SimplyMap: make maps, simply!
SimplyMap is an easy-to-use, web-based mapping program that contains data and map shapes– no specialized knowledge is needed to create thematic maps. SimplyMap is available to all UCLA faculty, staff, and students. Read the tutorial below to get started using SimplyMap, or contact the reference department at biomed-ref@library.ucla.edu to set up an appointment to learn about SimplyMap.
To use SimplyMap, first register for a free account using your UCLA email address.
Select the area you wish to map using the “Locations” toolbar. 
You can map any location in the United States, and can view entire states, or specific cities, counties, zip codes, or census tracts.
Use the “Variables” tab to view the data available to use in your map, and select variables you wish to map. 
Current offerings include demographic data, cost of living and quality of life measurements, economic information, and more. Use the “Query” tab to create a map with more than one variable.
You can zoom in or out on your map, change the mapping intervals for your data, select colors, add a title and subtitle, and output the map as a high-quality image file to use in reports, posters, or presentations. You can also export the data used in the map as a table, for inclusion in a report or to perform further analysis.
This map shows the average spending per household on fruits and vegetables, for the census blocks groups surrounding the 405 and Sepulveda Boulevard intersection.
December 14th, 2007 at 3:11 pm
This is a great web application. I do have a question: is a user able to create or upload a custom overlay for a map as one can with google maps?
December 14th, 2007 at 3:54 pm
Hi Randy,
At this point, the SimplyMap application does not allow any data, map shapes, or overlays to be uploaded. According to the company, they are considering adding this capability to future versions of SimplyMap. If it does become available on UCLA’s subscription, we will certainly post about it on this blog!
Please let me know if you have further questions about this resource, or others.
Amy Chatfield, Outreach and Communications Coordinator, UCLA Biomedical Library
January 4th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
After using the application a bit more, I found out that it is possible to create custom locations based upon combinations of zip codes or census tracts. So this helps but doesn’t address situations where its important to map a location based upon some local planning division. In LA County for example, planners are asked to report data based upon Service Planning Areas, Supervisorial Districts, Health Districts, DPSS districts, GAIN districts, and SELPAs, to name a few. So, having the ability to slice and dice data along these boundaries would make simplymap a killer app.
January 4th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
Thanks for your comments, Randy. As a subscriber to this resource which was designed to be of use to people in various job roles across the United States, we do not control what map types are available, nor are we able to re-code the program. However, a support email address is listed on the registration page for the SimplyMap program, and you are welcome to submit your comments to the producers of SimplyMap by using that email address.
Amy Chatfield, Outreach and Communications Coordinator, Biomedical Library