Purdue Libraries and School of Information Studies News

Parrish Library’s database of the week (9/14/12): SimplyMap

September 14th, 2012

Welcome to Database of the Week, a feature from the Roland G. Parrish Library of Management & Economics.  These weekly snapshots will give you basic information about our most relevant and beneficial online resources.

This Week’s Featured Database:  SimplyMap from Geographic Research, Inc.

Link: www.lib.purdue.edu/mel, in the pull down Quick Access to Business Databases alpha list right below the Libraries’ search box.

Description/focus: SimplyMap  provides demographic, business, and marketing data.

Start with this hint: The interface for SimplyMap can walk you through the steps to produce the map or chart you need.  The Variables you can select include:

Census Data
Consumer Expenditure (for example, Housing or Child care)
Business Counts
Market Segments (for example, In the Armed Forces)
Quality of Life (showing crime, earthquakes, snowfall)
Consumer Price Index
Retail Sales
Sales Potential
MRI Consumer Data
Life Stages
Simmons Data (formerly Choices 3)

The information can be represented on a map but can also be presented in a spreadsheet. See here for a simplified demonstration of a basic search.

Why you should know this database:  SimplyMap is the tool to use to compare variables, rank locations, create a demographic analysis, or compare data for a location.

How this database can be integrated into the curriculum: SimplyMap online workspaces can be shared.  This database can be used for any class that requires a business plan or forecasting.

Cost: Seats for 2 simultaneous users, paid annually by the Libraries. If both “seats” are taken, try again later.

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Database of the Week comes to you from the Roland G. Parrish Library of Management & Economics. Our intent is to give you a brief introduction to a database that you may not know.  If you would like more information about this database, or if you would like a demonstration of it for a class, contact kranlib@purdue.edu.  Database of the Week is archived  at https://blogs.lib.purdue.edu/news/category/MGMT/.  For more Purdue Libraries news, follow us on Twitter (@PurdueLibraries).

If you would like us to promote your favorite database, send an email to mdugan@purdue.edu.