Microsoft MapPoint 2006 - Locate your granny with this! (MS MapPoint 2006 with GPS Locator Europe)

Member Name: Jazzy09

Product:	MS MapPoint 2006 with GPS Locator Europe
Date:	21/07/09 (91 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Useful for planning routes and mapping data.

Disadvantages: Glitches with the postcodes.

Microsoft MapPoint Europe 2006

Having used this piece of software in my work for nearly two years now, I can't imagine manipulating the data with any other type of software. You can find other pieces of software that produces maps and routes maybe using Google maps but I haven't come across a better offline piece of software.

Using MapPoint

When you first load up the software it looks quite daunting and looks quite technical but it is deceiving. The software does come with a manual which is separate from the disc which has the installation of the software.

At first you will see a map of the whole world but you can zoom in and out to your desired destinations. My best advice would be to create your own template map which will have territories which you can then feed data into those territories. For example if I wanted to map the number of people with Asthma in the North West I would break it down by Liverpool, Manchester and so on. To do this you would be required to create the territories by post code.

You then have a separate excel spreadsheet which feeds into your map template which would have the number of people with Asthma. You can manipulate the data to show hotspots or show areas were there are very few incidences of Asthma. Once you have completed this it all looks very impressive and can be copied into the likes of Microsoft Word for reports.

You can also use the GPS function to feed into your Satellite Navigation system if you have one to find a destination by car or any other means. You can also map nearby places as well as many other things.

Graphics

The graphics are not as good as the likes of Google but still look good on paper. It uses basic colours and just motorways and names of places can be seen. You do have the function to have different views like Terrain, Data Map, Road Map and Political Map.

Price

I bought this piece of software for around £10 from E-Bay at the time and for the price it does a pretty decent job although there is one small glitch with the postcodes but you can work around that issue with updates.

Would I recommend it?

I would recommend that you buy the newer 2009 version compared with this version as the 2009 version comes without the glitches this software package contains.


Summary

This is a nice little software package for a nice price but be warned there are some post code issues with this version of MapPoint. I use the 2009 version and it works like a dream and would recommend to anyone wanting to map data onto a map. For those who wish to plan routes for long travelling by car then I would recommend this software as it is quite easy to plan your route.


- Great for reports
- Useful for those who travel a lot
- Does require updates
- Links in with GPS
- Route Planner
- Links with other Microsoft Packages


Rating: 3/5

Summary: A useful software package for those planning routes and Epidemiologists wanting to map data!

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