Maps
Shade countries, US states, ZIP codes or your own regions by a number, or place points by latitude and longitude.
A map chart shows where something happens: revenue by state, customers by ZIP code, or stores as points.
Make a map
In the chart editor, choose the Map chart type. If the dataset has a field marked as a country, US state or ZIP code, Halo starts with it. If not, it looks for latitude and longitude fields.
Under Place, choose the field that names each region. For points, add latitude, longitude and optionally a label, in that order.
Under Shade or size by, choose a number.
Under Style, choose what to Show, Shaded regions or Points, and what they sit on.
Marking a field's Semantic type helps Halo find places on its own. Discovery usually does this, and you can change it on the dataset's Fields tab.
Region maps
Regions says what your values name.
| Regions | Your values | Shapes |
|---|---|---|
| Countries | ISO alpha-2, alpha-3 or numeric codes, or English names | World countries |
| US states | USPS codes, FIPS codes or names | States, with Alaska and Hawaii inset |
| ZIP codes | Five-digit ZIP codes | Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas |
| Your regions | Region names, or ZIP codes in a ZIP code group | Your organization's region sets |
Countries is the default.
ZIP codes
Numbers get their leading zeros back, so 2134 matches 02134, and ZIP+4 codes use their first five digits. The map opens zoomed to the areas with data.
ZIP codes aren't really areas, so Halo uses the Census Bureau's ZIP Code Tabulation Areas for the 50 states, DC and Puerto Rico. PO box and single-building ZIP codes have no area, and show as not matching. ZIP code maps shade regions only.
When values don't match
Values that match no region are listed under the map, with a count, never dropped silently. Check that list after building a map: it usually means a misspelling, or the wrong Regions. Regions with no data take a neutral fill that the legend names.
When several rows land on one region
Rows that land on one region combine by their aggregate. Sums and counts add up, and minimums and maximums keep the extreme. Averages, medians and distinct counts can't combine this way, so the region is left blank with a note. To use one, group by the region itself.
A map of US states, shaded by value, with a color scale under it
Point maps
Choose Points under Show, then On a map of for what they sit on: countries, US states or your own regions. Place reads latitude first, then longitude, then an optional label, and the number sizes each point.
Past 300 points, nearby ones gather into clusters so the map stays readable.
Turn on Street map to draw the points on a street map readers can pan and zoom, instead of plain boundaries. The street map comes from OpenFreeMap, with OpenStreetMap's credit on it. Thumbnails stay plain.
A map of stores drawn as circles on a state map, with larger circles for larger values
Your own regions
Sales territories and service areas rarely match official boundaries. Add them in Settings, Map regions; you need the Upload images permission, which also covers map regions. Then choose them under Your regions.
There are two kinds of region set:
Upload shapes: a GeoJSON file of polygons in longitude and latitude (WGS 84), up to 20 MB, 1,000 regions and 2,000,000 points. Under Region names from, choose the property that names each region. Features with the same name merge into one, and Halo simplifies shapes for maps while neighbors still meet.
Group ZIP codes: named lists of ZIP codes, pasted as two columns from a spreadsheet or edited by hand. A ZIP code can be in one group only, up to 500 groups and 40,000 ZIP codes. A group crossing a state line can show a faint seam there.
Chart values match a region's name, and ZIP code groups also match any ZIP code in them, rolled up into the region. So a dataset with only ZIP codes can still draw your territories.
Each set shows which charts use it. Deleting one leaves its charts in place: they say what's wrong until someone picks other regions.
A map of neighborhoods shaded by orders, with a color scale under it
DMAs
Until then, a ZIP code group can approximate a DMA. DMA codes already work everywhere else: discovery recognizes them, tables and charts show their names, and filters pick from the list by name or code.
Good habits
Shade rates, not only totals. Totals often just show where people live. Revenue per customer can say more.
Check the list under the map. Unmatched values are missing from the shading.
Consider a bar chart too. It ranks regions more exactly than shades do. See Choosing a chart.