{"id":33009,"date":"2026-08-18T05:56:58","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T05:56:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.regio.ee\/?p=33009"},"modified":"2026-08-18T09:03:04","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T09:03:04","slug":"map-applications-in-everyday-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.regio.ee\/en\/map-applications-in-everyday-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Map applications in everyday work"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Automatic Translation by ChatGPT<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Have you heard the saying, \u201cOne map is worth a thousand pictures and a million words\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is especially true when it comes to spatial data. Excel spreadsheets and databases may contain a wealth of information, but visualising that data on a map makes it much easier to understand how it relates to specific locations and to see the bigger picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether you need to see where your company\u2019s customers are located, track the movement of maintenance vehicles, or understand where utility networks are situated, a map provides a far clearer overview than any table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A map application brings all the relevant data together in a single visual environment, making spatial patterns and relationships \u2013 as well as potential bottlenecks \u2013 immediately apparent. For example, the location and density of certain types of assets or objects are much easier to grasp on a map than as coordinates or addresses buried in long columns of an Excel spreadsheet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What can be mapped \u2013 and how?<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

A map application is built around three basic types of spatial data: points, lines and areas. These can be used to create different thematic layers on a map. Various tools can then be added to filter the information, display different map layers and navigate the map dynamically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Points<\/strong> are used to show objects with a precise location, such as shops, parcel lockers, streetlights or manhole covers. A good example is the map application created for Estonian State Agency of Medicines, which displays licensed pharmacies together with their locations and other relevant information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Screenshot of the State Agency of Medicines map application: https:\/\/apteegid.ravimiamet.ee\/<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Areas <\/strong>can represent spatial features, cadastral parcels or specific territories, such as road maintenance zones or delivery areas. In larger building complexes, such as hospital campuses or industrial parks, individual buildings, sections or parking areas can also be represented as separate areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lines <\/strong>are used to show routes, such as snow-clearing routes or hiking trails, as well as utility networks such as electricity and telecommunications infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A good example of combining different types of spatial data is the map application created for a Ida-Viru County in Estonia. It brings together local attractions, hiking trails and infrastructure in one place, making tourism information for the entire area easy to explore and understand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Screenshot of the Ida-Viru County map application<\/em> <\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Location Services and Functionality<\/strong>.A map application can also be enhanced with a range of useful features, such as address search, reverse geocoding (finding an address based on coordinates), optimal route calculation, and distance matrices for logistics planning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Regio, we develop map applications tailored to our clients\u2019 specific needs. Users can navigate the map, switch layers on and off, and filter data based on relevant parameters. The goal is the same as with a well-designed paper map: to ensure that information remains visually clear and easy to understand, even when working with large amounts of data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What else can be visualised on a map?<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Once the basic data has been added to a map, the application can be developed into a powerful analytical tool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Events on a timeline<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maps can also display information that changes over time. Using a time slider, users can explore, for example, traffic accident statistics in a particular area, the number of building permits issued over the years, the spread of forest diseases from month to month, or temporary traffic arrangements related to major events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heat maps<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A heat map uses colours to represent different values or levels of activity, highlighting the areas where certain events or objects are most heavily concentrated. For example, sales and transaction history can be used to show where most customers are located or where demand is highest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This information can help determine the best location for a new branch, plan delivery zones, or optimise service areas. The same approach can be used to identify locations with a high concentration of traffic accidents or, based on reported complaints, areas with particularly high noise levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heat maps are especially useful for revealing spatial patterns that might otherwise remain unnoticed when individual objects or events are viewed separately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

User feedback<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A map application can also bring together information provided directly by users or retrieved from the systems of companies connected to the application. For example, drivers can report potholes, while telecommunications customers can identify areas with poor network coverage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Utility companies can display areas affected by power outages, while EV charging service providers can show the locations, availability and other relevant information about electric vehicle charging points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Making your data visually accessible<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

The main value of a map application comes from bringing different data sources together. However, the necessary information is often stored in separate spreadsheets or needs to be refined before it can be mapped. This is where specialists from Regio can help. We offer a full-service solution, taking care of the entire technical implementation of the map application.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  • Data cleansing, structuring and enrichment<\/strong>: we review the client\u2019s datasets, clean and organise them, and add additional spatial information where necessary.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Creating and mapping data layers<\/strong>: we turn the data into structured layers and display them on the Regio\u2019s basemap.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Data updates<\/strong>: customers can manage and update the data themselves, or specialists from Regio can take care of regular updates.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    The result is a ready-to-use solution that transforms complex datasets into clear and accessible visual information. It saves time, reduces manual errors, and ensures that consistent and easy-to-understand spatial information is readily available to your team, customers and partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If you would like to put your data on the map, get in touch with us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Automatic Translation by ChatGPT Have you heard the saying, \u201cOne map is worth a thousand pictures and a million words\u201d? This\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33001,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[200],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33009","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-applications"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.regio.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33009","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.regio.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.regio.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.regio.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.regio.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33009"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.regio.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33009\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33014,"href":"https:\/\/www.regio.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33009\/revisions\/33014"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.regio.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33001"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.regio.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33009"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.regio.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33009"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.regio.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33009"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}