Maps is easy to use, everyone can contribute.
Export Dataset Publishing Language. Magic Maps is the only desktop application that can export DSPL, a new file format from Google which lets you upload data to the Google Public Data Explorer. There, your map can be analyzed, explored, and enjoyed by anyone with a web browser. So if you wish to share the interactive nature of your Magic Maps files with the general public, Magic Maps gives you the tools. Even better, because datasets uploaded to Google can be embedded in any web page, your visitors can interact with your data without ever leaving your website.
Magic Maps can be exported as PDF, which preserves the minutest details of geographic features and is ready for print or desktop publishing programs. If additional editing is needed, simply bring the PDF into your favorite vector-editing program and finish the job.
But if you need more than the built-in templates, there is a world of map templates out there in the form of industry-standard Shapefiles and newer KML files. Once installed, Magic Maps will recognize KML and Shapefiles on your computer; simply double-click one to open it up.
KML files and Shapefiles are often available through the websites of governments and non-profits, including www.geocommons.com. Alternatively, you can manually create your own KML files with the "My Maps" tool on Google Maps, then import it into Magic Maps.
Fortunately, Magic Maps ships with eight professional map projections, including Albers Equal Area, Lambert Conformal Conic, Mercator, and Winkel Tripel. Just click the Projections icon, and you'll instantly see a preview of all four. Simply click your favorite projection to apply it. Each projection can be adjusted via its projection parameters, so that you can tune your all of your maps to your heart's content.
Crayon tool. Color the world however you want with the Crayon tool; just click and start filling in any map with up to 5 colors of your choice. Save your favorite colors to your preferences for later use, and select a background color to match. With Magic Maps, the world is your canvas.
Pencil tool. With the Pencil tool, adding points of interest to the map is as easy as clicking where you want each point to go. For more precise additions, use the Zoom feature, or let the status bar tell you the exact latitude and longitude of where you are about to click.
Text tool. Label each point and shape using the Text tool; just click, type, and press Enter. Click and drag to adjust each label's location; a leading line will always connect the label back to its source. Then, style your labels with your favorite font and color.
Colors and timelines. Take in the big picture, then click any location to see its information. Hover to see any location's timeline, and compare it to the average. Because the status bar tells you where you're hovering, you'll always know exactly what you're looking at.
Selection box. As you draw a selection box, and the data tables and timeline instantly update to show you the corresponding numbers. You'll have fun just whizzing around the country with your mouse.
Top 100 list. Want to know where your state or county ranks? Just click the Top 100 icon, and see the current standings for any variable of interest. Press the Play button, and watch as the list changes over time.
Mercator and more. The Mercator projection is popular, but it makes some countries appear to be much larger than they actually are. Try out the Albers Equal Area projection to see a map where countries of equal area are drawn with equal size.
Map rotations. Use the Rotation knob to turn the country upside-down, or turn the world on its side. Print out a map with upside-down labels and challenge your students to think in a new way.
Central meridians and standard parallels. The adjustable map parameters mean that there is an unlimited number of possible map projections. Play around with them and see the choices that professional cartographers have to make every day.
Drag and Drop. To import data, simply drag a file from the Finder into the variable table. To export data as CSV, drag one or more variables from Magic Maps over to the Finder, and presto! A new CSV file appears.
Copy-Paste. Working with a spreadsheet? Just copy the cells that contain your data (along with a header row), paste directly into Magic Maps, and instantly behold a map that is colored according to your data.
Spotlight search. Because Magic Maps was built with Core Data, Spotlight will automatically search through the labels, titles, and variable names in Magic Maps files. So even if your desktop is a mess, Magic Maps files are always easy to reach.
Accelerated computation. To give you the best performance even with large data sets, we enlisted the help of Apple's amazing Accelerate framework. As a result, many of the built-in mathematical functions are up to 4 times faster than before.
Live projections with Metal. The Projection Preview window seems like a no-brainer, but you won't find it in any other maps program. Why? Because projecting the earth's surface onto a map is computationally intensive, and the process normally requires you to sit and wait for the computation to finish. For Magic Maps, we took the time to rewrite all of our map projection routines in Metal. As a result, you can tweak map parameters and see the result almost instantly.
GPU distance calculations. We also rewrote our distance routines in Metal, and used a few extra tricks to give you the absolute best performance when it comes to geographic calculations. So for most uses, drawing a blast radius or calculating a minimum distance occurs in the blink of an eye. And because Magic Maps performs the computations in parallel, it can take full advantage of modern multi-core processors.
The Map and Geographic Information Center (a.k.a. MAGIC) is the largest collection of maps and other cartographic information, such as atlases, gazetteers and place name guides, in the state of New Mexico. As part of the Federal Depository Library Program it houses maps from the United States Geological Survey, The National Forest Service, the National Park Service, the Central Intelligence Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and the Army Corps of Engineers. Other maps in the collection come from commercial map firms or from donated maps. Historic maps are an important part of our collection, including the Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of New Mexico, historic road maps of New Mexico, and historic maps of the southwest and the Navajo Nation. We have full service large format scanning available.
Newsmaps would feature maps of the world and of local areas summarizing fighting, military action during the week, and photographs of troops. Most Newsmaps had a second side which provided information transport; information about enemy organization, equipment, and uniform insignia; strategies for defeating or evading enemy weapons; detailed maps; highlights of service achievement; or propaganda.
The purpose of the Map Groups is to simplify the import of Import Maps that depend on each other. By using the Map Groups you avoid having to manually import multiple maps individually. You can collect saved Import Maps in map Group(s) to upload them one by one automatically when importing the Map Group. Before importing data by using an existing Map Group, you need to create them first and then add saved Import Maps. How to save Import Map >>
The following figure demonstrates the CarBreak Structure Satisfy Requirements Map Group that contains CarBreak Requirments, CarBreak Structure and Car Break Satisfy Import Maps. When importing this Map Group, the Import Maps are executed in the same order as specified in the Manage Map Groups dialog.
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