Category: mapping

Sometimes data is difficult to wrap your head around. That’s where data visualization, or crafty graph work, comes in. You can use the same tool you’re likely already employing to store and manipulate your data — Microsoft Excel — to visualize the very same data. Excel is a formidable tool for data visualization.

Your Excel data probably looks similar to the data above. But it can be difficult for numbers to communicate data-related trends. Common data visualization examples using Excel feature charts, graphs, combinations, and their derivatives. Such diagrams speak a thousand words that can be hard to find in data.

Create Basic Data Visualizations in Excel

There are a number of visualization tools within Excel. While the multiple options can be overwhelming, you can get a lot of mileage out of the simplest of charts.

Bar and Column Chart Examples

Bar and column charts are understandable by even elementary and middle school children. The taller columns (vertical) or longer bars (horizontal) describe the data. You can even include multiple data to compare over time or for other situations.

Our sales data shows product and services revenue by month. When translated into a column chart, as above, you can see that services are always higher than products, but more volatile. It would be hard to get this story from numbers alone!

The same data can also be turned into a bar chart. In this case, and likely with most time-series data, column charts actually work best.

How to create a bar or column chart:

1. Select your data
2. Click Insert → Chart
3. Select Column or Bar

Your version of Excel may have slightly different menus. You can also click an icon that looks like a chart or graph.

Line Graph Examples

Line graphs are more suitable for cases where individual data points are not so important. Technical analysis can build upon a simple line graph, including regression quotients, slope values, and extrapolation.

On the line graph example above, we’ve used the same data as before, but there are a few differences: we’re showing the total number of sales (instead of revenue) and it’s displayed over time in a way that may better explain the trends in this business.

How to create a line graph:

1. Select your data
2. Click Insert → Chart
3. Select Line

Pie Chart Examples

Pie charts may be the most appealing of all the data visualization options. In a nutshell, pie charts are circular depictions of statistical proportions, using divisions. The bigger the slice of the pie, the larger the representation, and more generally, the importance.

Using another “slice” of the same data, we can see which regions provided most of the revenue.

How to create a pie chart:

1. Select your data
2. Click Insert → Chart
3. Select Pie

Advanced Excel Data Visualization Examples

Advanced data visualizations become important when simpler diagrams just won’t cut it. This could be the case when there isn’t much difference between values, or you want to communicate multiple values at once.

Combine Charts and Graphs

We’ve shown revenue by month, in dollars. And we’ve shown sales by month, in number of purchases. Each is useful in its own way, but a more complete picture comes into view when we combine them in a single data visualization.

In July and August, there are a lot of sales, but there’s less revenue per sale. That story wasn’t easily visible before we merged the line graph and column chart.

How to create a combo chart:

1. Select your data
2. Click Insert → Chart
3. Select Column
4. Click Change Chart Type → Select Combo

The advanced type of a combo chart is not available in the first menu. However, you can change the type to include a column and line. Notice the selected option has the line values on the second Y-axis —that allows you to show different scales in a single chart.

Create Stacked Charts

Another advanced chart type is a stacked chart. Here we’ll use the exact same data as in our first column chart, but the information will be displayed in a smaller space, with a single column per month.

The added benefit here is that we’re more easily showing the total revenue per month. So, three values are communicated in each month’s column. The stacked chart is an advanced Excel visualization option that really packs a punch!

How to create a stacked chart:

1. Select your data
2. Click Insert → Chart
3. Select Column
4. Click Change Chart Type → Select Column → Select the visual of stacked columns

As with the combo chart, you need to dig into the chart type menu and select it visually. Of course, there’s a lot more you can do with chart design, but Excel can’t do quite every visualization, as we’re about to see.

Visualize Excel Data on a Map

One of the best ways to show data visually is with a map. Not all data fits this model, but if you have places—address, cities, or postal codes—plotting them on a map makes a lot of sense. Excel can’t do this itself, but luckily, BatchGeo’s Excel mapping tool makes it easy.

Plot Addresses as Map Markers

To make a map, make sure your Excel spreadsheet — or Google Sheet or Numbers — contains location data. Take the above spreadsheet about car mechanics around the Santa Monica area, which we used to make the following map.

View Santa Monica Mechanics (with Ratings) in a full screen map

How to:

1. Copy and paste your spreadsheet data into batchgeo.com
2. Check to make sure you have the proper location data columns available by clicking “Validate and Set Options”
3. Select the proper location column from each drop down
4. Click “Make Map” and watch as the geocoder performs its process

Sum and Average Data in Map Clusters

Maps are a great way to visualize data. However, we can often find ourselves with more than just four data points. When “marker overload” leaves you with hundreds of markers on your map, preventing you from seeing trends clearly, you can summarize and average your data with map clustering.

View Household income, average clustering in a full screen map

Let’s say you have data similar to the map above which contains the household income of over 3,000 U.S. counties. Without map clustering, the would appear crowded and you may struggle to visualize your data. By following the steps below to enable map clustering, you’ll once again be able to visualize your data clearly.

How to:

1. Copy and paste your spreadsheet into batchgeo.com
2. Click Validate and Set Options, then Advanced Options
3. Click Enabled clustering for high density markers
4. Select the new option to choose average and Median Income (or whatever your data example)
5. Click Make Map

Make Your Map

No matter the Excel visualizations you use, you can add them to a map. Use our mapping tool to create your own embeddable map, or try including inline charts on your map to mix and match visualizations.

Picture 100,000 people in your head. Now visualize those 100,000 people as very specific types of individuals: sports fans. We mapped 537 of the world’s largest sports stadiums by their capacity. These notable venues range from holding 40,000 sports fans to holding more than 100,000. Which stadiums seat the most sports aficionados, and which seat the least? Which city is home to more than five of the largest sports stadiums in the world? And once and for all, are there more massive soccer stadiums or American football stadiums? Find out the answers to these questions and more as you continue reading about over 500 of the world’s largest sports stadiums.

View Largest Sports Stadiums in a full screen map

The map above provides the opportunity to sort the world’s largest sports stadiums — those with a capacity of 40,000 or more — by capacity. See the largest and smallest sports stadiums, and sort them by their main use. From soccer, American football, and cricket to all forms of rugby, select the sport you’re interested in and then select the range of capacity you wish to see, for example, “117K-74,624.”

100,000 Fans & More: Ten of the Most Spacious Sports Stadiums

There are only ten stadiums in the world that can hold over 100,000 people. These ten spacious stadiums are:

• Rungrado 1st of May Stadium
• Michigan Stadium
• Beaver Stadium
• Kyle Field
• Neyland Stadium
• Tiger Stadium
• Ohio Stadium
• Bryant-Denny Stadium
• Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium
• Melbourne Cricket Ground

Eight of the ten most spacious stadiums are located in the Southern or Midwestern regions of the United States. Michigan Stadium, located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, holds up to 110,601 people. Pennsylvania’s Beaver Stadium doesn’t reach its maximum capacity until person #106,572 enters the building. The fourth and ninth most spacious stadiums, Kyle Field and Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium are both located in Texas. Kyle Field can hold 102,733 Aggie fans while Austin’s Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium fills up at 100,119 people. Neyland, Tiger, Ohio, and Bryant-Denny stadiums are in Tennessee, Louisiana, Ohio, and Alabama, respectively. They each can hold between 101,821 and 102,455 fans. And, as you may have guessed from the many stadiums located in the country where football is the #1 sport, all of these stadiums were built specifically for American football.

That just leaves the #1 and #10 most spacious stadiums. The Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, located in Pyongyang, North Korea, is the most spacious stadium in the world. This enormous building holds up to 114,000 soccer fans. The main tenant of the stadium also known as the May Day Stadium is the Korea DPR national soccer team. This team has appeared in the World Cup two times but has yet to win, which is why they aren’t on the FIFA World Cup Finals Winners and Runners Up map. The Rungrado 1st of May Stadium is one of the only two stadiums in the top ten not used for American football. The second is Australia’s Melbourne Cricket Ground or the #10 most spacious stadium in the world. At the Melbourne Cricket Ground, you’ll witness cricket being played. The stadium holds no more than 100,024 people.

The Smaller of the Largest-Capacity Stadiums

In contrast to the ten most spacious stadiums in the world, there are 25 smaller stadiums on the map that hold no more than 40,000 people. While these stadiums are nearly three times smaller than the #1 most spacious stadium on the map, they still tower over the many stadiums below 40,000-capacity that didn’t make the map.

Over 60% of the smaller stadiums can be found in or near Southeast Asia. Bo’an Stadium, Kunming Tuodong Sports Center, Riverside Sports Center, and Wuhu Olympic Stadium are 40,000 max capacity stadiums located in China. Malaysian stadiums including Darul Makmur, Hang Jebat, Negeri Pulau Pinang, and Sarawak stadiums are also among those that can hold no more than 40,000 people. There are also three smaller stadiums in India and Pakistan. Plus, Sri Lanka, Burma, Indonesia all have at least one small stadium. The majority of these places are reserved for soccer. We could include the OSC Metalist stadium in Kharkiv, Ukraine in this list of smallest-capacity stadiums, but their precise 40,003 people limit puts them three people above the cut-off.

Cities with the Most Stadiums & Their Main Uses

Some cities have more large stadiums than others. London, England, for example, is home to six stadiums that range in capacity between 42,055 and 90,000. Wembley Stadium is at the larger end of that range. It’s also the 16th highest capacity stadium in the world. Another city with multiple notable stadiums is Buenos Aires. The capital of Argentina has five large stadiums where various Club Atlético soccer teams play. They vary in capacity, the smallest holding no more than 43,494 people while the largest can hold up to 74,624 fans.

Mexico City, Istanbul, Houston, and São Paulo each have four larger stadiums. Istanbul, Turkey and Houston, Texas’s four stadiums are similar in size to the five stadiums in Buenos Aires. Istanbul’s stadiums range from 41,903 and 76,092 while Houston’s hold between 40,000 and 71,500 people. Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca is one of only three stadiums to host the FIFA World Cup more than once. This largest of the city’s four stadiums at 87,000 max-capacity, Estadio Azteca hosted the World Cup in 1970 and then again in 1986. The other three stadiums in Mexico City range between 41,262 and 65,000. São Paulo, Brazil’s four soccer stadiums can hold between 40,199-67,052 futebol fans.

The Main Uses of Stadiums Everywhere

American football may be the #1 sport in the U.S., but worldwide soccer is supreme. Of the over 530 notable stadiums on the map, more than 320 of them are dedicated to soccer. This includes 22 soccer stadiums that are ranked within the top 50 stadiums with the highest capacity and 43 soccer stadiums in the top 100. American football has just 115 stadiums.

While stadiums meant for American football are far fewer than those meant for soccer, American football stadiums tend to rank higher when it comes to capacity. Twenty-eight American football stadiums rank within the top top 50 stadiums with the highest capacity, compared to soccer’s 22 stadiums. This trend occurs again as 53 American football stadiums appear in the top 100 compared to soccer’s 43 stadiums that rank that high.

Twenty-nine stadiums are used for baseball while 25 are for cricket. If you were to combine stadiums meant for Rugby union and Rugby league, you’d get 17 stadiums. Shocking, there is only one 40,000+ basketball stadium, the Philippine Arena in Ciudad de Victoria, located in the Philippines. It holds 51,898 people.

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Now that you know the May Day Stadium in North Korea holds the most sports fans, it’s time to pay it a visit. Or at least, add it to your map of where you want to go. Don’t have one yet? Create one now for free with the help of our simple data mapping tool.

You can probably name the United States’ national animal: the bald eagle. But did you know the U.S. has another national mammal, the bison? About 35% of countries worldwide have multiple national animals representing them. These animals range from general national animals to more descriptive categories like national birds, national aquatic animals, and even a national horse or two. Some countries even share the same national or heraldic animal as other countries. There is one animal 17 different countries list as their national symbol. Plus, more countries than you might think are represented by mythical creatures. The world’s national animals include more dragons, double-tailed lions, phoenixes, and unicorns than appear in Harry Potter and throughout all eight seasons of Game of Thrones combined. Read on to discover more about the national animals of every country.

View National Animals of Every Country in a full screen map

The map contains 158 national animals. Sort them by the categories our data source noted, which includes national insects, reptiles, heraldic symbols, and more.

Categories & Common Animals

The national animals can be grouped into ten categories. The most frequent category is simply “national animal,” of which there are 87 on the map. Typically, each country has just one official national animal that is the ultimate representation of the country. Some places may also have a national bird. In fact, 33 countries list national birds. Plus, there are 16 national heraldry animals. Heraldic national animals are drawings of animals that may have appeared on a shield throughout the country’s history. There are also ten national aquatic animals and five national insects, along with national dogs, heritage animals, horses, predators, and reptiles.

You can sort the map above by these ten national animal categories, just as you can do with any map made with BatchGeo. It’s called map grouping, which allows you to use groups to break down your data and see trends on a map.

Countries with Common Animals

Seventeen countries have the same national animal: the lion. However, there are some differences between the lions that represent these countries. Five countries list the lion as a heraldic national animal. Belgium’s is the mythical Belgic lion, while the double-tailed lion, another mythological creature, represents the Czech Republic. In addition to Belgium and the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, and Norway also have heraldic lion national animals.

Iran’s national lion is more specific: the Persian lion. Compared to the typical African lion, the Persian lion is smaller and less hairy. However, aside from the five countries with heraldic national lions and Iran, the following 11 countries have the exact same African lion as their national animal:

• England
• Ethiopia
• The Gambia
• Kenya
• Libya
• Luxembourg
• Morocco
• Sierra Leone
• Singapore
• Sri Lanka
• Togo

You’ll note that seven out of the 11 countries are in Africa. This makes sense seeing as it is the African lion that represents them all. Then we have the second most common national animal: the Arabian oryx. This little antelope is the national animal of Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.

Countries with Multiple National Animals

Pakistan, Finland, India, and Mexico each have more than four national animals. Pakistan has six distinct animals. The country is ultimately represented by their main national animal: the Markhor. However, Pakistan also lists a national aquatic animal, the Indus river dolphin, a national bird, the Chukar, and a national reptile, the Indus crocodile. They also have a national heritage bird: the Shaheen falcon, which we categorized as a national bird on the map. Plus, Pakistan is the only country with a national predator: the Snow leopard.

Finland, India, and Mexico have five different national animal symbols. Finland’s national animal is the Brown bear. The country also has a national bird, the Whooper swan, and a national aquatic animal, the European perch. Plus, they have a national insect, the Seven-spot ladybird, and a national butterfly, the Holly blue, that we paired with the other insects on the map.

India is much the same as Finland, with the addition of a national reptile, the King cobra and a national heritage animal, the Indian elephant. India’s #1 national animal is the Royal Bengal tiger. Mexico also has a similar makeup as the other two countries with five national animal symbols. However, Mexico also has a national dog, the Xoloitzcuintli, and a national mammal, the Jaguar, which for mapping purposes, we paired with other national animals. Mexico’s main national animal is the Golden eagle, which also appears on the national flag.

Overall, 35 out of the 102 countries represented on the map have more than one national animal. Breaking it down, 23 countries have two national animal symbols. Eight countries have three national animals, three places have five, while only Pakistan boasts six national animals.

Dragons & Phoenixes & Unicorns, Oh My: the Mythical Creatures

We found it fascinating that the following 15 countries have mythical national animals:

• Austria — Austrian Bundesadler “Federal Eagle”
• Belgium — Leo Belgicus “Belgic lion”
• Bhutan — Druk
• China — Chinese dragon
• Czech Republic — Double-tailed lion
• Germany — Bundesadler “Federal Eagle”
• Greece — Phoenix
• Hungary — Turul
• Indonesia — Garuda
• North Korea — Chollima
• Portugal — Cock of Barcelos
• Russia — Double-headed eagle
• Scotland — Unicorn
• Serbia — White eagle
• Wales — Y Ddraig Goch (Welsh Dragon)

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Now that you know the national animals of every country, it’s time to expand your knowledge even further. Check out our map of the state birds, capitals, and flowers of each of the 50 United States. It will even show you how to make your own flashcard maps to help you visualize your data. With BatchGeo, the visual learning options are endless.