Microsoft MapPoint 2001 [OLD VERSION]

MapPoint doesn't disappoint when it comes to working with demographics data, either--it includes population data from 1980, 1999, and 2004, along with a variety of geographic, household, and income information. A data-mapping wizard lets you generate a variety of map styles (using shaded areas, shaded or sized circles, or "pushpins" to mark data), so it's easy to identify regions with prospective customers. (You could, for instance, plot ZIP codes with a high proportion of households making more than $100,000 a year.)

The flip side of plotting the supplied data in MapPoint is plotting your own business data, easier to do with the program's hooks to Excel (both importing and exporting) and its ability to use GPS data. MapPoint will plot existing addresses of customers or sales to generate reports with maps. And, since it's integrated into Microsoft Office, we had no trouble creating a Word document that includes a map. (You can also use this tool within PowerPointfor presentations.)

There are plenty of mapping packages that make more use of multimedia for planning trips and the like. But MapPoint 2001 has a few features that can benefit the home user, though this is clearly not the product's focus. In testing, we received extremely detailed driving directions for a short trip. While it's doubtful that real travel is ever this precise, MapPoint did a good job showing us the way with its route planner.

In all, there's little doubt that this package's mapping capabilities will fit the needs of small to medium businesses. For organizations that have struggled with using geographical data, MapPoint 2001 puts mapping into reach. --Rich Dragan

Amazon.com Product Description
Microsoft MapPoint 2001 is a stand-alone business-mapping software product designed for everyday use. It lets Microsoft Office users easily find and illustrate points on the map, integrate maps into their Office documents, and quickly identify the trends of their business on the map, using their own data.

Microsoft MapPoint 2001 provides easy and affordable access to the same detailed, leading geographic and demographic data found in higher end, hard-to-use GIS-type mapping products. Business users can easily visualize the trends in their business by plotting their own business data on the map and then overlaying additional demographic or other business data. Microsoft Office users now have a familiar way to create maps that pinpoint customer or business locations on the map as well as plot their own business data to incorporate into marketing materials, proposals, and presentations.