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December 1996 Reviews This Month
By Hailey Lynne McKeefry
When I think of mapping software, I think in extremes. I can choose between low-end programs that barely let me build a chart and high-end data- and graphics-packed programs that sell for thousands of dollars to run on systems that cost even more.
Where's the happy medium?
I've found it in FirstMap for Excel 95. FirstMap installs itself as an Excel 95 toolbar and lets even the least sophisticated of statisticians build market analysis tools within minutes. The toolbar includes buttons that build maps or charts, change map colors, uninstall saved maps, build field references and access the Acrobat-formatted help manual, along with a wizard that puts them all together.
FirstMap's CD-ROM includes U.S. Census Bureau data, with which I built my first map. You can use the provided information or enter your own data. Census data includes population, household, ethnic, income, education, industry and employment information. The program's wizard helped me choose the information I wanted and level of detail.
I asked to see California's Hispanic salespeople, ages 25
to 29, and was rewarded with a map in less than a minute. Speed will depend on your hard drive's size. I chose to move map information from CD to my hard drive to speed things up. FirstMap had trouble distinguishing five-digit county (FIPS) codes from five-digit zip codes, but popped up menus asking me to choose the appropriate map outlines.
FirstMap takes Excel's Data Map features one step further. At $29, this program is a powerhouse, and a good buy even if you do only limited mapping.
--Info File--
FirstMap for Excel 95
Price: $29
Pros: Easy; inexpensive
Cons: Poor data recognition
Disk Space: 3.4MB
RAM: 8MB
Platforms: 95, NT
Wessex
800-892-6906, 847-501-3662
WinMag Box Score 3.5
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