Microsoft MapPoint 2001

MapPoint doesn't disappoint when it comes to working with demographics data, either--it includes population data from 1980, 1999, and 2004, along with a variety of geographic, household, and income information. A data-mapping wizard lets you generate a variety of map styles (using shaded areas, shaded or sized circles, or "pushpins" to mark data), so it's easy to identify regions with prospective customers. (You could, for instance, plot ZIP codes with a high proportion of households making more than $100,000 a year.)

The flip side of plotting the supplied data in MapPoint is plotting your own business data, easier to do with the program's hooks to Excel (both importing and exporting) and its ability to use GPS data. MapPoint will plot existing addresses of customers or sales to generate reports with maps. And, since it's integrated into Microsoft Office, we had no trouble creating a Word document that includes a map. (You can also use this tool within PowerPointfor presentations.)

There are plenty of mapping packages that make more use of multimedia for planning trips and the like. But MapPoint 2001 has a few features that can benefit the home user, though this is clearly not the product's focus. In testing, we received extremely detailed driving directions for a short trip. While it's doubtful that real travel is ever this precise, MapPoint did a good job showing us the way with its route planner.

In all, there's little doubt that this package's mapping capabilities will fit the needs of small to medium businesses. For organizations that have struggled with using geographical data, MapPoint 2001 puts mapping into reach. --Rich Dragan

Amazon.com Product Description
Microsoft MapPoint 2001 is a stand-alone business-mapping software product designed for everyday use. It lets Microsoft Office users easily find and illustrate points on the map, integrate maps into their Office documents, and quickly identify the trends of their business on the map, using their own data.

Microsoft MapPoint 2001 provides easy and affordable access to the same detailed, leading geographic and demographic data found in higher end, hard-to-use GIS-type mapping products. Business users can easily visualize the trends in their business by plotting their own business data on the map and then overlaying additional demographic or other business data. Microsoft Office users now have a familiar way to create maps that pinpoint customer or business locations on the map as well as plot their own business data to incorporate into marketing materials, proposals, and presentations.

The inability to fully customize a map's presentation, and particularly the colors, is a real drawback. The program features a limited number of color schemes for presenting data. There is no way to remove county names and other labels even from the less-cluttered "Data Map" option so as to create a "data-only" map. Perhaps a more difficult problem for the advanced user is the inability to create completely accurate maps at levels other than those included in the standard package (such as cities and towns) or to define your own territories and boundaries.


It Does A Good Job.......   March 22, 2001
R. Lade (Palm Beach, Florida)
I got this program because I spend a lot of time traveling by car and I use it mostly for directions and it does an adequate job of that. (I haven't got lost yet!) I guess I could probably have used Mapquest or something similar, but it was handier to be able to do what I wanted without being on-line. I do agree with other reviews though that heavy duty stuff may be best left to something else.

In short, this is an ok program.


This Outstrips BusinessMap Pro by a Longshot   January 29, 2001
M. Simone (Harleysville, PA USA)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

I've read the other reviews and it's true that you can't remove the any of the label layers. A bit frustrating. But if you've ever struggled with the awkward interface of, e.g., BusinessMap Pro, you'll be postively delighted with its ability to map data by zip and demography. And the interface with Excel and Access is fluent. Try that with Business Map Pro. True, the heavy corporate user might not find it as helpful, but then even they would have to be stuck with the heavy and obsolete DOS based naming conventions that make BusinessMap Pro so difficult. In addtition, you get that great MS support. I've called ESRI (BusinessMap Pro) tech support three times in the last 10 days and left messages asking for some help and still haven't had a response! (Incidentally, you'll never get a recording with MS tech support.) What can I say? MS does it again. In about a year or two they'll have even the few obstacles overcome as usual. I'd like to give this a 4.5 but the rating system won't let me; and I do that in light of what is available by MS competitors in this price range. If you want to spend lots more, of course you can do better.


Functional but not Completely   June 20, 2000
19 out of 20 found this review helpful

MapPoint 2001 have many improvements over last years version. The converion of data from Excel/Access applications are smooth and fast. However the legends available seem to get in the way and I have not found a way to take them off the map. This software is great for the small to med business but this would could not be used well in a large organization.