Data Analysis

World Map: Historica Data

The World Map is located under the Data Analysis option on the Main Menu of IFs.

IMAGE http://www.du.edu/ifs/help/use-online/data/worldmap.html

The main function of the World Map is to display data in a visually dramatic format. Instead of representing country-related forecasts as lines in a graph, or columns in a table, the user is able to view the forecasts as shades of color imposed on a map of the world.

The main features of this option are located at the bottom of the screen which allows users to change the data set that is being displayed. Be sure to click the Refresh Map button after making any changes.

• Use Continue button to exit and return to the IFs Main Menu.
• Data availability statistics and source information of each data series are available from the Data Information button.
• The default data table that is available is TimeSeries, a broad group that contains most longitudinal data series in IFs. By clicking the Data Table drop-down menu, users can select from different data sets. These sets then correspond with a larger list of variables displayed in the Data Field list box.
• Below the Data Table option is the Dimension of Variable which allows users to change the year being displayed. Options include individual years, earliest year available for each country and most recent year available for each country.
• Boxes labeled Display Type and Number of Categories allow users to customize the map display. The default display type is set to Equal Interval, which divides the total range of values into the number of categories specified. The alternative categorization, Equal Count, displays an equal amount of responses in each category. For any data display option, users can create up to 7 distinct categories for display.
• Another input box, Color, determines the shading color in which data is displayed.
• Finally, by selecting the Projection option at the very bottom of the page, users are able to toggle between multiple global cartographic projections.

Some final features of the map are located inside the map display.

• The map legend is located to the left of the map. It displays the data points that delineate the different display categories.
• To move around the map, use the arrow buttons located to the right of the map; to reset the view, click the button at the center of the arrow buttons; zoom in or out using the plus/minus bar.
• Hovering over each country in the map displays the associated value of the data set, and left clicking on the map allows users to view either a detailed map of the country or a table of the data values by year.