PolicyMap Reviews

i luv u PolicyMap

Comments: I use this to make maps on the fly for quick-burn analysis projects. It's also great for our entry-level staff who don't have GIS skills but need to make maps.

Pros:

-Easy to make custom maps with idiosyncratic data -Lots of sources of data -Easy to print maps to PDF for decent GIS -You don't need to know GIS to use PolicyMap well

Cons:

-Paid version is very expensive for what I need it for -Some of the housing data isn't updated regularly

So happy we finally made this investment

Comments: We use PolicyMap for several of our needs as a non-profit Community Action Agency. Our primary purpose is to serve our business clients and compliance needs for our small business loan program. It helps us advise business owners about the demographics of the area in which they plan or are doing business. With the data upload and download, we are also able to maintain the data we need for CDFI compliance. For our work with LIHTC and NMTC, it helps us to identify locations and potential projects. It is also crucial for evaluating the potential of proposed programs and completing our annual needs assessment with the demographic and other data.

Pros:

Integrating PolicyMap into our day-to-day operations was seamless. It was, truly, the opportunity we had been waiting for. For some of our staff, they didn't even know they needed it until they had it. It's easy to use and filled with more useful information than any one organization could ever need. The time it saves is well worth the investment even beyond the increased quality of the work we are able to produce.

Cons:

As with any data-related software, there is always a need for more data. Personally, I would prefer more historical data. They are also working on several features, such as the ability to run certain reports by a self-selected geography that I look forward to them rolling out. The one feature I would really like is the ability to upload data by county or Census Tract rather than only pinpoint data by an address.

Use of mapping economic data

Comments: Reasonably good. This tool needs to be well integrated into other GIS tools- or provide some connectivity.

Pros:

very easy to understand. The thematic layers provide just adequate information.

Cons:

How to integrated other data formats? Data translation tools should be available.

Policy Map A Quick Review

Comments: Very Satisfied and I would Highly and easily recommend to my colleagues and friends!

Pros:

Everything haven't actually found another Policy Map similar and that I like as well as Policy Map i've used it since you were first on the markets and i've loved you since the first day and would never change.

Cons:

Everything is quiet Spectacular actually and have no complaints!

Social Determinants of Health

Comments: Quite an enjoyable experience, and easy to play around.

Pros:

I like the broad range of variables/indicators that are captured by PolicyMap and how I can highlight the unit of analysis (county, multiple counties or state level).

Cons:

Some indicators are not available at the county level, only state.

Great product for social, economic, and demographic spatial visualizations

Pros:

Access and explore pre-populated spatial data Upload and overlay our own point data Customize regions, data ranges, visualizations, etc. Create templates for future projects Export (non-proprietary) data

Cons:

Few “built-in” analysis tools Not as dynamic/sophisticated as, e.g., ArcGIS Can only upload point data Updates datasets automatically and does not save your maps or customizations with older versions Occasionally: competing datasets; may require additional context (E.g., “Limited Supermarket Access Designation” vs. “LILA” or E.g., “Median Family Income, 2022” (HUD) vs. “Median HH income, 2018-2022” (ACS))

Policy Map has been our Go-To source for marketing data since 2010

Pros:

Policy Map attracted us with the bells and whistles of graphic maps showing details of population data. It has always been super simple to use and generate clear reports from. I have told countless businesses about Policy Map because of this. Thank you!

Cons:

Though I do not think any other company compares to policy map, I think the pricing is sometimes difficult to navigate. We end up making the best business decision though and stick with using it.

It's the Standard!!

Comments: My overall experience with PolicyMap has been a joyful one, for sure.

Pros:

I mean, man... I am truly unsure it gets much better than PolicyMap when it comes to GIS applications.

Cons:

I am unsure what to put for this box because my experience has been nothing but positive!! :)

Fantastic resource!

Comments: I appreciate the service, thank you very much!

Pros:

For our non-profit organization, I am grateful to find many facets of health data throughout Missouri. This is helpful for justifying our work.

Cons:

I would like to see more transportation-specific data within PolicyMap. Most of the transportation data is currently nested within 'Quality of Life,' and elsewhere in subsections of other areas such as 'Food Access.' Transportation-related data specifically capturing transportation beyond employment is critical, especially for those that walk, bike, take public transit, etc.

New User Looking for Data!

Pros:

I signed up for the PolicyMap newsletter because of the great information they publish with updates, I don't have to go in and check the website - I can just get notified of new data integrations. I've been diving into food security data and, though I'm just getting started, I think it's going to be incredibly helpful for informing some programs and initiatives.

Cons:

Nothing so far, I've been impressed with the articles and how the team contextualizes the data so it's easier to understand.

Highly Recommend Policy Map for any Data Mapping or Demographics

Comments: 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.

Pros:

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

Cons:

Ability to export data or save data; categorize saved data

Efficiency and Accuracy

Comments: 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.

Pros:

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.

Cons:

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

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

Pros:

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.

Cons:

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.

Product Review

Comments: Our projects have spanned from a major brand launch across most of the US to a small non-profit in
Philadelphia. For the national product launch, we have been able to integrate your data with other
marketing and sales data to identify the best opportunities for our client brand expansion and then
subsequently navigate and map trends and outcomes! The data has been outstanding and the mapping
tool has allowed us to tell complex stories in easy-to-understand maps! Using your tools for my nonprofit, volunteer work, at the other end of the spectrum, has been central to telling critical stories in a
concise manner, leading to support for the vital work of the non-profit!

Pros:

Our team has had the opportunity to use your product in work on very diverse projects. From my own experience, the tools and service have been excellent! The product itself has become increasingly more user-friendly – even for those of us who have had to learn tech rather than be born into it!

Cons:

We have not incurred any cons throughout our use cases.

Socioeconomic and Demographic

Comments: The more I use it the more I find ways for all subjects and departments to on board with Policy Map. Wish I could sit outside in a high traffic area and demo the options and types of searches to students.

Pros:

Used in higher education for a variety of subjects: govt., history, sociology, economics, business classes. In addition institutional research, marketing, and ESL departments utilize Policy Map.

Cons:

Wish I could add a record in our ILS system to make Policy Map discoverable by serendipitous student searches. This is not Policy Maps problem but our ILS vendor = OCLS WMS. Please advocate for collection representation in OCLC.

Policy Map and Non-profits

Pros:

Streamlining data gathering with the added functionality of being able to map results, both at a geographically limited area as well as at the city or county level is an important tool to producing need statements for various funding opportunities as well as case studies. Policy Map is constantly adding new criteria/data points from various sources which again improves community storytelling essential to the organization's work.

Cons:

I am still having challenges creating multi layer maps.

Data Analyst and GIS Researcher Review

Pros:

The PolicyMap software provides a easy to navigate platform for public health research. Having all of the available measures and data on one site makes exploring and exporting GIS data easy.

Cons:

To assess the individual data sources for the measures, you will be taken to a separate web page and lose your bearings on the mapping page. While point locations are shown on the mapping site, geocodes are not provided in the exported data. Therefore you will either need to use an existing geocoding resource you have or pay for geocoding separately. Lastly, you cannot layer measures on the map. You can only assess one variable at a time, so looking across geographic overlap of measures is not possible.

From Student to Research

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

Pros:

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.

Cons:

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

Useful tool for Urban Planning Master's students

Pros:

The quick visualization of geodata has been so helpful to me throughout my graduate studies- such a powerful tool!

Cons:

PolicyMap would be out of mine price range if my University was not paying for it.

Why I use /appreciate the information

Comments: I share the information and services with people / agencies that I work with now and in the past- at least they have options to help there individual/ collective needs

Pros:

I have been receiving/ using this information when the agency was loveland and did the Cleveland Vacancy project.

Cons:

I enjoy the information - sometimes it gets to in-depth for me - but I understand the overall and if needed then the customer service is an option.

Good resource for place-based funders

Pros:

The proprietary data through PolicyMap has been very useful for our geographically-restricted funding efforts, particularly as federal-level sources are phasing out.

Cons:

It is not easy or simple to see the data available at different geography levels (for example, all data available at tract level for a certain topic).

Policy Map is a great tool

Pros:

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.

Cons:

I have no cons, I enjoy using the software.

PolicyMap - An Underrated Tool

Comments: Generally, very good. We'll be using it more as we grow our LGBTQ+ telehealth product nationwide as geo-specific data will be critical in our market penetration efforts.

Pros:

Depth of data and ability to create custom datasets.

Cons:

Somewhat pricy, but worth it. Setup was a bit challenging, but nothing that couldn't be overcome.

Excited to learn more but struggling a bit with functionality

Pros:

I like that the source of government data is always very clearly labeled.

Cons:

I'm not quite sure how to "pin" locations/zipcodes yet, when I'm trying to compare two different regions! I'm also not sure how to be able to display multiple social determinants of health for a given region at the same time? E.g., income and race, or income and educational attainment. Also, very curious as to what other users use PolicyMap for -- probably just need to attend some workshops, not sure if I'm using it correctly/to its potential

a good product for educator

Pros:

easy to use. Enable us to location as we like.

Cons:

interface can be improved. I think the front page can be more noticeable.