StatPlanet (formerly StatPlanet Map Maker) is a freeware application for creating highly interactive flash maps and graphs in minutes. Its purpose is to support evidence-based decision making. It comes as a compressed file. This cartography software may have a few slight flaws, but it still offers an exciting functionality.
StatPlanet provides a simple set of tools for creating a detailed map. While the main function was more tedious than we originally hoped, the results were still useful in the right situation.
The program’s interface is simple to grasp, and its controls are intuitive. StatPlanet’s layout reminds us of pop-up maps we’ve seen on news web sites. The program also includes an extensive User Guide, which is helpful for inputting your own data. It gives you full control over your map view, with options such as choosing to view the entire planet or zeroing in on a single country with a single mouse click. The program contains population maps, growth maps, and more.
StatPlanet’s strongest function is the capability to input data into a spreadsheet and upload it to your map. It color-codes every country to reflect your information, depending on what you’ve selected and the data you enter. This is a helpful feature, but it is a bit tedious to enter data manually.
StatPlanet also converts data into bar charts and graphs, which is nice, but doesn’t feel like a truly essential feature. This entire program offers an interesting tool for mapmaking, but we feel the amount of work involved may limit its appeal.
How to create and publish an interactive map online in 5 steps :
- Download StatPlanet Map Maker and extract the files to your computer.
- In the folder ‘World_map’ (or ‘USA_map’) open the StatPlanet_data_editor. Make sure macros are enabled. Press the ‘Clear data’ button to remove the example data.
- Press the “Import data” button and select a file containing data you wish to import. You can also add data manually using any spreadsheet software.
- Press the ‘Save data’ button (which saves the data to the file “data.csv”).
- Publish Copy the contents of the folder ‘Web’ to your website to publish it online.
Click on Flash IconStatPlanet.exe to view the results offline, or open StatPlanet.html to view the results in a web-browser. For further details, see the StatPlanet User Guide (PDF)
Create an interactive map in 5 minutes: how-to video
| Download | Size | Demo | Tutorial |
|---|---|---|---|
| StatPlanet | 12.4 MB | Corruption Perception Index | User Guide [PDF] |
