People use google maps for many things, whether it’s business or personal. Visiting a new city and navigating its streets while avoiding traffic has never been easier. The web application also makes it easier for people to create presentations that have a mapping component to them. It’s an exceptionally popular tool that comes with a great low price: free. Google maps is an app that you can download to any mobile phone, and it works on all internet browsers. There’s no reason to use any other mapping option, is there?
Well, maybe there is. A lot of serious tech users choose not to use Google Maps for a variety of reasons. For instance, many feel that the interface is slow, and that it is slow to update navigation information. Also, there is always concern about Google having access to personal info, so those who are concerned with privacy may elect to avoid it. Of course, it could just be that some people do not like the user experience that Google Maps offers. However, there are several alternatives to using Google Maps, including using a great excel mapping software that integrates with Google maps to enhance the experience.
Here are some ways that a third-party mapping software can be an alternative to Google Maps.
Plotting Several Locations
With Google Maps you can drop pins on your chosen locations and then ask for directions to and from those spots. This is handy when you want to add stops on your route, or you need to plan out travel time and account for stops that you have to take. With a mapping software, you can do this as well, but you use simple features to enhance your experience and make these functions even more useful. For instance, you can map several addresses or within a certain territory. This is perfect for sales teams. Not only that, but you can add labels to locations, and add images as well to identify them. As opposed to being married to what Google Maps has to offer, you can better customize the interface so that it works perfectly for you and your needs.
Mapping Out Territories and Planning Your Route
Google Maps is a great option if you are simply looking to get from Point A to Point B using the most efficient route possible. A mapping software can also provide this function, but in addition, it can help you plan a more complicated route, or one for which you need to go out of your way to complete. It can provide fast data that will optimize driving routes for several vehicles. For instance, a company can use this software for delivery drivers for both local and regional routes. They can be spread amongst different territories, or each intertwined if need be. All of these routes can be easily shared by email, and they can be color-coded as well for easier identification. These maps can also be shared online so that staff and drivers can check for any updates in real-time
Mapping Through Excel
It can be very handy for businesses or researchers to be able to track locations visually as opposed to having them listed on a document. A distribution company may need to show the scale of its network and shipping locations. A map with locations dotted throughout can be an impressive visual that truly captures the scope of an operation. Not only that, but representing something visually may also help show where there may be space to grow. A large, glaring gap on a map can really stand out.
A mapping software can make this easier. A user can create a dataset on an excel spreadsheet, and then upload it to the software. This will display that data as geographic information, and it can be much more engaging and interesting than a simple list of numbers and characters. Some people simply respond and learn better with visual information than numerical. This is even more important when you have an especially large set of data. You can also create heat maps and map zip codes to dig down and discover trends that you may not have noticed with a simple excel dataset.
Analyze Maps Offline
It’s a digital world, and much of what we do is online, but sometimes you may feel the need to go offline to analyze and share information. With an export feature, mapping software allows you to download and print off maps to have a hard copy of the map to pass around at a meeting, or to look at together with a work group.
For many reasons, Google Maps isn’t perfect for everyone. It is a very good tool, but with mapping software you can boost its performance and take your use of mapping to the next level. Go beyond getting directions, and tap into the power of a mapping software for your business or personal needs.
