So, you’ve closed your survey and find yourself with a a good load of responses, congratulations! Now comes the exciting part: Revealing the local wisdom hidden in those pins, paths, and comments. What's nice about maptionnaire surveys is that since you can can collect both traditional survey data and spatial data in one and same survey, you can also analyse the data together.
Here are our top best practices for diving into your data:
1. Take a general look at your data
In the Maptionnaire analysis tool, take a look at the data you have gathered. Look at both the charts and map data:
- Toggle on some charts, change their style
- Toggle on some map layers, change their colouring and size
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Create a heatmap out of some map layers, see the hotspots in your data
2. Filter you charts and map responses
Think of the Analysis Tool as a lens that helps you slice and dice your data. The tool helps you reveal deep spatial insights and reach conclusions quickly without needing a PhD in statistics.
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You can apply filters based on responses to other questions to isolate specific groups. For example, you can filter your map and charts to show only the responses from people who move mostly by car to see how their opinions differ from the rest of the respondents.
Here is how: Apply filters based on responses to other questions (e.g. demographics or open text answers)
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The real magic happens when you combine spatial and attribute data. You can apply conditional filters to map responses to see how people who answered in a certain way to multiple choice questions, pointed things on the map.
Here is how: Add conditional styles for map responses in the analysis tool
You can also narrow your view to a specific part of the neighborhood by drawing an area around it with the spatial filter. This allows you to analyze responses from that exact geographic zone across all your survey questions.
Here is how: Generate charts based on selected map responses (Spatial filters)
3. Don't be afraid of open responses, use AI to help
Don’t be afraid of the open comments! Our analysis tool has many great ways which help you sort through qualitative feedback so you can see common themes emerge across hundreds of responses. For a faster workflow, try our AI assistant. You can feed it specific map and chart responses as input and get back a concise summary and thematic categorization. This is incredibly helpful for quickly grasping the "vibe" of the comments and identifying key concerns that might not be captured by multiple-choice questions alone.
Learn more: Best ways to work with the AI analytics and free text responses
4. Analyze spatial selections and predefined areas
When your survey uses pop up map or select map questions, the analysis tool treats each predefined area as a unique data point. This helps you to see exactly how many times a specific park, building plot, or planning zone was selected and what people had to say about it. Explore those responses by
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Selecting a specific item on the map to reveal the charts and open responses attached to that location.
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Creating cloropleth maps based on the number of times each item was chosen to quickly identify the most popular areas.
Filtering all survey results based on a specific feature ID or by using a spatial filter to draw an area around the items you want to focus on.
How-to: Explore Pop-up map & Select map responses
5. Save views, start from where you left off
Analysis is often a process of trial and error, so make sure to save your views as you work. Saving a view preserves the specific filters, chart selections, and map extents you’ve configured, allowing you to pick up exactly where you left off. This is also great way to collaborate with your teammates because instead of re-doing the analysis, everyone can see the same insights instantly just by selecting the saved view in question.
How-to: Save charts and maps in the analysis tool
6. Visualize both chart and maps in the analysis tool
When it’s time to present your findings to stakeholders or the public, use the tool’s built-in visualization options to make the data speak. For traditional questions, you can switch between pie charts, bar charts, and grouped charts to best represent your data distribution. For map-based responses, utilize conditional styling to indicate differences in responses on the same map, such as coloring pins based on the respondent's sentiment or category.
How-to: Add conditional styles for map responses in the analysis tool
7. Share the results with the world
People are much more likely to engage in future projects if they see that their previous input actually led to results, so make sure to make them good. You can use your analyzed data to create a summary report or a "What We Heard" page on your project site.
How-to: Add charts and maps to an online report