15. Maps: Showing Maharashtra on a Map
15.1 Which Map Visual?
| Visual | What it shows | Needs | Good for | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Map (bubble map) | Bubbles at points, sized by a measure | Location text or Latitude/Longitude | Orders by city or dark store | Uses Bing Maps; Microsoft is moving users to Azure Maps (15.7) |
| Filled map (choropleth) | Shades whole areas by value | Area names (state, district, postal code) | Orders by district | Only as good as the boundaries the service knows |
| Shape map | Shades regions using a custom TopoJSON map | A TopoJSON file with matching region names | Maharashtra districts or your own delivery zones | Preview feature; turn on in Options |
| Azure map | Modern map with layers: bubble, heat map, 3D columns, filled map, reference layer (GeoJSON) | Location or Latitude/Longitude | Customer density around Kothrud, Hinjewadi; many dark stores | May need an admin setting |
| ArcGIS for Power BI | Esri maps with demographics and spatial analysis | Location data; some features need an ArcGIS account | Advanced GIS use | May be disabled by admins |
Do you really need a map?
With six cities, a sorted bar chart often answers "which city has the most orders?" faster. Use a map when position matters, for example dark store coverage, or distance between stores and customers.
Ravindra Bagale's Tip
Friends, many students choose a map because "we have a City column", even when a bar chart would answer the question better. Use a map only when location patterns matter (for example gaps between dark stores). Otherwise, a sorted bar chart by city is easier to read. It's very simple – just make it a habit.
Ravindra Bagale's Tip – मराठी
मित्रांनो, bar chart ने प्रश्नाचं उत्तर जास्त चांगलं मिळत असतानाही बरेच students "आपल्याकडे City column आहे" म्हणून map निवडतात. Location चे patterns महत्त्वाचे असतील तरच map वापरा (उदाहरणार्थ dark stores मधली अंतरं). नाहीतर city नुसार sorted bar chart वाचायला सोपा असतो. एकदम simple आहे, फक्त सवय लावून घ्या.
Ravindra Bagale's Tip – हिंदी
दोस्तों, bar chart से सवाल का जवाब बेहतर मिलने पर भी बहुत से students "हमारे पास City column है" इसलिए map चुन लेते हैं. Map तभी इस्तेमाल करो जब location के patterns मायने रखते हों (जैसे dark stores के बीच की दूरियाँ). वरना city के हिसाब से sorted bar chart पढ़ने में आसान है. बहुत आसान है, बस आदत बना लो.