MapInfo Introduction / Intermediate

The introductory section of this course aims to get you comfortable with the basics and hands-on with data as quickly as possible. We show you the basics of how to navigate and use MapInfo. We also look at how to view data on a map and working with a subset of your data.

The key topics trained include:

• Basic concepts of using MapInfo
• Opening MapInfo tables
• Viewing data in a Map, Browser Graph windows
• Working with subset of a table

MapInfo presents data from different tables in different layers. Layers are one of the most frequently used functions in MapInfo as they allow you to combine different sets of data. This often allows new spatial relationships between data to be discovered.

The key concepts trained include:

• Using MapInfo Layer Control features
• Setting and changing the colours and styles of your map
• Adding, removing

MapInfo allows you to select a subset of your data after it has been visualised on a map. This section shows you how to do this and how to then analyse the selection that you have made.

The key topics trained include:

• Using the select tools to make selections
• Selecting objects within a radius, rectangle, region or custom polygon
• Viewing the selected data in a Browser window
• Using the statistics window to analyse the selection
• Reversing or inverting a selection

The data that you will want to work with in MapInfo is often held in other software programs. This section covers the various methods for importing data from other software programs. It also looks at units and discusses longitude and latitude as well as British Grid co-ordinates.

The key concepts covered include:

• How to open common data file formats including:
  • MS Access tables
  • Spreadsheet files
  • DBF files
  • Delimited ASCII files
• Using MapInfo Create Points command to get your data onto a map
• Understanding and using British National Grid coordinates
• Understanding Longitude / Latitude co-ordinates

MapInfo offers users the ability to query their data using a SELECT command. Being a confident user of this tool allows you to review subsets of your data very easily and so is a key skill.

The key concept trained is:

• Using the Query > Select command to filter your tables for data that meets a certain condition

In order to visualise your data on a map, it will need to be geocoded. Geocoding is the process of attaching spatial data to your existing data so that it can be easily grouped and manipulated according to the area that it relates to. This section of the course looks at using postcodes to allow you to do this and also methods for geocoding your data.

The key topics trained include:

• Using Postcodes to plot your data on a map
• Automatic and Interactive Geocoding

• Colouring maps according to associated data
• Ranged maps
• Individual value maps
• Graduated symbol maps
• Explore various options for each of the types of thematic map created
• Joining tables
• Customise legends of thematic maps
• Save thematic templates to produce different maps using the same settings

• Manually creating and editing labels using the label tool
• Automatically labelling an entire layer
• Controlling label options for an entire layer
• Changing the data column used for labels
• Adding annotations onto a map

• Using the layout window to create hardcopy output
• Placing multiple maps, browsers, legend windows or other windows on a page in preparation for printing
• Working with Frame Objects
• Adding your own logos and graphics to your Layout window

• Place maps from MapInfo into other software
• Save a window as a bitmap to be used in another software package

• Redistricting tool
• SQL Queries
• Combining data
• FIND command
• Database and file management