PolicyMap

Policy Map is a great tool

Vorteile:

When I am working on a project that requires US Census data, I use PolicyMap to gather data. The site is organized and user-friendly.

Nachteile:

I have no cons, I enjoy using the software.

Highly Recommend Policy Map for any Data Mapping or Demographics

Kommentare: I have been a Policy Map user/subscriber for 4-5 years. I have tried other similar applications- most that were either more expensive or less easy to use to get the same information. This is my GO TO and has been RELIABLE. [SENSITIVE CONTENT] in SUPPORT as well as other associated with POLICY MAP seal the deal when it comes to any issue or need.

Vorteile:

Ease of use in collecting data/demographics on custom polygon areas

Nachteile:

Ability to export data or save data; categorize saved data

Efficiency and Accuracy

Kommentare: The experience thus far has been fantastic. I look forward to seeing what all they creatively bring to the site as time goes on. They list to customers needs and if they do not regularly have consistent access to a very specific nuanced type of data, you can almost guarantee they are already trying to figure out how to get that data and provide it to their customer.

Vorteile:

The volume of data that is available is the first thing noticed by me and our team. Immediately after that is the amount of time it saves us to go to this one site instead of digging around on 4-15 sites to try and find viable data. Of course PM does not just allow data to be sourced from anywhere, it has to be respectable data sources. The consistency of data provided is also incredibly helpful. Anytime we needed help we were able to reach the IT team for backup.

Nachteile:

It can be a bit hard to navigate without any training at first. There are so many things you can do on this site it isn't always obvious exactly how to accomplish what you want. However, again, they have a great IT team that will walk you through it and there are regular trainings provided that are helpful.

Excellent for Data Analysis and Grant Research

Kommentare: Overall, this software is incredible for grant writing and gaining geographic insights into the work we do.

Vorteile:

I love that PolicyMap allows my organization to easily download data from government entities. The user can narrow down the field of data by desired data and geographic area. This feature is especially useful for grant writing because it allows the user to stitch together targeted Census tracts into a custom region and download data based on that region. We also use PolicyMap to upload and map transaction data. Through this upload, we are able to see how those transactions relate to various demographic data - i.e., are there higher concentrations of transactions in low income communities or middle/high income communities? PolicyMap helps us answer those questions.

Nachteile:

The upload feature is incredibly useful once the data is in the system, but my colleagues and I have found it difficult to get the data clean enough for upload. When uploading, we frequently encounter system errors, causing the upload process to take 3-4 times longer than it should.

From Student to Research

Kommentare: Great, love this product! So helpful for non-profits who want to ensure services are representing the over all of the community.

Vorteile:

The geocoding aspect of this product allowed to specifically target and share with our program teams. Allows us to see how far of a reach and in what areas are our clients concentrated in. Also, the easy-to-use topics by poverty, household types, transportation etc. allowing me to see the spatial inequities that exist.

Nachteile:

That it is too expensive for our non-profit to use. I have to use my premium student account.